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Happy dance (practice)

practice · in 58 videos (2007–2025)

A celebration dance; Hank asks whether it is real.

Videos by year: 2007: 41 · 2008: 5 · 2009: 4 · 2010: 3 · 2011: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2025: 1

Also known as: Happy Dances

Threads

Also named in the threads: John's wife Sarah as 'the Yeti' (2007) · Hank: list with John the ways the brothers differ (2007) · John's An Abundance of Katherines receives a Printz Honor (2007) · 'In your pants' suffix game (2007) · John: punishment for accidentally CC'ing Hank on an email (2007) · Paper Towns: writing, revision and publication (2007) · Foundation to Decrease World Suck: the Brotherhood 2.0 fund (2007) · John and Sarah's trip to the Netherlands for An Abundance of Katherines (2007) · My Pants: the Brotherhood 2.0 forum (2007) · Hank asks Nerdfighters for punishment ideas after the brothers' instant-message slip (2007) · Hank's song 'Accio Deathly Hallows' (2007) · Hank asks John to talk about the happy dance project in his next video (2007) · John's puppy-sized elephant (2008) · Daniel Biss and his wife have a baby (2008) · John loses his camcorder in Boston on the Paper Towns tour (2008) · John asks Nerdfighters what he can do for them to thank them for Paper Towns (2008) · John invites viewers to take part in Amy Krouse Rosenthal's 10/10/10 event at the Bean in Chicago (2010) · John: sign every copy of The Fault in Our Stars (2011)

Same name, different thing

Happy Dance (song by Debbie Kitto)

Often together

What comes up in the same parts of the videos; the number is how many parts.

Brotherhood 2.0 (13) · Daniel Biss (4) · Punishment (4) · Florida (2) · Maureen Johnson (2) · United States presidential election (2) · Paper Towns (3) · Mike Green (2) · world suck (2) · climate change (2)

What the videos say

The most important statements of each year; all statements.

2007

  • 2007-01-12 · Brotherhood 2.0: January 12, 2007 — John's last punishment idea: do your happy dance for 3 minutes 30 seconds, but only in 5-second clips; unable to phone Daniel this late, he works out 70 dances in 70 locations. (playful, hedged) — 00:01:27
  • 2007-01-16 · Brotherhood 2.0: January 16, 2007 — John asks whether they can agree to have their happy-dance compilation video done around the end of February. — 00:02:37
  • 2007-05-25 · May 25th: FreeMonkey's Tour — announcement: Hank: To celebrate Free Monkey's day, John's happy dances in Holland and the end of the collection period for Randy's family, Hank lowers the World Suck Index to Suck Level Yellow. — 00:01:57
  • 2007-07-09 · July 9: The Punishment Fiasco — John: Thrilled that Hank had broken the rule, John typed 'dude, you are so punished' and hit return, only realising when Hank didn't reply that he had texted too. (playful) — 00:01:22
  • 2007-07-11 · Brotherhood 2.0: Harry and the Potters are Nerdfighters! — John: As bad news for his punishment, John says he seems to have thrown away all his academic decathlon medals. (hedged) — 00:00:49
  • 2007-07-13 · Brotherhood 2.0: July 13: Outside — John looks forward to doing his punishment on Tuesday: he has gathered some medals and this weekend will get big baggy pants, maybe an old belt like he used to have, and green hairspray at a thrift store. — 00:01:38
  • 2007-08-27 · August 27th: Thanks Yous and Cameos — announcement: Hank says it probably won't be the last secret project: he and John are working on an idea, with more later this week (week of 27 August 2007). (hedged) — 00:02:28
  • 2007-08-31 · August 31: Copyright and Airports — announcement: Hank: All Brotherhood 2.0 happy dances are licensed under a Creative Commons license for distribution and modification, though everyone should really have their own happy dance. (playful) — 00:01:43
  • 2007-09-18 · September 18: In Defense of Chris Crocker — John says he has finished a revision of Paper Towns and is happy, relieved and excited enough to dance. — 00:00:10
  • 2007-09-20 · Sept. 20th: Wacky String — ask: John reminds viewers that he and Hank are collecting nerdfighters' happy dance videos by email, with an October 1 deadline; a phone is enough to film one. — 00:01:20
  • 2007-12-24 · THE NERDFIGHTER HAPPY DANCE PROJECT — announcement: both: The brothers present the Brotherhood 2.0 Happy Dance Project at long last: Nerdfighters from six continents sharing the dance they do when really happy. — video description
  • 2007-12-28 · Dec. 28th: John's Last Brotherhood 2.0 Video — John has come to think a lot of life is about doing things that don't suck with people who don't suck, which is why he enjoyed the Happy Dance Project and the Project for Awesome. (hedged) — 00:03:11
  • …and 66 statements more in 2007 — all statements of 2007

Also named in: Brotherhood 2.0, January 22, 2007, Brotherhood 2.0: January 30, 2007

2008

  • 2008-05-11 · Nerdfighting IRL — Hank shows the inaugural Maureen Johnson happy dance from three angles filmed by Nerdfighters, calling it possibly the most important thing that happened that night. (playful) — 00:02:21
  • 2008-06-19 · Memo to the Fourteenth Century (and to the Tobians) — John: Daniel Biss and his wife have had a baby; John does his seated happy dance and says the chosen name is also good, though everyone rooted for 'John Hank Bubbles'. (playful) — 00:01:41
  • 2008-10-22 · Punish Hank? Save Hank? YOU DECIDE. — John: After the MacBook's iSight camera freezes during his happy dance, John says it is why he is buying a camcorder tomorrow. (playful) — 00:01:06
  • 2008-10-28 · The Unzipped Zipper (Of Your Pants) — John finds one request he can fulfil, recording his happy dance in 18 different states, and says yes. (playful) — 00:03:37

Also named in: Happy (Belated) Birthday, Hank

2009

Also named in: Giraffe Love and Other Questions ANSWERED

2010

  • 2010-10-13 · On Hope and Chile — John does his happy dance in his basement because he was too socially awkward to do it in front of hundreds of Nerdfighters at the Bean in Chicago, and shows theirs. (playful) — 00:00:47
  • 2010-12-17 · PROJECT FOR AWESOME 2010: Save the Children and Partners in Health — John defines 'us' as people who 'do this' (an on-screen gesture) to remind themselves to be awesome and who happy dance even after tragedy; keeping it going helps the poor and helps us. — 00:01:56
  • 2010-12-22 · I Was on Jeopardy!!!! — John: Because his week has turned around, John shares his happy dance, performed around his hotel and coached by Wheezy Waiter, ending in a handstand. (playful) — 00:01:44

2011

  • 2011-11-07 · IS THIS HEAVEN? — John celebrates having signed all the books after a happy dance through town. — 00:00:34

2014

  • 2014-11-04 · Mustaches and Movies: Day One of Paper Towns — John: Filming outside in North Carolina without revealing the location, John says he was jumping up and down with Jaz Sinclair, who plays Angela, from excitement, and does his happy dance. — 00:00:42

2018

2025

  • 2025-09-30 · WHO ARE WE AND WHAT ARE WE DOING — Hank says it is all built on happy dances, giving Peeps away and drinking blenderized Happy Meals: it is about big and good, but also about goofing and fun. — 00:05:58

Also named in other years (nothing said): P4A 2015 - Condensed Soup (2015-12-15)