Top 10 YouTube Parody Channels - TopX Ep.51

Our first funny channel began on primetime television as part of Fox’s Sunday night Animation Domination lineup, later moving to the FXX network. The original material on YouTube, however, has clearly enhanced the brand, and more importantly, allows you to watch all of your favorite cartoons whenever you want. From politicians to Power Rangers, nobody is safe, and everybody’s funny. The “Scientifically Accurate” series is scientifically probably most popular, while “Songs You Didn’t Know Had Lyrics” is another favorite. And we just can’t get enough of Gothball… The feline frame of mind makes for a great show!

For some first-timers, it may take a moment to realize that The Onion’s clips are actually satirical, rather than reliable, but that’s what makes them so awesome. With much of its content built around the “Onion News Network,” the channel meticulously mimics the recognizable tone and style of real-world news agencies... but its alternative perspective means the content is, of course, a little more controversial. YouTube specific-shows include ‘EDGE,’ which targets and mocks VICE, and the massively popular reality show spoof, ‘Sex House’ - it’s like “Big Brother,” only better... And more brutal.

Our next channel works based on the slightly confusing logic that to “fail” is to succeed... Gonzossm has built its business on awesomely animated fail videos, in which popular movies, video games and TV shows are animated into unfortunate situations. Their most popular clip plays on the super smash hit virtual world survival game, Minecraft, and turns a routine build into something a little more obscene. There’s also some Dragon Ball Z content, some League of Legends stuff, a well-watched Skyrim fail video, and a knockout jab at the Pacquiao/Mayweather fight... It’s a champion channel, to say the least.

For the Hillywood Show, which is spearheaded by the very funny Hindi sisters, no mainstream film is off limits, and no well-known personality out of bounds. Where some channels are controversial to the point of harshness, however, The Hillywood Show is just huge amounts of fun. It’s an all singing, all dancing play on the tiny peculiarities that make our favorite shows and singers stand out. The “Doctor Who” Time Warp is a simple idea that’s sensationally done, and the Harry Potter parodies are magic. There’s a “Twilight” saga dance-floor filler, and a Christmas clip with Lady Gaga... What more could you want?

Since this is a channel with the tagline “The home of Dragon Ball Z Abridged,” you can probably guess what’s popular on TeamFourStar... Their shortened, spoof-laden rethinks of everyone’s favorite Japanese anime TV series are a thing to behold. It’s not all about Dragon Ball though, (although it mostly is...); there’s also the odd musical parody, a few Final Fantasy features, and a ‘TFS Plays’ gaming tab. But, Dragon Ball Z is what these guys do best! Even for those unversed in the show, these ten-minute movies are crazy addictive.

Take a hit song, rewrite the lyrics, and work in a “so-hateable-that-she’s loveable” character. It might sound simple, but it’s also pretty unique if you think about it—in an ear-splitting, eyes-watering kind of way. Wassabi Productions is basically two pals having a whale of a time, and recording it for our entertainment. The Rolanda and Richard parodies have proven to be their biggest hit so far, with their most-viewed video, a “Call Me Maybe” parody, scoring close to 100 million views. She’s a scary screamer slathered in some serious make-up. He’s her heavy breathing, apparently brainless boyfriend. They’re a match made in hilarious heaven!

Pop music parodies do not get any slicker than this. For Barely Productions and The Key of Awesome, it’s hard to decide which is better - the look of the clip or the lyrics; they’re probably the best re-writers on the Internet. Their use of alternative rhymes against original rhythms is edgy without going overboard, and always maintains that balance of being funny without being all that offensive. The channel published its 100th video in July 2015, and it’s certainly not unreasonable to expect another hundred. From One Direction to Sesame Street to Kesha, the only thing more exciting than the Barely back-catalogue, is anticipating its next addition!

If there is one musical parody channel to challenge Barely Productions, it’s Bart Baker. His spoofs are hilariously close to the real thing, and always infused with his own satirical twists. Baker himself has said that he draws inspiration from the ruthless YouTube comments section, as he competes for the title of supreme celeb-basher. Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Iggy Azalea can count themselves among his most popular victims, as Baker says (or sings) what many of us are thinking when watching their music videos. Let’s just say that the lifestyles of the rich and famous look a whole lot less enviable after an hour or so scrolling through this channel.

The most-subscribed channel to make today’s list, CollegeHumor actually predates YouTube itself. The parody is by no means the only kinda comedy you’ll find on CollegeHumor, but when these guys do rethink entertainment and pop culture events, they inevitably nail it. CollegeHumor is not only known for developing many popular series, such as “Hardly Working” and “Jake and Amir,” their channel is also loaded with music and film parodies. And, the scope and size of their channel and content is such that CollegeHumor has remained amazingly unpredictable. There are recognizable trademarks and tropes, but from video to video the sheer variety is unbeatably brilliant, and makes for a unique YouTube experience.

But, before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

- The Midnight Beast
youtube.com/TheMidnightBeast

- thecomputernerd01
youtube.com/thecomputernerd01

- itsRucka
youtube.com/itsRucka

- Dave Days
youtube.com/DaveDays

- Regular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time
youtube.com/SwedishMealTime

A simple idea expertly executed, How It Should Have Ended combines almost everything that we’ve so far seen— with, of course, their own spin. There’s animation, awesome attention to detail, witty writing, recognizable content, and the cleverest of cinematic rethinks. This channel consistently achieves the holy grail of parodying - the classic: “it’s funny, ‘cause it’s true.” When Jack and Rose argue as the Titanic sinks... When Gandalf flies the Eagles into Mount Doom... When the whole of Harry Potter is rewritten by the time turner... Why didn’t we think of all of those? What’s even more obvious though, is that this channel is untouchably awesome!

That’s it for today’s list; we hope you laughed like no one was listening! As always, be sure to check us out on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter; vote for upcoming lists on our suggest page, and for more great top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com!