Hockey benders are all the rage on TikTok, so much so that the novelty song from the 2017 Christmas season has been covered 22 times on the platform. Created by the Danish production company Gribb, the songs sees a group of teenagers try and sing, dance and play hockey in the same song, with varying degrees of success.
If you’re curious about how one of the most popular Christmas songs of the past year became so popular on TikTok, it’s because of the unique blend of gameplay and entertainment that the platform provides. It also helps that the songwriter Stephen Thompson is a funny, genuine guy who actually plays guitar in a band.
Here, we’ll investigate the legitimacy of hockey benders as both a sport and a cultural phenomenon.
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Is It A Sport?
While the songwriters behind hockey benders didn’t set out to make a sport, there’s no denying that the result is absolutely absurd, even by sports standards. It’s certainly unique, to the point that there isn’t really anything else like it. But, is it a sport?
There are definitely some similarities between hockey and sports like rugby and football, but for the most part, this is a very different game. To start with, the objective isn’t to score a goal or run around with the ball. It’s instead about creating the illusion of hockey through a series of entertaining, yet complexly challenging stunts, performed to a high degree of difficulty.
As previously mentioned, the gameplay is one of the major draws of hockey benders. Each sequence is packed with acrobatics and elaborate skating moves, which the artists behind the song have drawn from their own personal experiences. In a way, the entire game is a love letter to classic hockey, which was itself inspired by a childhood passion for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Blackhawks. In fact, the creators of Hockey benders have stated that their previous games, The Ice Hockey Club and Ice Hockey 2: More Trouble, were aimed at a more mature audience, with some references, and a story, that were not suitable for younger players. Letting players take on the roles of ice hockey legends, such as Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr and more, gives the illusion that they’re actually playing as a real-life superteam, instead of a bunch of kids having a blast.
Is It A Cultural Obsession?
At first glance, it seems that hockey benders have achieved cult status because they’re just that little bit ridiculous. But that’s definitely not the case. As a truly entertaining phenomenon, it’s clear that the gameplay, combined with the joy of creativity that the platform provides, has inspired an entire generation of artists and creators. Here, we’ll explore some of the amazing things that these creators have come up with, and how they’ve used hockey benders to inspire their work.
In the first instance, let’s take a look at how the gameplay has inspired some amazing music.
The Ice Hockey Club, the game that inspired the whole concept of hockey benders, also happens to be one of the most successful games on the App Store. It was originally released in 2014 and, as of June 2019, has achieved over 2.5 million downloads worldwide. The gameplay, as mentioned above, is very similar to that of hockey benders, with some minor differences. For example, instead of using a puck, The Ice Hockey Club uses a hockey helmet as it’s projectile. This is mainly because it was originally designed for helmet-mounted cameras, which record 360-degree video as the player turns, jumps, and skids around.
One of the game’s biggest draws is that it allows players to take on the roles of real-life hockey superstitions, such as Claude ‘Hockey’ Lemieux, who wears orange, and Wayne ‘Gretzky’ Gretzky, who is known for wearing black. This means that, as well as being able to skate like a boss, you’re also effectively playing as a real-life NHL team, due to the authentic costumes, and the inclusion of some of the greatest players of all time, such as Gordie Howe, Gordie ‘The Great’ Gilbertson, and more. It also features some genuinely awesome 80’s hair and makeup, which we’re certain that you’ll agree is pretty essential to any classic ‘80s hockey video game.
The success of The Ice Hockey Club, and the enjoyment that it provides, shows that even the most skilled players can have fun with this game, if they’re passionate about hockey. As a result, the gameplay has inspired a whole subgenre of sports games. The creators of hockey benders themselves, Jacob, Elle, and Louis, have even stated that they believe that their games have “taught people how to skate and improved their wellbeing. Like, a lot.”
What About The Culture?
We can’t talk about hockey benders without discussing the culture that has sprung up around the game. It’s clearly inspired a lot of people, which can be seen in the number of viral memes, and TikTok trends, that have emerged from this game, including but not limited to:
- The Sexy Hockey Benders
- Hockey Benders Vs. The Marvelous Marthas
- Hockey Benders Vs. Team Fortnite
- Candy Crush, And Other Board Games You Should Never Play With Skorupsks
- The Legend Of Zelda On Ice
- Kung Fu Panda And His Furious Fans
- The Dance-Off
- #TBT To The Original Hockey Benders Theme Song
- The Golden Girls
It seems that the gameplay itself, combined with the creativity that the platform provides, has inspired a generation of artists, musicians, and creators who are using it as a jumping off point, and not just as a pastime.