The Charlie Charlie challenge has been trending on the internet space for the past few hours and here's what we think you should know about it. The game has been around for many decades but started gaining social media attention in the English speaking parts of the world in 2015. In the videos making rounds online, you'll see the player crossing two pens or pencils to create a grid (with sectors labelled "yes" and "no") and then asking questions to a "supernatural entity" named "Charlie."
The gamer will first ask the pencils 'can we play?' or 'are you there?' or 'are you here?'. The top pencil, which is precariously balanced on a central pivot point, will (might) tilt to the 'Yes' in the grid to signify the presence of the being.
History of the Charlie Charlie Challenge
According to Wikipedia, the Charlie Charlie challenge is a modern incarnation of the Spanish paper-and-pencil game called Juego de la Lapicera (Pencil Game). The game was originally described on the internet in 2008, but gained popularity in the English-speaking world in 2015.The hashtag #CharlieCharlieChallenge played a major role in making it popular as millions of people wanted to join the trend then. The game started trending on Twiter with the hashtag after it was played in Hato Mayor Province of the Dominican Republic and uploaded on YouTube.
Thanks to the internet, the language wasn't a barrier and waiting a short period of time, it had garnered thousands of retweets and likes on Twitter along.
Is Charlie Charlie A Demon?
No, there is no Mexican demon with the nomenclature 'Charlie'. Maria Elena Navez of BBC Mundo suggested that Mexican demons with English names (rather than, say, "Carlitos") are "usually American inventions."Prof. Joseph Laycock of the Texas State University argued that while Charlie is "most often described as a "Mexican ghost," it appears that Christian critics reframed the game as Satanic almost immediately, due to their desire to "claim a monopoly on wholesome encounters with the supernatural."
David Emery, former ThoughtCo writer and internet folklore expert says that some versions of the game have copied the ghost story La Llorona, popular in Hispanic America, but the pencil game is not a Mexican tradition.
Why is Charlie Charlie Challenge Trending In Nigeria?
While we're yet to figure out the original source of the videos making rounds online, the 'Charlie Charlie' phrase is currently the number one trending on the Nigerian Twitter, with more than 120,000 tweets.
This is so interesting, considering the fact that it just hit the internet some hours ago. 2021 obviously, has many more surprises on the way for us.
So what next?
We're waiting for your own challenge. Why not drop it on Twitter with the hashtag so we retweet and catch some fun?
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