The first video ever uploaded to YouTube, “Me at the zoo,” is now featured at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in recognition of its role in shaping internet culture.
Uploaded on April 23, 2005, the 19-second clip shows YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim standing in front of elephants at the San Diego Zoo. Over the past two decades, it has attracted more than 382 million views and remains widely known as the platform’s very first upload.
Announced on February 18, 2026, the V&A exhibition includes a detailed reconstruction of how the video originally appeared on YouTube in 2005. The display recreates the early interface, complete with a white background, star-based rating system, and the original layout.
According to YouTube, the museum acquired both the video and its vintage webpage to help preserve and document the history of the internet. The recreation was developed in collaboration with YouTube’s UX team and design studio oio, with additional behind-the-scenes material available at the V&A East Storehouse.
Visitors can view the exhibit in the Design 1900–Now gallery at V&A South Kensington. In 2025, YouTube also marked the video’s 20th anniversary by briefly altering its interface in tribute to the iconic upload.