Ton Do-Nguyen - "Countdown (Snuggie Version)"
Because it's freezing outside
In 2011 the legendary Beyoncé Knowles Carter dropped the album 4 and with it dropped an exciting and colorful video for the single “Countdown.”
Then, in 2012, a soon-to-be legendary teenager named Ton Do-Nguyen put on a Snuggie and recreated the whole ding dang video, shot for shot, and broke my brain. This 16-year-old kid spent months setting up these perfect shots using only what he had in his home and occasionally recruiting his friends. He’s basically Michel Gondry!
I can’t think of a better way to start 2025:
If you are new to “Countdown” or new to “Countdown (Snuggie Version)” I highly recommend watching Beyoncé’s original video first, then watching the Snuggie Version embedded above, then watching this side-by-side comparison video so you see how Ton hits every moment perfectly. For this post I’m just focusing on Snuggie Version but I promise that 10-minute journey is totally worth it.
First, let’s appreciate the perfect choice of wearing a Snuggie for this. Ton said in this Vulture interview that the Snuggie was a nod to his love of infomercial products at the time but it was very smart of him to incorporate a Snuggie rather than, say, the Slap Chop.1 It’s a good default outfit for avoiding a bunch of costume changes, it’s comfortable, it’s easy to dance in, and it’s easy to key out in editing software and make it different colors. This should have been Snuggie’s real informercial! Doesn’t this make you want to buy a Snuggie?
And of course it really accentuates the pregnant belly moment, haaaaa:
Not even a full minute into the video and we get to my most favorite part: girl rolling on the floor:
Everything about this is perfection: Ton on the stool, the various basement storage items behind them, the girl’s serious commitment as she rolls across this utilitarian brown rug. Ten out of ten!
And let’s not forget the hip flexor stretch:
Ton changes into this pink shirt for one of his rare non-Snuggie looks and he even added the headband, which doesn’t technically matche Beyoncé’s, but it matches in spirit. And he chose to go barefoot rather than wear heels throughout this video, but I respect that choice because I don’t even like wearing heels for four hours. He even nails the arm spin and the cute over-the-shoulder smile:
I absolutely love all these scenes of Ton dancing in what seems to be the family living room filled with an impressive amount of plants. Really nice staging and he stays true to the choreography without tripping on the Snuggie:2
I have this vision of his family all impatiently waiting just off camera because they want to watch TV and Ton is asking them to please, give him just 20 more minutes, he’s so close to nailing this.
Also: beautiful plants! I wish I had space for big plants like that and the power to keep them alive!
Now Ton is in white shirt mode and does some impressive spins:
I know he’s probably sped this up but I still dream of being able to spin that well. maybe the socks-on-carpet traction helps?
Also: howwww did he do this?? Exceptional editing (and also how I want to enter every room):
Then we get him at his most Beyoncé:
Right before a perfect ending showcasing the Snuggie and the plants one more time:
And then he nails the smiling end button, looking all casual (with a puppy poster in the background!) as if he’s signed on to a Zoom meeting and not just wrapped up one of the best pieces of internet art ever created:
This video is so scrappy and creative and shows a level of ambition that I am constantly trying to maintain. It’s energizing to have a project like this, something you are slowly chipping away at that feels almost like an obsession and you don’t want to give up on it because you know the end result will be worth it. Or at the very least will make your friends laugh, which was Ton Do-Nguyen’s original intention.
I was about to write how I would never be able to keep up a creative project like this for many months, but HELLO I’ve been writing this Substack for almost two years. There isn’t a clear end goal with this newsletter—I want to make people laugh and gasp and discover new things every month—but I do feel that same mild obsession, where ideas are always percolating in the back of my head and the need to write them down sometimes feels urgent.
I hope you all have something in your life that you are excited to be a part of every day (or week or month). I’m tempted to get into a Now More Than Ever speech given the state of… everything. And there’s some truth there, but really: your creative and extra-curricular pursuits are worth your time no matter what’s going on in the country or the world. Keep showing up for the creative projects that matter to you and it will automatically make you a happier human who is more prepared to face the hard stuff. And if you can find a friend to join you, and perhaps dramatically roll across your basement floor, even better.
Happy 2025! Wow, we’re almost through January, look at us go! See you next month with more sweet moves.
Love and jazz hands,
Molly
This is the first time I’ve seen this Slap Chop commercial and the nonstop banter of this guy is hilarious. “Stop having a boring tuna, stop having a boring life??” HAAA!
This is the moment I first learned the Snuggie is backless. I somehow always imagined it as a big hoodie gown, not something that relies on you staying on the couch to keep your back warm. If you DO want a big hoodie sack, I can highly recommend The Comfy. (They’re not paying me for this endorsement but I’m open to it, Comfy folks!)