Playground Crazes: 'Happy Slap TV'

BBC London News reported this afternoon on a new craze amongst London youths: slapping random commuters in the face and filming the result on mobile phones with video cameras. The resulting ‘Happy Slap TV’ clips are then shared amongst friends (via MMS?), causing much hilarity.

A psychologist on the programme put some of the blame on the BBC itself, saying that shows like Dom Jolly’s ‘Trigger Happy TV’ had inspired these copy-cat clips. He also said that it was part of a general trend whereby people weren’t content to simply consume the media and instead want to be part of it, creating and sharing content.

Brave words indeed, and I can see that the idea has an element of truth in it. In some ways, blogs and moblogs are an adult extension of the same idea, and the idea of creating and sharing video content is one which is being encouraged by everyone from creatives to the mobile phone companies.

So, put this technology into the hands of youngsters, and there’s bound to be some who use it offensively. Whilst the ‘happy slap tv’ clips in some ways show imagination and initiative, it’s also clearly assault and ‘slapstick’ taken a bit too literally…

A google for Happy Slap TV currently returns a few results, including discussion threads and uploaded videos.

Update: I’m closing comments for a while now as there are more than enough comments to give a picture of the view of ‘the kids in the playground’. Genuinely new and insighful comments are still welcomed – either e-mail me or send a trackback ping.

Further Update: More coverage of this story at the Londonist, metafilter and scotsman.com.

Followup post: ‘Happy Slapping Again’, following Guardian report.

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Comments

  1. Happyslapper2 said:

    its about the happy slaps. if u feel bored wen ur about and u got a video phone den bitch slap sum norman innit its jokes man

    Posted: January 23, 2005, 9:01 pm #

  2. n/a said:

    i happy slapped sum1s teeth out b4, it was jokez, but i’v been happy slapped bare times aswell, but oh well, dats life, happy slaps is da future of entertainment, so be prepared

    Posted: January 26, 2005, 1:44 pm #

  3. happyslapperhater said:

    yo u fuckin happy slapper pricks r just thick little fake edz thinkin ur ard, sum1 tried it on me n got put in hospital, ill kill all u fuckin pricks cum NOTTS!!!!

    Posted: January 26, 2005, 6:15 pm #

  4. Lil' D said:

    lisen yer i fink happy slapping is rude and out of order although its quite funny wen u c it but havin it dun 2 u aint funny boi.

    Posted: January 26, 2005, 6:27 pm #

  5. KiTkAtZ said:

    Yo Blud Klat i try find da video on the net init, aint got shit, happy slaps is bare jokes blud, i must of slaped dis boy in school started crying on camra lol fragle bruv.
    safe Kitkatz

    Posted: January 26, 2005, 8:58 pm #

  6. bling gal said:

    apy slapin jkessssssssss blud ye

    Posted: January 26, 2005, 9:40 pm #

  7. no comment said:

    yo happyslapperhater, go suk yo mum

    Posted: January 27, 2005, 11:37 am #

  8. tom said:

    happy slaping is 4 penis’s

    Posted: January 27, 2005, 4:40 pm #

  9. Darren said:

    i love happy slap

    Posted: January 27, 2005, 4:42 pm #

  10. Ruffneck said:

    oye, fuck all u little pussyholes who go round happy slappin people, hope ur mum get slapped in her nose…c if there jokes then!

    Posted: January 27, 2005, 6:10 pm #

  11. Pablo Escobar said:

    all u pussy holes hu cant hack a happy slap shut the fuck up happy slaps r sick i had bare happy slaps got a tonks bruise on my head but raggos givin them is live come down east reading and then c whats gwannin evry prick will get happy slapped if u try and even if u dont try it. wagwan all eastside reading boys

    Posted: January 27, 2005, 6:45 pm #

  12. hayley said:

    yh ima happy slap ya mum – dont hate happy slap. or else.. watch yo backs pussys

    Posted: January 27, 2005, 7:11 pm #

  13. HappySlapKiller said:

    Any of you dirty nigger shits come near to me?
    I will chop you up and feed you to my dogs.
    That is all you are good for.
    Dog Food.

    Posted: January 27, 2005, 8:08 pm #

  14. slappersridiots said:

    when a happy slapper gets the shit beaten out of them and it’s videoed THEN I’ll laugh, until then it’s hardly a joke…it’s fuckin rude and pea-brained. You slappers just need to get your faces kicked in!! Can’t wait till they do it to me…I look like I wouldn’t fight back…boy would they be surprised.

    Posted: January 27, 2005, 10:45 pm #

  15. STEVIE 'SCUBA' EVANS said:

    all you pricks from reading i iz gona cum up and bash you all up

    Posted: January 28, 2005, 9:49 am #

  16. HappySlapsAreForLlamas said:

    all u happy slappers suck dick k thanx

    Posted: January 28, 2005, 2:57 pm #

  17. Steve said:

    Basically, you “Happy Slappers” Are an absolute joke. you are an excuse of a human-being. A waste of oxygen, food and drink and the tax payers money. Try to happy-slap me and you will not be waking up again, period. Now go and take a long walk off a cliff.

    Posted: January 28, 2005, 5:23 pm #

  18. steve said:

    And secondly, the happy slap niggers are always hating on white-boys. Try hate on this white boy and ill fucking KKK your ass

    Posted: January 28, 2005, 5:24 pm #

  19. selohettin said:

    u mother fucker happy slapers. u fucking shit head come and try happy slaping me u fucking nigers. all of u add to gether cant make one man. if you dont stop this hapyy slaping u find me were i will take u to a longgg sleep maybe yo will never wake up.

    Posted: January 28, 2005, 7:02 pm #

  20. Anonymous said:

    All u Racist dikheds need 2 get happy slaped nicely. u say u r gonna fight bk wen it coms dwn 2 it u scared shitless of us. face it u all stupid-ass wiggas neway. Steve n happyslapkiller can go n suk der mums.

    Posted: January 28, 2005, 11:50 pm #

  21. HaPPySlAppErKiLAA said:

    HAPPY SLAPS R WIKED I THINK THE PEOPLE WHO CRY BOUT IT R PUSSYYYSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

    Posted: January 29, 2005, 3:43 pm #

  22. jimbob said:

    hppy slappin is jokz but wen sum1 does it to your mum it wont be jokz den.

    Posted: January 29, 2005, 5:54 pm #

  23. hdjfhsefhposjfpos said:

    happy slpn is joke but wen sum1 beats u up for doin it u wont laugh but its still funny

    Posted: January 29, 2005, 6:01 pm #

  24. HoLyK said:

    Yo Bloods, You all want a site where you can wacth happy slaps?? http://www.holyk.co.uk is a new and growing site, with happy slaps to wacth on the increase!! Check it out!! http://www.holyk.co.uk

    Posted: January 30, 2005, 4:38 pm #

  25. No1 Happyslapper said:

    OMG u stupis fckin happy slapper haters happy slap is jokes blud u all can all suck dis dick if u dnt like happy slaps

    Posted: January 31, 2005, 3:22 pm #

  26. Ashley said:

    Slap Happy Crew

    HAPPY SLAPPING IS HEAVY. I HAVE DONE IT TO BARE PEOPLE.

    EVERYONE THAT HATES IT. I LOVE IT

    ITS SO DOPE. P.S I DONE THE ONE AT THE BUS STOP WITH THAT LADY

    Posted: January 31, 2005, 7:15 pm #

  27. slapper110 said:

    happy slaps are jokes!!! only do it in groups tho!! go onto http://www.holyk.co.uk to see sum.

    Posted: January 31, 2005, 7:57 pm #

  28. A kiddy said:

    Happy slappin is crazy. get a damn job slappers. iv seen a couple that r funny and brought a smile but some r way ova the top. It aint bitch slappin it might as well be a punch.madness

    Posted: January 31, 2005, 10:42 pm #

  29. big ron said:

    i really really want one of u fuckers to cum an slap me……………hahahaahah, that wud be so funny,

    Posted: January 31, 2005, 10:48 pm #

  30. a white kid said:

    Its official blacks are more racist than any other race.Bet u dont like that chaps. But its true.

    Posted: January 31, 2005, 11:03 pm #

  31. NF Lovers said:

    Ur all fucking pricks i hope u all fucking die… ur a fucking waist of space…. and ur think ur all ‘Heavy’ but ur little miners ina little gansta world! p.s NF for life

    Posted: February 1, 2005, 10:30 am #

  32. rob said:

    im feeling dis shit

    Posted: February 1, 2005, 11:50 am #

  33. a lad said:

    U sla[[ers are fucking me off. When a slap has ad its day and aint funny wat then? Mindless lozers. Get a fucking job- all happy slappers shud find something else to do- could 1 of u slappers tell me why its mostly black people doin it.

    Posted: February 1, 2005, 1:24 pm #

  34. courty said:

    yer blood happy slap iz real. catch bear jokes wen u just slap little dick head up. get me big up kenny ken the og at happy slap bruuuttt. repin reading manz

    Posted: February 1, 2005, 4:53 pm #

  35. the truth said:

    yo bloods u know wat i mean man i think were wey more racist than those whitey punk ass bitchs i liked it wen we used to stay in on the stolen snez and fuck up all the white boys on street fighter(i luv dalsim)lets all never go out again specially in birmingham

    Posted: February 1, 2005, 11:10 pm #

  36. Waxy.org: Links said:

    March 2005

    …Collection of “Happy Slap” videos (requires Quicktime to view; I want to choke these punk kids)…

    Posted: March 6, 2005, 12:41 pm #

  37. Politicalog said:

    Happy Slappin’ Retarded Gorillas

    Teenage boys with the language skills of a retarded gorilla telling us all that we should lighten up. “Surely we can see it is funny” we were told. Funny! Of course, now I see what I have been missing all of these years.

    Posted: May 27, 2005, 9:10 am #

  38. Politicalog said:

    Happy Slappin’ Retarded Gorillas

    I sat goggle eyed watching Tonight with Trevor McDonald last night. Teenage boys with the language skills of a retarded gorilla telling us all that we should lighten up. “Surely we can see it is funny” we were told. Funny! Of course, now I see what I…

    Posted: May 27, 2005, 9:12 am #

  39. Chris Brauer Media Project said:

    Happy Slappy Sociology

    When Frankie Roberto first published his take on the happy slapping phenomena he never could have guessed that the article would become the most popular page on his website overnight.

    Posted: June 15, 2005, 10:32 am #

  40. Chris Brauer Media Project [BLOG] said:

    Happy Slappy Sociology

    Russian mystic and novelist Leo Tolstoy said everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. And you know the world is changing when the slang word used for cool is book, the first option given by the predictive text…

    Posted: June 15, 2005, 1:03 pm #