Damn Daniel is a 2016 viral video. Daniel Lara (born April 4, 2001) and his friend, Joshua Holz, who are students at Riverside Polytechnic High School, reached their Internet fame after their video, an edited collection of Snapchat videos, went viral on social media platforms such as YouTube and facebook. In 2016, Time magazine listed Lara as one of "The 30 Most Influential People on the Internet".
The original video was retweeted more than 300,000 times, liked 400,000 times on Twitter and looped more than two million times on Vine. The original video clip is a 30-second compilation of Lara striding around school, with Holz complimenting him by repeatedly saying "Damn Daniel!" and occasionally following the catchphrase with: "Back at it again with the white Vans." In the video, Lara wore a navy blue hoodie, skinny chinos, a burgundy backpack and slip-on sneakers. This led to Lara and Holz guest appearing on Ellen, soon after, where Lara received a life-time supply of Vans' shoes. Lara donated the shoes to patients at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital in California.
Tech Insider stated in an article that “It’s hard to explain why it’s so funny.” As a result of the video's popularity, companies such as Clorox, Vans, Denny's and Axe used the phrase "Damn Daniel" as a part of their marketing campaigns. Vans' profits peaked shortly after the video as well. In addition, the video's rise in popularity created price inflation for "Damn, Daniel Vans," which have sold for upwards of $400,000. The video has also been turned into a song by rappers Little, Teej, and LeBlanc. According to Wired, the viral video lasted for 14 days before Josh Holz, the director of the short video, had his Twitter hacked. Daniel and Josh were later featured in the video for the song "California Kids" by Weezer, which appears on the band's 10th album (and fourth self-titled album), Weezer. The meme was also turned into a house song by Australian electronic comedy duo Bombs Away, adding to its popularity. Lara was also featured on YouTube Rewind 2016, seen wearing white vans in a van.