MA-0013 · first seen January 2010
Double Rainbow
An overwhelmed man weeps with joy at a double rainbow in Yosemite; the original video of pure, unironic wonder.
- Status
- ClassicPeaked more than five years ago
- Trend score
- 9/100Estimated
- Change, 90 days
- 0%Estimated
- Peak
- 72Aug 2010
- Years active
- 2Index of 30 or more
- First seen
- 2010January 2010
Popularity over time
Monthly attention from Jan 2010 to Oct 2026. Hover or tab through the chart for each month.
- First appearance
- Went viral
- Peak
- Decline
Attention index, 0 to 100 on one scale for the whole archive. Estimated from each meme’s key dates, not measured.
About
Paul “Bear” Vasquez filmed the rainbow from his property near Yosemite National Park and uploaded the video to YouTube in January 2010. Over three minutes he gasps, laughs and finally sobs: “What does this mean?”
The clip sat mostly unseen until July 2010, when it was shared widely on Twitter and picked up by television hosts. Remixes, autotuned songs and parodies followed within days, and “double rainbow” became shorthand for over-the-top enthusiasm about something ordinary.
Origin
A video filmed and uploaded to YouTube in January 2010 by Paul “Bear” Vasquez near Yosemite National Park.
January 2010
Viralization
Shared widely on Twitter in July 2010 and picked up by television hosts.
July 2010
Peak
Estimated peak in August 2010, when remixes and parodies flooded YouTube.
Aug 2010
Timeline
From the first post to where it stands today.
Origin
A rainbow in Yosemite
Paul Vasquez posts a three-minute video of his reaction to a double rainbow.
Early adoption
Quiet months
The clip sits with a modest audience for half a year.
Viral
Twitter finds it
Shared widely by prominent accounts, the video reaches millions in days.
Peak
Remix season
Autotuned songs, parodies and reaction videos multiply.
Decline
Shorthand
“Double rainbow” enters everyday speech for over-the-top enthusiasm.
Current
Sincerity, preserved
Remembered as an early viral video that was shared affectionately rather than ironically.
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