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.

About this post

 
  1. Happyslapper2 Sunday 23rd January 2005, 9:01 pm

    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

  2. n/a Wednesday 26th January 2005, 1:44 pm

    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

  3. happyslapperhater Wednesday 26th January 2005, 6:15 pm

    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!!!!

  4. Lil' D Wednesday 26th January 2005, 6:27 pm

    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.

  5. KiTkAtZ Wednesday 26th January 2005, 8:58 pm

    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

  6. bling gal Wednesday 26th January 2005, 9:40 pm

    apy slapin jkessssssssss blud ye

  7. no comment Thursday 27th January 2005, 11:37 am

    yo happyslapperhater, go suk yo mum

  8. tom Thursday 27th January 2005, 4:40 pm

    happy slaping is 4 penis’s

  9. Darren Thursday 27th January 2005, 4:42 pm

    i love happy slap

  10. Ruffneck Thursday 27th January 2005, 6:10 pm

    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!

  11. Pablo Escobar Thursday 27th January 2005, 6:45 pm

    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

  12. hayley Thursday 27th January 2005, 7:11 pm

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

  13. HappySlapKiller Thursday 27th January 2005, 8:08 pm

    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.

  14. slappersridiots Thursday 27th January 2005, 10:45 pm

    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.

  15. STEVIE 'SCUBA' EVANS Friday 28th January 2005, 9:49 am

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

  16. HappySlapsAreForLlamas Friday 28th January 2005, 2:57 pm

    all u happy slappers suck dick k thanx

  17. Steve Friday 28th January 2005, 5:23 pm

    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.

  18. steve Friday 28th January 2005, 5:24 pm

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

  19. selohettin Friday 28th January 2005, 7:02 pm

    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.

  20. Anonymous Friday 28th January 2005, 11:50 pm

    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.

  21. HaPPySlAppErKiLAA Saturday 29th January 2005, 3:43 pm

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

  22. jimbob Saturday 29th January 2005, 5:54 pm

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

  23. hdjfhsefhposjfpos Saturday 29th January 2005, 6:01 pm

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

  24. HoLyK Sunday 30th January 2005, 4:38 pm

    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

  25. No1 Happyslapper Monday 31st January 2005, 3:22 pm

    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

  26. Ashley Monday 31st January 2005, 7:15 pm

    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

  27. slapper110 Monday 31st January 2005, 7:57 pm

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

  28. A kiddy Monday 31st January 2005, 10:42 pm

    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

  29. big ron Monday 31st January 2005, 10:48 pm

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

  30. a white kid Monday 31st January 2005, 11:03 pm

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

  31. NF Lovers Tuesday 1st February 2005, 10:30 am

    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

  32. rob Tuesday 1st February 2005, 11:50 am

    im feeling dis shit

  33. a lad Tuesday 1st February 2005, 1:24 pm

    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.

  34. courty Tuesday 1st February 2005, 4:53 pm

    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

  35. the truth Tuesday 1st February 2005, 11:10 pm

    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

  36. Waxy.org: Links Sunday 6th March 2005, 12:41 pm

    March 2005

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

  37. Politicalog Friday 27th May 2005, 9:10 am

    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.

  38. Politicalog Friday 27th May 2005, 9:12 am

    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…

  39. Chris Brauer Media Project Wednesday 15th June 2005, 10:32 am

    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.

  40. Chris Brauer Media Project [BLOG] Wednesday 15th June 2005, 1:03 pm

    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…