Top 5 Memes of 2016

Social media in 2016 was all about political opinions, loud voices and fake news. But at its best, it was about challenges.

Scrolling through any feed the most "liked" and retweeted posts usually involved a video with either an infectious dance called the "Running Man Challenge" or a bunch of people standing stone still in what became known as the "Mannequin Challenge." We couldn't unite on politics -- but everyone loved those challenge videos. 

They weren't the only viral internet images and videos of 2016. Here are the five biggest memes of 2016:

1. "Running Man Challenge"

In March, Maryland basketball players Jared Nickens and Jaylen Brantley posted a video to Instagram showing themselves doing a dance to the Ghost Town DJs song "My Boo." Their jig bore little resemblance to the Running Man dance that was popular in the 1980s, but it didn't matter. 

Before long, dozens of athletes were posting their own Running Man Challenge videos, and the trend spread outside the sports world quickly.

Brooklyn dad did a video with his children, the NYPD got in on the craze with some kids in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The FDNY also put a fiery spin on the dance. 

2. "Chewbacca Mom"

On May 19, Texas mom Candace Payne broadcasted a video on Facebook Live with the caption "It's the simple joys in life..." She talked excitedly about buying herself a Chewbacca mask from Kohls before donning the mask and laughing hysterically. 

Simple enough, right? That video quickly became the most-viewed Facebook Live broadcast of all time, and it's been viewed more than 164 million times to date. 

Payne followed up the video with appearances on the "Late Late Show" and Hasbro later made her her own action figure. She's used her newfound celebrity to inspire people to make the world "a better place."

3. Harambe

A petition on the website Change.org is pushing to get a residence hall at Eastern Kentucky University re-named after slain Cincinnati Zoo gorilla, Harambe. The May 2016 death of the 17-year-old silverback gorilla has sparked countless internet memes and tributes. Former University of Kentucky quarterback, Patrick Towles, is dedicating his upcoming football season at Boston College to the gorilla. Harambe...

On May 28, a 3-year-old boy fell into the enclosure of a Western lowland silverback gorilla named Harambe at the Cincinnatti Zoo. Video from the encounter showed the gorilla dragging the boy, and responders fatally shot Harambe to rescue the child

The zoo's decision to kill the gorilla sparked widespread outrage initially, and dozens created online memorial photos and videos for Harambe. But others grasped on the hysteria, taking tributes to the gorilla over the top or humorously tying Harambe's death to other memes. 

The Cincinnati Zoo deleted its Twitter account due to the haranguing it got following Harambe's death, and college campuses started holding "Harambe Night" during sports games.

4. #PhelpsFace

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NBC
Before his 200-meter butterfly semifinal, Michael Phelps sat stone-faced with his hood up. Right in front of him, South Africa's Chad le Clos was shadowboxing.

The Rio Olympics were the biggest thing on TV and online in August, so it was only natural that a meme would come out of the Games. 

So when swimmer Michael Phelps contorted his face into a particularly menacing grimace  toward South African rival Chad le Clos while sitting in a "ready room" before the 200m butterfly final, the internet understandably exploded.

Hundreds of people captioned tweets featuring Phelps' face of everyday experiences that might cause a little bit of anger. 

"When you ask for no pickles in your burger and they still put pickles," wrote one person.

Another captioned the look, "When you're craving Chick Fil A but it's Sunday.

One fan took it another stroke further, getting a "Phelps Face" tattoo on his leg. 

Phelps later said he wasn't glaring at le Clos, like some had guessed -- but was instead staring into the void to psych himself up for the race. 

5. "Mannequin Challenge"

2016 started with a challenge, so it's only fitting that ended with one, too. The Mannequin Challenge is credited to a class at a high school in Jacksonville, Florida, and shows several students sitting in frozen poses as hip hop group Rae Sremmurd's "Black Beatles" plays in the background. 

Like the Running Man Challenge, the Mannequin Challenge rose to widespread popularity first through sports teams -- with NBA and NFL teams including the New York Giants replicating the video in locker rooms and team jets.

Celebrities likewise posted their own Mannequin Challenge videos, and the challenge was used as a promo for an episode of Saturday Night Live.The NYPD again did a version of the video, and more than 4,000 rabbis attempted the feat in at the Chabad-Lubavitch conference in Crown Heights (with mixed results). Kindergarteners in New Jersey did an Election Day themed version of the video in what might've been the most patriotic rendition of the craze.

First Lady Michelle Obama appeared in a video featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton did a version of the video with Jon Bon Jovi aboard her campaign jet

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