Kennedy NewsA grandad of seven who wanted to prove that ‘grandpas can TikTok too’ has become a viral sensation on the popular video sharing platform – with incredibly realistic impressions that see him morph into lions, T-Rexes and babies.
Dan Phelps admits he ‘loves making people laugh’ so couldn’t resist joining the social media app, and has already amassed 2.7 million likes and 263,000 followers – despite 66% of users being under 30.
The unlikely internet star, who admits other users often refer to him as a ‘boomer’, uploaded his first video in June, teaching 370,000 viewers how to do an incredibly realistic lion’s roar.
Check out Dan in action here:
But since then, the 55-year-old has shared dozens of clips in which he manages to contort his voice into a crying baby or even a roaring Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Dan even ropes in his wife Irene, 52, to assist in some videos – including one in which her hand plays a vital role transforming the grandfather into blubbery Star Wars character Jabba The Hut.
Hidden from view, Irene reaches into the frame of the video to hold Dan’s neck skin as he scrunches his chin up and laughs maniacally into the camera, sounding just like the giant galactic space slug.
While Dan may not be the likely candidate to become ‘TikTok famous’, the grandad heard about the social platform from a younger employee at his shoe store and became intrigued.
Kennedy NewsDan, from St George, Utah, said:
Ever since I was a young boy I have always tried to make people laugh. I was in drama, high school plays and musicals.
My friend and I would write comedy bits when we were younger that we recorded on cassettes, the TikTok of my generation.
I dabbled a little in film. A friend of mine produced some movies as a university student and one independent movie and I was in a couple.
I grew up watching impersonators and others who could produce sound effects and I developed some of my own through trial and error. After watching some videos [on TikTok] I thought there were some fun things I could share.
In his first video, Dan, who goes by the username ‘danphelps0’, teaches his followers how to recreate a ‘lion’s roar’ using a cardboard tube.
He explains how, with a simple ‘snort and hiss’ down the tube, everyone can achieve the desired noise – before creating a sound effect straight out of The Lion King.
Kennedy NewsDan said:
[My favourite video is] probably the “Lion King”. It was the first one I did that launched everything. It was well accepted from the beginning and quickly went viral.
Sounds effects videos are what I like to do most, and they have been the most popular, but there are times I include something different now and then.
Everyone [on TikTok] has been so kind and accepting. I am called boomer a lot but it is all in good humour. My friends and family think it is pretty funny how popular my videos have become.
[My wife] thinks it is great. She is very encouraging and it has been fun to add her to a few of my most recent videos. She keeps telling me I should be on a talk show, Ellen would be my first choice!
I go places and on a few occasions, people have recognised me and have asked to take a photo with me. This always amazes those around me.
Turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks!
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
Niamh Shackleton is a pint sized person and journalist at UNILAD. After studying Multimedia Journalism at the University of Salford, she did a year at Caters News Agency as a features writer in Birmingham before deciding that Manchester is (arguably) one of the best places in the world, and therefore moved back up north. She’s also UNILAD’s unofficial crazy animal lady.