Double Rainbow became 2010’s most joyful viral video when Paul “Bear” Vasquez’s ecstatic, tearful reaction to double rainbow—“What does this mean?!”—captured pure wonder before being commercialized and meme-ified.
The Video
January 8, 2010: Paul “Yosemitebear” Vasquez uploaded video from his Yosemite property—3.5 minutes of him filming double rainbow while sobbing with joy, screaming: “DOUBLE RAINBOW ALL THE WAY! What does this mean?! OH MY GOD! It’s so intense!”
The raw emotion, genuine wonder, and overwrought reaction made it comedy gold and genuinely moving simultaneously.
The Virality
January-June 2010: Sat mostly unnoticed
July 3, 2010: Jimmy Kimmel tweeted it
July 2010: Exploded to 10M+ views in days
Peak: 50M+ views, late-night TV coverage
Celebrity tweet turned obscure video into cultural phenomenon.
The Reaction
People loved Vasquez’s:
- Pure joy: Unfiltered happiness rare online
- Sincere emotion: Crying over rainbow’s beauty
- Philosophical questioning: “What does this mean?!”
- Lack of self-consciousness: Total immersion in moment
The authenticity was refreshing in increasingly cynical internet.
The Remixes
“Double Rainbow” spawned creative responses:
- Auto-Tune remix (Gregory Brothers, 10M+ views)
- “What Does This Mean” parodies
- Reaction video template
- Philosophical meme format
The auto-tuned version became arguably more famous than original.
The Commercial Success
Vasquez monetized moment:
- YouTube ads: Early Partner Program
- Microsoft Windows commercial (2010)
- Media appearances: Talk shows
- Merchandise: T-shirts
- Speaking fees: College campuses
The video generated estimated $40K-100K in revenue.
The “What Does This Mean?”
Vasquez’s existential question became meme:
- Applied to anything confusing
- Philosophical joke
- Reaction to absurdity
- “Double rainbow all the way” = complete thoroughness
The phrase transcended video.
The Genuine Wonder
Unlike ironic viral videos, “Double Rainbow” celebrated:
- Appreciation of nature
- Unashamed emotion
- Wonder at simple beauty
- Living in the moment
Internet needed wholesome content amid cynicism.
The Death
May 9, 2020: Paul Vasquez died from COVID-19 complications at 57.
The internet mourned—“Double Rainbow Guy” represented pre-cynical internet’s joy. His death felt like losing internet innocence.
The Legacy
“Double Rainbow” represented:
- Early YouTube’s authentic moments
- Pre-algorithm viral discovery
- Celebrity tweet power
- Joy as viral content
- Wonder commodified then lost
Vasquez’s genuine reaction to rainbow became permanent internet memory.
Source: YouTube data, Paul Vasquez interviews, obituaries