In a video shared to TikTok by @toxicweapons on November 23, every passenger on the plane can be seen taking part in the internet trend, in which people stand completely still in various poses—like a mannequin.
In the short clip, everyone from the passengers to the cabin crew is completely motionless, with poses ranging from fake phone calls to a fight.
Since being posted, the footage has received 4.7 million views and more than 840,000 likes from TikTok users impressed by the travelers’ dedication.
What is the Mannequin Challenge?
The mannequin challenge first went viral in October 2016. It was believed to have begun at Edward H. White High School in Jacksonville, Florida, where a group of teens shared footage of themselves to Twitter using the hashtag #mannequinchallenge.
The trend soon went viral, with many people soundtracking their own mannequin challenges with the song “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmund. The mannequin challenge eventually reached Hollywood, and even the Oval Office, with comedian Ellen DeGeneres getting former president Barack Obama involved during a visit to The White House.
Like most internet trends, the mannequin challenge eventually died out. However, it’s not the only pop culture throw-back to recently experience a revival. Earlier this year, TikTok users shared hilarious clips of themselves recreating Jack Sparrow’s (Johnny Depp) iconic run from the Pirates of the Caribbean, which was released in 2003.
The Devil Wears Prada was also trending again in October. The hit movie from 2006 was revived by TikTok users, who texted an iconic monologue from fan-favorite character Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) to confuse friends and family members.
Is the Mannequin Challenge Back?
The clip was shared by the Toxic WEAPONS, a co-ed cheerleading team based in Port Kennedy, Australia. They were flying to the Australian All-Star Cheerleading Federation’s (AASCF) National Competition on the Gold Coast at the time.
It was their coach, Rachel Sherwood, who suggested the mannequin challenge, with the team getting the entire plane involved.
“It took around 10 minutes to set up and a few moments to also get the flight attendant to participate as well,” a representative for the team told Newsweek.
In response to commenters asking how they managed to coordinate their fellow passengers, the team created a follow-up post.
They uploaded the same footage as before, but without the backing music, so Rachel could be heard directing travelers and the flight attendants.
“Don’t blink Terri,” she says in the video. “Don’t blink Chloe.”
“Hold it, nobody move, nobody blink.”
TikTok users applauded the level of commitment from everyone involved, with user tay commenting: “HOWW????!!?!?”
“This is so impressive,” said Navdha.
“Iconic,” agreed Thaniswa.
“Imagine just walking out the toilet to see this,” wrote Jess Lee.
“This the plane I would love to ride on,” commented Sheena Brown6481. “No one complained and enjoyed the moment.”
Others thought they’d gone back in time for a moment, with Charl Clegg writing: “I’m back in 2016, lifes good.”
“OMGGG I MISS MANNEQUIN CHALLENGE,” said aintpani53.
“Wait we’re going back to 2016?!!! OKAY I AM IN,” commented F A.
“Is this back???” asked @nfbroleelove. “Because I’m ready.”