Why is everyone dancing with Horace on TikTok?
Drake’s new album has been panned fairly widely, but an old song recently got a boost on TikTok thanks to Horace.
“Feel No Ways” from 2016 views, is popular again on the app, in part because of Horace, a round, wide-eyed animation in a red onesie dancing with the people of TikTok. The hashtag #horace has more than 17 million views.
@ashleyiwilson Idk what that is
♬ Feel no ways – Drake
@honeydealer_ Horace is bi for those asking: #fyp #bi ♬ Feel No Ways – Drake
A2M’s 2017 song “I Got Bitches” is also a popular Horace dance track. He’s something of a disproportionate version of the dancing baby.
@steele_aja He likes Pete Davidson’s mini naked mole rats edition #ItsGreatOutdoors #AmazonMusicProudHeroes #MakeNightsEpic #fyp #foryou #foryourpage #foryoupage ♬ WHY DO YOU USE THIS – retweet
Artist Jackson Q. Gray debuted Horace on TikTok back in April, with his creation dancing to a Marc Anthony song. Gray even made a teaser trailer like it’s an upcoming summer blockbuster. A day later, Horace was featured in a viral TikTok dancing on someone’s Jordans.
@fuhkiy0 ♬ Original sound – Fuhkiy0
What is Horace? A 3D printed version exists on Gray’s Instagram, posted in December 2020. If he sounds familiar, it’s because Horace’s first exposure to fame was actually on Instagram. A nude Horace went viral as a filter in early 2020 before being abruptly removed from Instagram for being “content of an adult or sexual nature,” according to a 2020 Vice article.
In a May 2020 post, Gray lamented the removal of Horace at a time when COVID was keeping people indoors: “When I was making Horace, I wanted him to bring some light into the lives of everyone at home dealing with boredom, loneliness and uncertainty in the midst of such heavy hearted times. Sadly and absurdly, it was deemed pornographic in the censorship-oriented eyes of Instagram and Facebook.”
So Gray gave him some clothes – the red onesie – and Horace was eventually accepted back on Instagram. Now on TikTok he’s popular again, although many people don’t seem to remember him from Instagram. Horace has also been the subject of other TikTok memes.
And of course the brands are trying to get the Horace bump.
@oreillyautoparts This guy loves the jingle #horace #oreillypowered ♬ OReilly Auto Parts jingle – O’Reilly Auto Parts
We reached out to Gray for comment.
*Initial publication: June 23, 2022 at 8:36 am CDT
Audra Schroeder
Audra Schroeder is the Daily Dot’s senior entertainment writer, focusing on streaming, comedy and music. Her work has previously appeared in the Austin Chronicle, Dallas Observer, NPR, ESPN, Bitch and the Village Voice. She lives in Austin, Texas.
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