Skip to content

Made of awesome

Praise phrase for someone wonderful; from 2007 John has used it for Nerdfighters, jokingly defining them as people made of awesome instead of bones and organs.

Early context: John thanks the Nerdfighters, saying they are made of awesome. — March 26th: Thanks 00:01:18

in-group term (catchphrase) · in 44 videos, 2007–2025 · peak 2009 (13 videos) · last heard 2025

Videos per year: 2007: 11 · 2008: 11 · 2009: 13 · 2010: 2 · 2011: 3 · 2018: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2025: 1

Forms heard

How the speakers say this one item, as transcribed from the videos, in order of first appearance.

form videos first heard last heard
“made of awesome” 18 2007-03-27 · March 26th: Thanks 00:01:18 2023-09-19 · So, um.... GOOD NEWS?!?!?! 00:05:23
“made-of-awesome” 16 2008-01-21 · A Short History of the PUPPY SIZED ELEPHANT 00:00:00 2025-12-09 · Hank Green, from A to Z 00:02:55

Every video

2007

date video use what is said
2007-03-27 March 26th: Thanks 00:01:18 mention John thanks the Nerdfighters, saying they are made of awesome.
2007-05-04 Brotherhood 2.0: May 4: The Top Secret Project 00:02:06 mention Contributors send greetings, including one declaring that Hank is made of awesome today and a group from Holmen High School in Holmen, Wisconsin.
2007-07-25 July 25: Brotherhood 2.0's Youtube Comments Are Answered! 00:01:40 mention John defines a nerdfighter as a regular person made out of awesome instead of tissues, cells and organs; nerdfighters hang out on the forum 'in my pants' and embroider pillows.
2007-08-16 August 16th: Finding — and Licking — a Cat 00:02:08 mention Nerdfighters are the 'fourth circle': a Nerdfighter (name unclear) put John in touch with Indianapolis people who have a cat named Toby, to be licked that afternoon.
2007-08-20 August 20th: Winner, South Dakota 00:02:22 mention John says old-school Nerdfighters are integrating the new ones well, so everyone finds they are made of more awesome than they thought possible.
2007-08-21 August 21: Hairy Hairy Head Hair 00:02:01 mention Hank finds it strange that Nerdfighters, not supposed to be 'jokes' (cool), kind of are: nerds but made of awesome, once the downtrodden masses, now 'the jokesest of the jokes'.
2007-08-24 August 24th: John's Secret Project Part 2 00:00:47 mention Greeters note that John is turning 30 and tease him that he is old and will start getting shorter and achy.
2007-09-26 September 26th: Norbert Wiener 00:01:08 mention John first learned of Norbert Wiener while researching his second book, An Abundance of Katherines.
2007-12-17 Project for Awesome: Explanation and Humane Societies 00:00:00 mention Hank explains 'Nerdfighter' as, in John's phrase, a person made of awesome inside, and 'Power' as the Nerdfighters' strength in being many and working together.
2007-12-18 Dec 18th: The Project for Awesome and Question Tuesday!!! 00:01:09 mention Asked whether a Nerdfighter alone in the forest is still made of awesome, John says Nerdfighters are even more awesome when they act nerdfighterly with no one watching.
2007-12-28 Dec. 28th: John's Last Brotherhood 2.0 Video 00:02:41 mention John says Nerdfighters are about a made-of-awesome book by a woman in Australia going to a baby in the US, raising money and awareness for causes, and a supportive community of friends 'in my pants'.

2008

date video use what is said
2008-01-21 A Short History of the PUPPY SIZED ELEPHANT 00:00:00 mention Since Evolution may take millions of years to answer his letter asking for a puppy-sized elephant, John shows the puppy-sized elephants nerdfighters made for him instead.
2008-04-10 Barack John Obama Green 00:01:57 mention Hank says his brother and Barack Obama are both very made of awesome.
2008-04-21 Belated Book-tacular Questions 00:01:52 mention On the effort to ban Looking for Alaska: the school board of Depew, New York, which John calls made of awesome, voted unanimously to keep it in the curriculum.
2008-07-01 Live from LAX 00:02:11 mention John says he is amazed how much Hank, the nerdfighters and all the world's librarians are made of awesome.
2008-09-25 Obama llama Duck 00:02:08 mention For newcomers, Hank explains that he is Hank, his brother John writes books, and anyone enjoying the video is probably a nerdfighter, made of awesome.
2008-10-06 Berlin and Let it Snow (in Your Pants) 00:00:00 mention Before Berlin, John was in Minneapolis and met hundreds of Nerdfighters; he says the vlog will be unstuck in time like Billy Pilgrim.
2008-10-08 J Scribble Goes to Borders 00:00:00 mention Searching YouTube for Paper Towns, John found groups of Nerdfighters slipping notes into his books in bookstores inviting readers to Paper Towns and Nerdfighter gatherings; he calls it fantastic and will copy it. → John slips notes cut from the Paper Towns manuscript into his books at a Borders in Indianapolis (2008)
2008-10-21 Travel Tips, Delivered Hoarsely 00:02:42 mention John will stream every event on BlogTV for the rest of the tour, for Hank and nerdfighters who cannot attend.
2008-10-24 Paper Towns MOVIE1!!!11! 00:01:50 mention John recalls that on the day An Abundance of Katherines came out, he and the Yeti found no copies at a bookstore, then went home, had soup and watched CSI.
2008-10-31 Show 'n Tell Thursday 00:02:24 mention John thanks Nerdfighters for these, for all the Peeps, and for the hundreds of other made-of-awesome presents he has received.
2008-12-29 Comment Haters and Christmas 00:00:00 mention Hank explains Nerdfighters: people who watch John, Hank and other Nerdfighter programming, made of awesome inside, fighting for nerds' rights, intellectualism and accepting people.

2009

date video use what is said
2009-01-27 Before Looking for Alaska… 00:02:29 mention John asks committed Nerdfighters who want to be Ningmasters to apply with a Ning blog post saying why; he will pick a few favourites. → John asks Nerdfighters to apply to be Ningmasters with a Ning blog post (2009) (reported back, 2009-09-12)
2009-03-01 Free Will Fetish 00:00:38 mention John says 99% of cases of strabismus (cross-eyedness) are fixable today, unlike in the 17th century.
2009-03-22 John Loves Amsterdam 00:01:28 mention On Thursday night more than 100 Nerdfighters gathered in Amsterdam for an evening of fun, including John failing to read in Dutch.
2009-04-21 Question Tuesday 00:00:00 mention Asked what a Nerdfighter is, John jokes that people haven't spent the 24 hours needed to watch all 465 videos, and says Nerdfighters are made out of awesome instead of bones and organs.
2009-04-25 Saturday Video?!?!?! 00:02:03 mention John thanks Hank for his made-of-awesome song this week (week of 20 April 2009).
2009-05-13 My Birthday Rocks 00:02:06 mention Hank answers a card from a Nerdfighter who wanted to see him in Grand Rapids but was getting a bone marrow transplant: he loved the card and calls them made of awesome.
2009-05-17 Burma! Myanmar? BURMA! 00:01:56 mention John says the Burmese government responded to the 1988 protests by killing more than 10,000 protesters.
2009-06-30 Nerdfighter MARRIAGE PROPOSAL 00:02:49 mention John congratulates the couple, thanks them for being made of awesome and part of the community, and closes the call with 'best wishes'.
2009-08-10 HipPOTATOmus 00:00:23 mention John spent the weekend (8–9 August 2009) at the Philo Apple Farm cooking school with the Yeti and her family, a woman and her son, and a woman who knows all about organic, sustainable food. → John at the Philo Apple Farm cooking school (2009)
2009-10-11 Puppy Elephant Defends Capitalism 00:03:15 mention John tells Nerdfighters who want to see a 'made of awesome' free market in action to go to Kiva.org. → John asks Nerdfighters to lend to entrepreneurs through Kiva.org (2009) (reported back, 2014-10-14)
2009-10-20 The Bella Twins Like Paper Towns 00:01:27 mention John thanks the teens who took part and the librarians who get great books to kids; the award means most because teenagers choose it, and he deeply respects teens as readers.
2009-11-03 This Machine Pwns n00bs! 00:00:47 mention Speaking as a fellow Nerdfighter rather than a brother, John calls it one of the most made-of-awesome albums he has heard and says he is proud of Hank.
2009-12-27 How To Be a Nerdfighter: A Vlogbrothers FAQ 00:00:19 mention John defines a Nerdfighter as a person made entirely of awesome instead of bones, skin and tissue; Nerdfighters don't fight nerds but are pro-nerd.

2010

date video use what is said
2010-01-28 RIP JD Salinger 00:00:00 mention John thanks viewers for their kind wishes for young Henry, 'who is made of awesome'.
2010-08-20 The Fox Hat IS REAL, but Are Zombies People? 00:00:58 mention John reports that made-of-awesome Nerdfighters are making a crowdsourced book, a guide to nerdfighting, with Nerdfighter language definitions, stories from Nerdfighteria and artwork. → John asks Nerdfighters to help with the crowdsourced Guide to Nerdfighting book (2010)

2011

date video use what is said
2011-07-08 Kill the Dollar Bill! 00:02:29 mention John thanks Nerdfighters for continuing to make The Fault in Our Stars a bestseller on Amazon and Barnes & Noble: 'you're made of awesome'.
2011-09-14 How to Make Ideas Real: Readit1st.com 00:03:35 mention Hank says he created ReadIt1st for the world but with Nerdfighters, a resource only he and John have, and thanks them for everything they have created together.
2011-09-30 YouTube Survey: Balls and First Kisses 00:00:24 mention John reports Nerdfighters have loaned more than $55,000 to entrepreneurs in the developing world through Kiva, and says Nerdfighters are made of awesome.

2018

date video use what is said
2018-09-11 Surprise . . . 00:00:58 mention The book also sponsors a speech and debate team in Oklahoma City and one in West Anchorage, Alaska.

2023

date video use what is said
2023-09-19 So, um.... GOOD NEWS?!?!?! 00:05:23 mention John tells Nerdfighteria he is genuinely in awe of them and they are truly made of awesome.
2023-12-24 John and Hank Hanging Out but they Keep Getting Younger and More Pixelated 02:17:44 mention In an FAQ, the brothers say a nerdfighter is made of awesome, and Nerdfighteria is the community around their videos doing awesome things and fighting world suck.

2025

date video use what is said
2025-12-09 Hank Green, from A to Z 00:02:55 mention John describes Nerdfighteria as the made-of-awesome community that grew up around this YouTube channel.