"I Feel Fantastic..": The Robot That Freaked Out Youtube

The weird part of YouTube has often been a treasure trove of bizarre, sometimes creepy material, and it comes with the territory that the more bizarre and seemingly random the subject matter is, the more likely it'll become the source of some notorious internet urban legends.

Probably one of the most recognizable is Tara the singing robot.

On April 15, 2009, a video was uploaded on YouTube by the user Creepyblog entitled, "I Feel Fantastic." The video focused on a pale android that looked like something plucked straight from the oddest part of the uncanny valley, singing the words "I feel fantastic, hey hey hey... You feel fantastic, hey hey hey..." repeatedly along with some other ominous lines that we'll get to in a minute. The video eventually went viral and due to its complete lack of context, it was only natural for the internet to begin speculating. And in case you are someone who hasn't run across this weird piece of internet history, take a look at the video below:

The combination of the robot's appearance and the strange song left many confused, and the video's description didn't help things either:

“In ancient Greek mythology, Pygmalion was a highly accomplished Cypriot sculptor. Though skilled at imitating the human form, and well acquainted with it’s subtleties, he became disgusted by it when he witnessed the Propoetides prostituting themselves. These women were punished by Venus for their lack of worship with a coarseness of skin and a crudeness of nature, and were then forced into prostitution. Seeing this, Pygmalion the sculptor was repelled and could no longer appreciate women.
Seemingly alone, Pygmalion sought to create for himself a perfect, pure, unsullied companion. He used his particular skills to this end: he created a statue bride.

What you are about to watch is a mysterious video. It’s origin is attributed variously, and almost certainly spuriously, to various abstract artists or surrealists. The truth is that what we are seeing, and what we perceive to be strange and disturbing, is actually beauty to it’s creator.
Perhaps what we are viewing is the work of a modern Pygmalion.

To him, her toneless voice, the paleness of her skin and the comparative vibrancy of her lips may indeed be the very embodiment of a perfect woman…
Consider the mind-scape of the creator. In whose mind does this appear beautiful? In whose mind is this pure, near worshipful? Are we missing out on his perspective?

Who are we to be afraid or to judge them? He may well love her fully, perhaps more fully than any of us could ever hope to be loved. In the mind of her creator, she is a near goddess; the perfect representation, not just of femininity, but the peak of human potential. A perfectly satisfactory being.

How does that kind of unconditional love feel?

Well, how does she feel?

Fantastic.”

So where did this thing come from and what was the video supposed to mean if it even was supposed to mean anything? For a while the internet began forming theories, the most popular of which was that the creator of the android was actually a murderer. The reason for this theory came from some unsettling lines in the song she sings. Along with repeating how she feels fantastic, we feel fantastic, we are fantastic, etc., the middle of the song is where things take a turn and she starts singing, "Run, run, run, run... Please leave, please leave, please leave..." There is also a seemingly random shot where the camera zooms in on a wooded area and the robot's clothes even change briefly.

This led to the theory that the robot represented a woman its creator had killed due to her not meeting his standards of perfection (referencing the myth in the description), and he had then built the robot to replace her, dressing it in her clothes and doing his best to make it look like her. The lyrics were supposed to be the things he'd said to her right before her death, and that random shot of the woods? The rumor claimed that was where the body had been buried.

Another theory, also referencing the myth in the description, was that the robot had somehow become fully sentient and murdered its creator. A far less likely theory, but the internet loves its creepypastsas. Obviously, it's always best to pursue these sorts of theories with a healthy dose of skepticism, but that didn't stop people from wondering 'what if?' The answer, while still leaving some questions in its wake, was not nearly as menacing.

The robot's actual name is "Tara" and was created by a man named John Bergeron. She is currently listed on www.androidworld.com and has her own music video you can buy for $11 in the states ($19 everywhere else).

Screenshot from the AndroidWorld homepage.

Promotional image listed on the page that sells Tara's video.

As of writing this, there have been no real updates from John Bergeron himself, offering more of an explanation aside from what we can find on the AndroidWorld website or even Bergeron's original Geocities page. Still, Tara remains one of the best gems in the "that part of YouTube" crown and continues to confuse and freak out new viewers to this day.

Sources:

• "I Feel Fantastic," Original Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLy-AwdCOmI
• Tom Bergeron's Geocities Page: http://www.geocities.ws/androidmusicvideos/
• Tara's Page on Andriod World: http://www.androidworld.com/prod68.htm
• Review: "I Feel Fantastic": https://medium.com/@CounttheClock/review-i-feel-fantastic-3a5a82b46473
• "The Horrifying History of Tara the Android": http://www.the13thfloor.tv/2016/04/12/i-feel-fantastic-the-horrifying-history-of-tara-the-android/