10 fads that came and went in 2016

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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In this day and age, the shelf life of any fun trend can last all of two weeks. One moment, you’re trying to get in on all of the fun, and the next, you’re trying to distance yourself from it.

The year 2016 gave way to many short-lived trends, or “fads,” if you will. The Running Man Challenge, the Mannequin Challenge and the word “lit” are just a few things you probably became an expert on this year, but will likely forget by May 2017, when everyone is opening their mouth and tweeting a photo of the tastebuds on their tongue, or something.

Let’s relive some of the biggest fads of the year, both in sports and pop culture.

The Running Man Challenge

This “challenge,” which wasn’t a real challenge, lived and died in the month of April. It rose to popularity when two Maryland basketball players began to do it, picked up steam as it hit the NBA, and then lost its glimmer when Ellen DeGeneres got in on it.

The Mannequin Challenge

The idea with this “challenge” (once again, no one challenged you to do this) was to stay perfectly still while Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” played. It was fairly amusing.

Harambe

The fallen gorilla was so big he even got votes in the Presidental Election, but he eventually jumped the shark.

Remembering the Warriors blowing a 3–1 lead in the NBA Finals

It’s still a funny meme, and it’s something people will remember for eternity, but it was nothing more than a fad in 2016.

Mr. Krabs

Someone edited a screenshot of the “Pretty Patties” Spongebob episode and turned it into a national phenomenon. It showed the genius of the internet.

Damn, Daniel

Someone decided to videotape their friend like 12 times, repeat the same line, and made a viral compilation that was in no way funny. It showed the pure stupidity of the internet.

Pokemon Go

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The only thing anyone cared about in July was a game in which you walked around like a zombie glued to your phone, catching fictional Pokemon in real-life spots. It died in like 10 days.

Rougned Odor

The world ripped Jose Bautista for getting his clock cleaned by Rougned Odor during a brawl, but that simmered down when Toronto swept Texas in the postseason.

Flipping water bottles

Best trend of the year by far. Who didn’t enjoy every second of this?

The “Father Stretch My Hands” Meme

Yeah, I used my own meme, because a) I’m fairly certain I originated the trend and b) nothing else even touched it. How do you beat Porzingis?!

It’s wayyy dead now, but it was cool while it lasted.

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