It’s that time of the year again and, as your stewards of short form entertainment, yours truly here at GIPHY are excited to bring you the Top 25 GIFs of 2018.
We know — it’s hard to believe 2018 is almost over and, for us at GIPHY, it’s been one hell of a year. We’re currently serving more than 7 billion GIFs and stickers to 500 million people every single day. Also, in 2018 alone, we launched our new homepage featuring GIPHY Stories; powered award-winning campaigns for the world’s coolest brands; and more recently, showcased v1 of our new video platform as well as 118 artist micro-films at the first GIPHY Film Fest.
Phew…that was a lot, and the year still technically isn’t over! So before it is, let’s see what GIFs made 2018 tick.
#1: Cardi B “Okurrrrr” by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, 282M views
This year’s top GIF comes to us from “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and features regular guest Cardi B. This is truly the year of Cardi B! In 2018 she nabbed 3 AMAs, 3 VMAs, and a BBMA. Now, she’s the most viewed GIF of 2018 wherein she drops her own branded language in a hugely popular TV moment. It’s no surprise given the combination of Fallon’s digitally savvy late night show and Cardi B’s huge rising star. Congrats!
#2: Colombia Futbol by Alkilados, 269M Views
Colombian pop duo, Alkilados, picked the perfect time to create a series of simple, yet extremely passionate, reaction GIFs. In the midst of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where the Colombian national team took a liking to last-minute, heart palpitation-inducing goals, this GIF was clutch for letting out all that built-up emotion. Sports, stress release, and national pride make for a great GIF combination, apparently!
#3: Happy Party Gnome by Sherlock Gnomes, 268M Views
Part of the “Gnomeo and Juliet” animated movie franchise, “Sherlock Gnomes” opened in theaters in March. This GIF from the film’s official GIPHY channel is a great example of something from a movie living beyond the film itself — it was a perfect GIF to express happiness, cheer, celebration, etc.
#4: Goodbye ’17, Hello ’18 by Hallmark eCards, 258M views
The official Hallmark eCards page on GIPHY consistently delivers fresh and timely holiday GIFs, so it’s not a big surprise to us that their New Year’s Eve GIF was one of the most viewed GIFs of the year, clocking in at over 258 million views. Now, what GIF will we use to say goodbye to 2018?
#5: All My Love For You by Chibird, 242M Views
Users often look for GIFs that can express their emotions in ways that words cannot. The artist Jackie Chen, better known as Chibird, created this beautiful illustrated GIF, which is the perfect way to say “I love you,” so it’s no surprise to us that it made the top 10!
#6: New Years Countdown by Absolut Vodka, 204M Views
Apparently, people like to ring in the New Year with GIFs! And why not? It’s the most universal holiday out there. This top performing (and cute!) animation is one of many made in-house at GIPHY for Absolut.
#7: Thinkin’ of You by GIPHY Studios, 203M Views
This is another GIPHY in-house original! A lot of people were searching GIPHY for cute GIFs to send to their significant others. We wanted to give these people original and creative content that performed the same duties as a greeting card. Based on the popularity of this flirty GIF by Josh Freydkis (203 million views), I think we delivered.
#8: Like A Boss by Best Friends Animal Society, 203M Views
What is the internet without cute dogs? We worked with Best Friends Animal Society on a series of GIFs to help promote their mission of saving the lives of shelter animals. This “Like a Boss” GIF did exceptionally well with 203 million views! For more information on how you can save a shelter animal’s life, visit bestfriends.org.
#9: Happy Birthday Cupcake by Leannimator, 202M Views
“Happy Birthday” continues to be one of the most popular searches on GIPHY, so this illustrated GIF by Leann Moffitt, known on GIPHY as @Leannimator, really gives the people what they want! It feels like a GIF greeting card because it’s something with mass appeal that could be enjoyed by anyone.
#10: DeAndre Hopkins “Yup” by NFL, 195M Views
Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins made an insane catch that was being reviewed by the referees (spoiler alert: it was a touchdown) and the replay on the big screen got just the reaction we needed: a confident nod that would go viral and get used in conversations everywhere. Thanks football!
#11: Shrug by REYKON, 190M Views.
This GIPHY original was made when REYKON stopped by on his promotional tour! It was shot in NYC in partnership with Warner Music Latina, as Reykon was promoting his single “Mala,” and it’s the perfect “shrug” GIF.
#12: “Happy Mama” by Mama Mia! Here We Go Again, 190M Views. This GIF of Lily James from the “Mamma Mia!” sequel was so popular because it was a succinct, perfect way to express joy, celebration, and happiness!
#13: Tired Neil Patrick Harris by bubly, 187M Views. Mondays. Am I right? This NPH moment is one of the many reaction GIFs we made with him for bubly, and it’s relatability made it go completely viral.
#14: Reggie Watts Applause by The Late Late Show w/ James Corden, 181M Views. Reggie Watts leads the house band on “The Late Late Show”. What better way to tell someone “good job!” than to send them this?!
#15: Elastigirl Chase by Walt Disney Studios, 180M Views. The much-anticipated “Incredibles 2” movie naturally made the GIFs in demand too. And c’mon, we all know Elastigirl is the best superhero in that family, other than Jack-Jack.
#16: Joel Embiid “Not Today” by NBA, 176M Views. An NBA fan favorite, Joel Embiid (aka The Process) is a GIF machine on and off the court. This gem quickly became a staple of the super popular “no” search.
#17: “Let’s go Home” by The Room, 171M Views. GIFs from Wiseau’s 2003 cult classic share the indescribable popularity of the movie. We all love it, and we can’t really explain why. Which is why it’s good that these GIFs exist.
#18: New Years Kiss by Absolut Vodka, 170M Views. Another wonderful NYE GIF made for Absolut by GIPHY Studios. This one has us in our feelings.
#19: Splash Fail by AFV, 170M Views. You can always rely on America’s Funniest Home Videos for quintessential “fail” GIFs!
#20: “Running Late” by Nike, 168M Views. This moment from Nike’s “Choose Go” ad shows Giannis Antetokounmpo (aka the Greek Freak) in an unstoppable mood.
#21: OMG by Marlon (NBC), 168M Views. Marlon Wayans gave us this hilarious “OMG” moment from his new show, which makes for a classic reaction GIF.
#22: Good Morning by Red & Howling, 168M Views. This illustrated work comes from author, cartoonist & doggy advocate Amy Luwis, known for her work as Red & Howling on GIPHY!
#23: Deep Breath by True & the Rainbow Kingdom, 161M Views. Often times animated shows make great content since certain facial expressions can be exaggerated in a humorous way. This example from the Netflix kids show proves it.
#24: Gracias/Thank You by Njorg, 153M Views. This sweet artist GIF created by Jason Engdahl, known as @Njorg on GIPHY, created a GIF that says “thank you” in two languages.
#25: “Slide Into His DMs” by America’s Next Top Model, 150M Views. Tyra Banks and ANTM have given us some memorable GIFs over the years, and this one is definitely a new classic.
