YouTube’s First Video, “Me at the Zoo,” Enters V&A Collection
London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) has acquired YouTube’s inaugural video, “Me at the zoo,” along with a reconstructed early YouTube webpage, marking a significant moment in digital history. The acquisition highlights the growing recognition of digital artifacts as culturally and historically important records.
A Pivotal Moment in Internet History
Uploaded on April 23, 2005, by YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim, the 19-second clip features Karim at the San Diego Zoo discussing elephants. As of February 22, 2026, the video has amassed over 382 million views and more than 18 million likes [CNN], [NationalToday]. The video represents a transition from a static internet to a web defined by user-generated content and social interaction – Web 2.0.
Preserving the Early YouTube Experience
The V&A’s digital conservation team spent 18 months rebuilding the design and experience of the platform as it appeared on December 8, 2006, the oldest timestamp documented online [The Art Newspaper]. The project involved collaboration with YouTube’s user experience team and the London-based interaction design studio oio. The reconstruction aims to document how seemingly simple design choices contributed to the creator economy and platform capitalism.
On Display at the V&A
The acquired materials are currently on display in the Design 1900-Now gallery at V&A South Kensington. A mini display exploring the reconstruction process is too available at V&A East Storehouse in Stratford [Museums Association].
YouTube’s Evolution
The platform’s growth was initially fueled by the advertising industry, with a Nike commercial featuring Ronaldinho becoming the first video to surpass one million views in November 2005 [NationalToday]. By March 2013, YouTube had exceeded one billion monthly viewers.
Neal Mohan, the chief executive of YouTube, stated that reconstructing the early watch page is about “inviting the public to step back in time to the beginning of a global, cultural phenomenon” [CNN].