Chuck Testa

Charles A. "Chuck" Testa (born 1956) is an American taxidermist and owner of Ojai Valley Taxidermy in California.[1] A commercial for Testa's business created by Rhett and Link for the show Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings became a viral video, and the catchphrase "Nope, Chuck Testa!" became an internet meme.[2]

Life and career

Testa was born and raised in the Ojai Valley. He managed his father's Baskin-Robbins store in Venice Beach, California, before he began preserving wildlife.[3]

Commercial and response

In summer 2011, Testa's future son-in-law posted a commercial for Testa's business on YouTube.[3] The video was originally created by Rhett and Link for the show Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings on IFC.[4] The commercial asserts that Testa's work is so realistic that people will assume the animals are still alive. It depicts people reacting to what they believe are live animals in unusual situations, only to have Testa appear and declare "Nope, it's just Chuck Testa!" The phrase became popular on websites, including Reddit and Tumblr, spurring mainstream media coverage, including Fox News[5] and CBS.[6][7] The video was also ranked as the #10 best meme of 2011 by Time's Nick Carbone.[8]

Television appearances

The Chuck Testa commercial was featured in a 2011 episode of the Fine Brothers' web series, Kids React.

In 2012, Chuck Testa appeared in two episodes of Rhett and Link’s web series, Good Mythical Morning. His shop, Ojai Valley Taxidermy, was promoted in earlier episodes.

In 2015, Chuck Testa was featured in Season 1, Episode 1 of CarbonTV's original series, American Elements.[9]

In 2016, Chuck Testa and Ojai Valley Taxidermy were featured in the web documentary Mounted: Chuck Testa and Friends on CarbonTV.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Kelly, David (January 6, 2002). Taxidermist's Work Is More Than Skin Deep; Chuck Testa insists his craft is worthy of being called art. Bears, boars and other animals are stretched over forms, not stuffed. Los Angeles Times
  2. ↑ Ojai Valley Taxidermy/Rhett and Link (August 14, 2011). "Official Ojai Valley Taxidermy TV Commercial". Ojai Valley Taxidermy. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
  3. 1 2 Hernandez, Marjorie (September 28, 2011). Video of resident Ojai taxidermist goes viral. Ventura County Star
  4. ↑ "Ad men thrive on Chuck take". Au.news.yahoo.com. January 3, 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  5. ↑ "Viral Videos, Week of November 11th". Radio.foxnews.com. November 11, 2011. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  6. ↑ Katie (September 18, 2011). "Nope! It's Just Chuck Testa – CBS Early Show". Talknerdytome.net. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  7. ↑ "Meme Alert: The 10 Best Examples Of Chuck Testa's Taxidermy Skills". Buzzfeed.com. January 24, 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  8. ↑ Carbone, Nick (7 December 2011). "Chuck Testa". Time magazine. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  9. ↑ "Chuck Testa : American Elements". CarbonTV. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
  10. ↑ "Mounted: Chuck Testa and Friends". CarbonTV. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
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