Telugu Kidnapping Kids Prank

About

Telugu Kidnapping Kids Prank refers to a viral video where Indian YouTuber SPKPranks insinuates he is kidnapping five young children while giving them a ride to the bus stop. After recording their brief panic, the YouTuber consoles them by saying he was joking and lets them go. The video went viral in South India in April 2023 and became an object-labeling and reaction video meme template in India in May 2023.

Origin

On April 10th, 2023, Telugu Indian YouTuber SPKPranks posted a video^[1] titled, "Kidnap prank," where he offered a ride to five children looking to go to a nearby bus stop. The video gathered over 3 million views in two months (seen below).

In the video, the YouTuber asks the eldest child his name, asks the children if they speak Telugu, and then quips, "I'm taking you all with me," leading them to panic, thinking they are being kidnapped. The YouTuber shushes them a few times before revealing that he is joking. He then drops them off.

Spread

The earliest known use of the video as a meme was in an April 29th, 2023 post by Twitter^[2] user @IndianFincher, who posted the video with the caption, "Me planning my future at 3 a.m / Meanwhile Ghosts in my room." The post gathered over 500 likes in two months (seen below).

On May 2nd, Instagram^[3] page @templates_mowa posted the video with the caption, "Bheem when ram says he needs to arrest him," gathering over 2,700 likes in two months (seen below).

By June 2023, the video had spread beyond South Indian audiences, with Twitter^[4] user @Humourlessly posting a meme on June 16th that gathered over 22,000 likes in five days (seen below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References