+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
Joy

Emmanuel the chaotic emu is officially the internet's favorite bird

His adorable antics are wholesomely addictive.

emmanuel dont do it, emmanuel emu, emmanuel emu tiktok
TikTok

"Emmanuel, don't do it!" = new catchphrase of 2022.

If you haven’t met Emmanuel yet, you’re in for a treat.

Emmanuel is a resident of South Florida’s Knuckle Bump Farms, where farm worker Taylor Blake tries (desperately) to film informational videos about the animals on TikTok.

Unfortunately for Blake, Emmanuel ain’t havin it.

Her every attempt is thwarted by his relentless pecking antics, and the internet is in stitches over it. Below is a compilation of Emmanuel’s greatest hits, created by Tyla. Despite Blake’s demands, and even an experimentation in reverse psychology—“go ahead, do it,” she dares him—nothing can stop Emmanuel from knocking the phone to the ground.



"How did that make you feel?" Blake asks him, her voice full of sarcasm. "Was it everything you ever wanted and wished for and hoped for in life? Do you feel fulfilled now?" Judging by the look on his face, the answer seems like a resounding yes.

For a flightless bird, this troublemaking emu has quickly soared to virality with his mischief. If we don’t soon see T-shirts printed with the words “Emmanuel, don’t do it!” in big, bold letters, I’d be surprised. And a little disappointed, if I’m honest. It’s not every day that a farm bird earns tabloid coverage by TMZ. What a legend.

Unfortunately for Blake, Emmanuel has been a bad, bad influence on the other Knuckle Bump critters, who have joined him in anti-animal education protests.

@knucklebumpfarms Animals against education, episode 2. #animalsagainsteducation#emmanueltheemu#ellentheemu#princessthedeer#reginatherhea#farmlife♬ original sound - Knuckle Bump Farms

Among his most loyal cohorts is Princess, a deer who refuses to stop biting, licking and altogether ruining the shot. Emmanuel has taught her well.

Luckily, Blake has discovered an unbeatable weapon of discipline known by parents far and wide: whipping out the full government name.

@knucklebumpfarms He knew I meant business when I whipped out his government name 😩🤣 #emmanueltheemu#emmanueldontdoit#emmanuel#emu#animalsagainsteducation♬ original sound - Knuckle Bump Farms

All bets are off once “Emmanuel Todd Lopez!” is shouted, no doubt about it. Yes, that's his full name. Emmanuel Todd Lopez.

“He tightened up real quick when he heard the full name,” joked one viewer.

This trick seemed to work on Emmanuels of all species. "My name is Emmanuel and I fully froze," wrote one person.

In his defense, it’s not all pranks with Emmanuel. When not choosing violence, this emu is quite the cuddler.

@knucklebumpfarms Early morning emu snuggles #emmanueltheemu#emu#farmlife♬ original sound - Knuckle Bump Farms

There he is, happy as can be after finally getting the attention he's been so aggressively fighting for.

​He’s also fond of hats.

@knucklebumpfarms Morning pep talks with Emmanuel #emu#emmanueltheemu#emusoftiktok#birdsoftiktok#farmlife#cowboy♬ original sound - Knuckle Bump Farms

Nobody that’s completely evil could look this adorable in a hat.

Emmanuel might be aggravating his owners, but he is winning the hearts of millions.

Some were finding a bit of themselves while watching. "Emmanuel needs chaos and attention. I feel that to my core," one person commented.

Others found Blake and Emmanuel’s tumultuous-yet-loving dynamic to be inspirational.

“This is how chaotic I want my farm to be one day,” wrote one person.

Another added, “You give me such comic relief. I love your animals and their crazy personalities and your patience with them.”

One thing everyone can agree on: It’s Emmanuel’s world. We're just living in it.

You can follow along on all the wholesome Knuckle Bump Farm shenanigans via Instagram and TikTok. There you’ll find one big happy and haywire animal family ready to put a smile on your face.

Thank you Blake for your delightful content and unbeatable patience. And Emmanuel, thank you for being you.

From Your Site Articles
viral
Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

Keep ReadingShow less
dogs
Family

French parents may be banned from sharing photos of their kids online. Should every country do it?

Has “sharenting” gone too far?

via Pexels

A mom takes a selfie with her two children.

France’s National Assembly has passed a new law that could seriously impact parents’ ability to share photos of their children online. If passed by the Senate and signed by the president, it would give courts the power to ban parents from posting pictures of their children online.

The bill is controversial because it takes away parents’ rights and puts them in the hands of the government. But supporters believe there are more than a few good reasons for the potential ban.

First, it keeps the child’s image out of the hands of unsavory characters. Member of Parliament Bruno Studer, who proposed the bill, told Le Monde, “'A 13-year-old child has an average of 1,300 images of themselves circulating on the internet. These are photos that can be misused for child pornography or that can lead to bullying in the school environment.”

Keep ReadingShow less
parents
Joy

An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

KTVB/YouTube

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel captured the hearts of his local librarians.

Writing a book is no easy task, even for adult professional writers. Many would-be authors dream of a day when their work can be found on library shelves, unsure if it will ever come.

But for 8-year-old Dillon Helbig, that day has already arrived—in truly unconventional fashion—thanks to his own determination to make it happen.

Dillon wrote his 81-page graphic novel, "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" (written by "Dillon His Self") in a hardcover journal with colored pencils over the course of a few days. He even put a label on the back of the book that reads "Made in Idho" [sic] and put an illustrated spine label on it as well. Then, without telling anyone, he brought it to his local library in Boise, Idaho, and slipped it in among the books in the children's section.

Keep ReadingShow less
family
Pop Culture

Demi Moore shares sweet video of Bruce Willis being surrounded by family on his birthday

The clip carries extra hope following a bleak dementia diagnosis.

Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia

Bruce Willis recently celebrated his 68th birthday.

Back in March 2022, legendary action actor Bruce Willis was diagnosed with aphasia and took an official step away from the spotlight. Then, in February 2023, the beloved "Die Hard" star progressed into frontotemporal dementia, an incurable brain disorder often mistaken for Alzheimer’s that mainly affects personality, behavior and language, according to the Mayo Clinic.


Despite the tragic news, Willis is supported by loved ones, as seen in a video posted by ex-wife Demi Moore. The clip, posted to Twitter on March 19, captures Willis' family surrounding him in celebration of his 68th birthday.
Keep ReadingShow less
video
Family

Korean mom has a perfect response to the teacher who called her son's lunches 'disgusting'

Good for her for standing up for her child's culture.

via Roman Harak/Flickr

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

Keep ReadingShow less
parenting
Pop Culture

Kelly Clarkson correctly pronouncing a guest's name on her show seems simple but it speaks volumes

Viewers appreciated how respectfully Clarkson handled her interview with K-pop group TWICE when she asked performer Tzuyu how to properly pronounce her name.

The Kelly Clarkson Show/Youtube

It really is as simply as that.

What’s in a name?

A lot, actually. We know that names reflect certain aspects of one’s identity. We know that repeated mispronunciation of a person’s name potentially undermines that identity. We know that sometimes this is unintentional, and other times, more insidious intentions of “othering” are at play. Especially when it comes to those with non-English names.

We also know that, on the flip side, making the effort to properly pronounce a person’s name is one of the simplest forms of kindness and respect that someone can offer. And it really pays dividends.

Just take a page from Kelly Clarkson’s book.
Keep ReadingShow less
television
Trending Stories