With 2014 drawing to a close, the biggest sites on the Web are compiling their take on the past 12 months. YouTube is one of these sites, and, as you might expect, the video-sharing commodity has focused exclusively on the biggest and best videos posted during 2014. The Top 10 biggest and best, to be precise.
There are some absolute doozies included in the list, but with all of them having achieved millions of views already, the chances are you will have already seen them at least once. Thankfully, they're all brilliant enough to warrant watching for a second, third, or even fourth time. You have been warned.
YouTube Rewind 2014
http://youtu.be/zKx2B8WCQuw
Before we get to the Top 10 biggest and best YouTube videos of 2014, we have the official YouTube Rewind video celebrating "the people, memes and moments that made up an epic year." To achieve this, more than 100 YouTube creators from a range of different countries gathered together to create one epic video.
You may not recognize all of the faces or the memes they act out, but everything included in this video made an impact online somewhere in the world in 2014.
And now, without further ado, we present the Top 10 trending videos of 2014. YouTube based these standings on a combination of "views, shares, comments, likes and [the mysterious] more." Enjoy watching them all, and then scroll down to the comments section to see what other people are saying about this spectacular collection of YouTube videos.
10. Walking In NYC As A Woman
http://youtu.be/b1XGPvbWn0A
This video shows what happened when a woman walked casually around New York City for the best part of a day. Cue a lot of unwanted attention, catcalls, and generally sleazy behavior. This clip caused controversy thanks to its timing and staging, and also started a meme as others attempted to replicate the experiment in other cities. But it's eye-opening, at the very least.
9. Goku Vs. Superman: Epic Rap Battles
http://youtu.be/0MW9Nrg_kZU
Epic Rap Battles of History is a long-running series which sees two personalities from the past battling each other through the power of rap. For some unexplained reason, this particular edition, which saw Goku facing off against Superman, went viral in a big, bad way. Then again, we should expect such drama to ensue when two superheroes decide to go head-to-head.
8. Devil Baby Attack
http://youtu.be/PUKMUZ4tlJg
As viral advertising efforts go, Devil Baby Attack is rather good. Made in order to promote the movie Devil's Due, this video shows how ordinary people on the street react to seeing a Satan-spawned baby rampaging through New York. The animatronic puppet baby is certainly creepy. So much so it triggers the uncanny valley, eliciting uncomfortable emotions in its "victims."
7. Puppy Love: Super Bowl Commercial
http://youtu.be/uQB7QRyF4p4
The Super Bowl commercials are a big deal every year, with brands spending millions of dollars for a spot during the game. But they're also posted to YouTube, usually in advance of the Super Bowl itself, and this year was no exception. The big winner in terms of views and social shares this year appears to have been Puppy Love, Budweiser's effort for Super Bowl XLVIII.
6. Bars & Melody: Britain's Got Talent 2014
http://youtu.be/g3Rf5qDuq7M
Bars & Melody are Leondre Devries and Charlie Lenehan, a pair of teenage singers and rappers who competed in Britain's Got Talent in 2014. They finished third, but impressed Simon Cowell enough for him to sign them to his record label. I can't see the appeal myself, but then I'm not a 12-year-old girl. Nor is Simon Cowell, but he clearly thinks he knows what tweens like these days.
5. iPhone 6 Plus Bend Test
http://youtu.be/znK652H6yQM
A few days after Apple launched the iPhone 6 Plus on the world, reports started coming in of them being slightly more flexible than intended. In other words, Apple's first phablet was bending in people's pockets. After the Web finished mocking Apple over this calamity, one guy decided to test the bendiness of the iPhone 6 Plus, and the resulting video went viral.
4. Suor Cristina Scuccia: The Voice Of Italy
http://youtu.be/TpaQYSd75Ak
No, you're not seeing things, that is actually a singing nun taking part in a reality television show. The Voice of Italy, to be precise. Suor Cristina Scuccia went onto win it too, even though she can't sing to save her life. Perhaps she had a little help from the man upstairs. Or perhaps Italy just loves a singing nun so much it doesn't actually matter whether she can actually sing.
3. First Kiss By Tatia Pilieva
http://youtu.be/IpbDHxCV29A
Kissing is an extremely intimate act. If you think of a random stranger's mouth the last thing you want to do is kiss it. Passionately. But that is exactly what filmmaker Tatia Pilieva persuaded complete strangers to do. Seeing the different approaches and reactions these people have to this task is fascinating. But would you be willing to take part in such an experiment?
2. Winner Stays: Nike World Cup 2014
http://youtu.be/3XviR7esUvo
The 2014 World Cup was watched by billions of people around the world. Little wonder then that brands pulled out all the stops to deliver the best adverts in time for the tournament. As far as YouTube goes, Nike proved to be the big winner, with the Winner Stays commercial racking up millions of views thanks to appearances by the world's greatest footballers.
1. Mutant Giant Spider Dog
http://youtu.be/YoB8t0B4jx4
And finally, we have THE biggest and best video uploaded to YouTube in 2014. It shows just how easy it is to prank people. All you need is a cute, friendly dog who will walk up to complete strangers, and a customized giant spider costume he or she is willing to wear. The final clip, where the guy in the underpass gets caught in a web, is borderline genius.
What's Your YouTube Highlight Of 2014?
You have now seen the official list of YouTube highlights from 2014, but what is your personal highlight? Did your favorite video make the list? Or did another deserving video stand out for you during the past 12 months?
We want to hear your views, so please take to the comments below to tell us all about your YouTube highlight of 2014. Or, alternatively, you could declare your dislike of YouTube and talk up the virtues of another video-sharing site such as Vimeo or Dailymotion.
Image Credit: JD Hancock via Flickr