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Featured era: 2006
Leekspin
“Four frames, one leek, and a Finnish polka on loop.”
- Featured era
- 2006
- Peak era
- 2006-2007
- Company
- Attributed to LiveJournal user g_r_e_e_n (music by Loituma)
- Category
- Viral Videos
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On Video
Leekspin, the Loituma Girl loop
Plays from YouTube when you press play. Views, length and date from YouTube, October 2026.
About This Video
- From:
- loulan
- Added:
- February 17, 2008
- Length:
- 2:13
What Was It?
Leekspin, also known as Loituma Girl, is a tiny looping Flash animation. Four frames from the second episode of the anime Bleach show Orihime Inoue twirling a leek, set to a 27-second loop of scat singing from "Ievan polkka", a Finnish song recorded by the quartet Loituma on their 1995 debut album.
It appeared online in late April 2006 and is widely credited to the Russian LiveJournal user g_r_e_e_n, who posted a link to it on April 23. It took off quickly, especially in Russia, where the clip became a hugely popular ringtone. Because those verses are mostly made-up Finnish sounds, they were missing from most lyrics sites, which baffled fans.
By July 2006 the band had received thousands of fan letters from around the world. A 2007 Hatsune Miku cover, with a chibi Miku waving a Welsh onion, became famous in its own right.
Things You Probably Forgot
- Leaving it looping in a browser tab for far too long
- Searching for lyrics that did not exist
- The Holly Dolly donkey ringtone version
- Typing "Loituma Girl" into Scribblenauts
The Story
- 2006 A link to the animation was posted on LiveJournal on April 23, and it spread quickly.
- 2006 Helsingin Sanomat reported on July 10 that it had revived interest in Loituma.
- 2007 A Hatsune Miku cover of "Ievan polkka" with an onion-waving chibi Miku appeared in September.
Its Legacy
Leekspin survives in YouTube copies like this 2008 upload. It revived Loituma's popularity and left "Ievan polkka" forever linked to a spinning leek.
Memories
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