British Film Institute Preserves 'Badger Badger Badger' Flash Animation

The British Film Institute (BFI) has officially preserved the 2003 flash animation 'Badger Badger Badger' (also known as 'The Badger Song'), an early internet viral video featuring 12 badgers doing calisthenics with occasional appearances by a mushroom and snake. Originally uploaded to B3ta.com in September 2003, the video is now part of the BFI National Archive. The preservation process involves contacting the creator for the original file, building metadata, checking technical specifications, and storing copies in two robot-operated tape libraries, with a separate copy kept 50 miles away for disaster recovery. Will Swinburne, Digital Curatorial Archivist at the BFI National Archive, noted the challenge of locating files from decades-old hard drives. The BFI also preserved 'Charlie Bit My Finger', another early viral hit. This initiative reflects a broader trend of film archives turning to early internet memes; in March, the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia preserved the 'Democracy Manifest' video from 1991, which gained fame in 2009 after being posted to YouTube.