See and Hear Crazy Frog:
Origin:
First it was simply a vocal imitation of an internal combustion engine. Daniel Malmedahl of Sweden created a recording of his imitation in 1997 that eventually spread through peer to peer file sharing on the Internet. In 2003 another Swede named Erik Wernquist created a 3D animated figure called The Annoying Thing to accompany the sound effect. The Annoying Thing is an amphibian that wears a motorcycle helmet, goggles and leather jacket.
Crazy Frog Ringtone:
The next step toward fame for The Annoying Thing occurred in 2004 when the Jamba! group licensed Wernquist's animation and the accompanying sound to create a mobile phone ringtone. The ringtone and animation were named Crazy Frog. The release of the ringtone was accompanied by a barrage of advertising in the U.K. Soon it was the most recognized and popular ringtone downloaded from the Internet.
Controversy:
The Crazy Frog promotional campaign by Jamba! was unprecedented in the U.K. According to studies 87% of television viewers in the U.K. saw a Crazy Frog ad an average of 26 times. Over 70,000 ad slots were purchased during May 2005 alone. For many Crazy Frog truly did become a seriously annoying thing. Television viewers began calling for a moratorium on Crazy Frog advertising.
Crazy Frog Becomes a Pop Star:
The next chapter in the Crazy Frog saga was its emergence as a pop star. Bass Bumpers, a German dance music duo, recorded a version of Harold Faltermeyer's classic "Axel F" in early 2005 featuring Crazy Frog ringtone sounds. Erik Wernquist, the creator of Crazy Frog, put together an animated music video, and Crazy Frog the pop star was ready for release. By May 31, 2005 "Axel F" was #1 on the U.K. pop singles chart. Its popularity was so strong it kept the band Coldplay from debuting at the top of the pop singles chart.
Crazy Frog's followup single is a reworked version of Hot Butter's 1972 top 10 pop hit "Popcorn." Crazy Frog has traded in it's motorcycle helmet for headphones and in the video Crazy Frog is a scratch-mixing DJ. Crazy Hits, a full-length Crazy Frog album, is due for release July 25, 2005 with the official release of the "Popcorn" single to follow in August. A U.S. invasion is planned for late August with the release of the U.S. version of the Crazy Hits album.
