The very first YouTube video is officially a work of art
Creative Bloq
by Daniel John February 24, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
The first YouTube video, "Me at the zoo," has been officially recognized as a work of art after being acquired by London's Victoria and Albert Museum. Uploaded by YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim on April 23, 2005, this grainy 19-second clip has since garnered over 380 million views, marking it as a cultural milestone. The museum’s acquisition includes more than just the video itself—it also features the reconstructed web page from December 8, 2006, showcasing the early design and functionality of YouTube’s interface, including its original Flash player and ads from the era.
This acquisition highlights a pivotal moment in internet history, representing the transition from Web 1.0, where content was primarily read-only, to Web 2.0, which emphasized user-generated content, social interaction, and multimedia. The museum collaborated with YouTube’s User Experience team and design studio oio to reconstruct the page, overcoming challenges related to technological obsolescence. Adobe Flash, once central to YouTube’s operations, is now outdated and unsupported in modern browsers. To bring this piece back to life, conservators used Ruffle, an open-source Flash emulator, ensuring the original design could be preserved for future generations.
The inclusion of the original front-end code, captured by the Internet Archive in 2006, provides insight into the early days of digital design and functionality. The restored page not only serves as a historical artifact but also underscores how far web design has evolved since its inception. This project is a testament to the importance of preserving digital history, offering a glimpse into how platforms like YouTube shaped modern internet culture.
For designers and those interested in the evolution of web design, this acquisition holds significant value. It demonstrates the shift from static content to interactive, user-driven experiences, which
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Originally published on Creative Bloq on 2/24/2026