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Group of Swedish dads bust out singing at play dates with their kids and holy moly

Their pitch perfect harmonies have made them a viral sensation.

Dad Harmony singing with their kids

Seeing a group of young dads hanging out with their young children on playdates is already incredibly wholesome. But add in some a cappella singing in harmonies that enrapture those same children? Come on now.

That's what you get from the five Swedish fathers who make up the group Dad Harmony, a viral sensation that started with some friends just casually singing together.

The dad "boyband" hails from the northern town of Skelleftea, Sweden, and consists of two brothers, Peter and Tomas Widmark, and their friends, Michael Aberg, Sebastian Åkesson and Adam Stenlund.

“This story all started at my bachelor party,” 33-year-old Peter Widmark told the AFP. “We were hanging out and singing as we usually do when we hang out in the bath [jacuzzi]…(and) my brother filmed it and put it on TikTok with his seven followers.”

The song they were singing was "The Wellerman," a sea shanty that was all over social media during the pandemic. The next morning, the video had 40,000 views, and it shot up to 20 million within a couple of weeks.

The friends decided to start recording themselves singing various popular hits a cappella, which led to a formal band name, Dad Harmony, as well as studio recordings and a European tour.

Their beautiful harmonies have captures people’s attention around the world, but the videos that include their kids are particularly popular. Most often, the dads are sitting around a living room or dining room table holding babies and small children, just singing away. The kids seem to enjoy it, too, with Widmark explaining, “It’s a s soothing thing when we sing.”

Each of the dads has two kids and works normal day jobs like sales and janitorial. As far as singing with their kids, Widmark's brother, Tomas, told AFP they are "typical Swedish guys" who simply spend a lot of time with their children.

"Almost every guy in Sweden is used to taking paternity leave, so it's not a big deal for us," he told the AFP.

People gush in the comments of their videos:

"These kids are so lucky! They get the chance to listen to their dads creating these magical sounds (when most of other children of their age are spending their time on tablets ..)"

"I absolutely love how the kids are always seen in these videos. Never hidden but loved so much and loving the beautiful music being made 😍"

@dadharmony

#onecallaway #dadharmony #acapella #charlieputh #dads #singing #singingdads #pippi


"Every time I get to see and listening you I get so emotional!! The way the children listen!!! And the newborn is already inside the circle of love!! Thank you guys!!! 💕"

"Gorgeous! And those kids will grow up with such an appreciation of music. So important."

"Kids growing up thinking this is casually every dinner table … 'Oh, your family *doesn’t* sit at the table and sing vocal arrangements?'"

"So much admiration for these Dads who clearly make family a priority and the focus on blending their voices into a beautiful harmony that soothes those children as they listen. What an incredible legacy they are creating for their families. How inspiring!"

And no, the kids don't always sit still. Sometimes they squirm. Sometimes they dance.


@dadharmony

I guess now we’re dancing as well 🙈 #standbyme #beneking #dadharmony #singing #dads #acapella #harmony #children #father #dancing

But there's no question they are getting an unusually extraordinary experience growing up with these "dad harmonies" surrounding them.

You can follow Dad Harmony on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, and find their tour dates on their website.

And if you're curious about which dad sings which part, the five of them answered that and other reader questions here:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Fred Rogers went to put on his shoes and found they didn't fit.

Fred Rogers was truly one of humanity's greats, in every sense that counts most. He wasn't a titan of industry or a builder of empires. He wasn't a man of great means or a wielder of political power. He was humble, gentle and kind. He was a teacher, a learner and a leader in his own way.

For generations of children, he was a consistent voice of compassion, curiosity and caring. He was a calm haven in our television set, a safe space where we always knew we were loved just the way we are.

And yet he was strong, too, just not in the way we often think of strength. He was a fierce defender of children and a champion of justice. His testimony before Congress about public television totally turned around the sentiments of a judge who was extremely skeptical before Rogers started speaking. He wasn't forceful, he didn't yell or cry, he just shared his feelings, indicated his trust in the judge's conscience and explained the value of quality children's television programming in a way that was impossible to disregard.


No one could deny the wholesome awesomeness of Rogers. No one. He was the real thing, tried and true, through and through and the world misses him greatly.

It's quite well known that Rogers was the same man off-screen as he was on his show, and a video of his cast and crew pranking him once during his opening song offers a bit of delightful proof.

Check this out:

Seriously, he was the most delightful human. His laugh when he sticks his foot in the second shoe—priceless. His "Thanks ever so much"—epic.

People have responded to the video on Reddit with gushing praise.

"Mr. Rogers thanking that man for a delightful practical joke just changed something in me for the better," wrote one commenter. "Off to go thank my husband for some stuff."

"What a magical person that just a clip of him having a laugh is making me well up," wrote another.

"My childhood was a scary place but when I turned on Mr. Roger’s, it all disappeared for awhile," shared another. "Thank you for being a light to so many children. May you Rest In Peace."

"An amazing human being and an utterly sweet person," wrote another. "We should all aspire to be the person Mr. Rogers knew we could be."

Indeed, we should.

There may be many wonderful people who walk this earth, but there will never be another Fred Rogers. What a precious gift that we have so many hours of him on film to enjoy and share with generations to come.


This article originally appeared on 6.24.22

This mom dropped her cooking and broke into joyful dance when the beat dropped.

We all have that song that gets us every time. No matter our mood, no matter where we are or who we're with, when the rhythm starts popping, we just have to dance. Okay, maybe not all of us. But if you know, you know. And this Punjabi momma knows.

Self-described actor and prankster Gagandeep Anand shared a video on TikTok and Instagram of him and his brother Ishwardeep surprising their mom by playing her favorite song. She was cooking in the kitchen when Gagandeep walked in with a stereo and Ishwardeep with a dhol (a traditional Indian drum) and as soon as they started playing, her face lit up like a firework.

Then the most joyful 30 seconds of dancing took place, right there in the Anand kitchen.


The song, "Dhol Jageero Da" by Master Saleem, is commonly played at weddings in Northern India. It's a song that's hard not to dance to just by its nature, but Momma Anand clearly has her own personal history with it. The sheer joy she exudes as she drops her cooking to break into dance? Infectious. And her disappointment when the music stops? Just precious.

Watch:

@guggin94

Instagram - Guggin94 👀

Her smile and youthful energy, holy moly. And when Gagandeep said he has to dance when he sees his momma dance was adorable. If only they hadn't stopped the music so quickly.

People are loving the video, claiming Momma Anand as their own and delighting in her delight.

"Your momma?" one commenter wrote. "She is now our Momma."

"She literally got younger the moment the music started," wrote another person.

"OMG I've watched this too many times....she was so happy, I couldn't stop smiling," wrote another.

Others scolded the boys for leaving her hanging:

"How y’all gonna tease mom like that… her favorite part was coming up."

"You better go back right now and do it again for her!!!"

"YOU GO BACK IN THERE AND FINISH HER SONG RIGHT NOW!!"

Gagandeep frequently features his mom (and dad) in his videos, which usually feature silly pranks. And Momma Anand has her own Instagram page too, where she shares cooking tips.

For more fun with the Anand family, follow Gagandeep (@guggin94) on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube.


This article originally appeared on 2.9.22

Critics give it two thumbs up.

Alex Zane and his 5-year-old daughter Matilda are bringing iconic movie scenes to life in a brand new way. The daddy daughter duo have posted dozens upon dozens of homemade photo re-creations of famous films, with Matilda in the starring role. Sometimes her giant stuffed fox makes a cameo appearance as well.

Their Instagram page, Tot for Tot Remakes, has become quite the viral sensation and is getting a lot of love online, thanks in no small part to the incredible attention to detail put into every image.

Like many parents, Alex was forced to think of creative ways to provide entertainment for his family during the early days of the pandemic, including an indoor (toy) car wash. When Matilda suddenly jumped on top of the Cozy Coupe, Alex immediately had a vision of Michael J. Fox in "Teen Wolf" and then instructed her on how to perform air guitar before snapping a photo.

Alex was “quick to admit” he’s not a professional photographer in his interview with TODAY. But luckily, this lawyer-slash-father-slash-movie-nerd had a friend who was. He sent the snapshot to Andrew Kelly, who sprinkled enough digital wizardry to make this happen:

Voila! Toddler Wolf. And thus, Tot for Tot Remakes was born. Trust me, it only gets more intricate from here.


In an exclusive interview with Movie Metropolis, Alex broke down what goes into the process. Turns out there’s just as much going on behind the scenes in the re-creation as there was in the original film.

First, there’s the movie selection, which a) can be taken in three quick photographs, lest the 5-year-old star loses her focus and need to be “bribed back to set,” and b) needs to be confined to very simple actions like sleeping, being dead, screaming, standing or sitting still. Because, again, 5-year-old.

When it comes to budgeting, Alex told TODAY that they spend $5 or less on any props. In this “Wizard of Oz” photo, for instance, the dress is made out of napkins. Talk about resourcefulness.

Then, there’s actually taking the photos, which hopefully are “decent and funny enough” to get Kelly’s seal of approval. Kelly will then add backgrounds, effects and all those magical photo editing things, and send them back to Alex to post for all the internet to enjoy.

That might sound simple enough, but Alex told People it consists of "probably 350 texts back and forth for each recreation." The things we do for our art!

For Alex, this passion project not only became a special bonding opportunity with his daughter, it also helped him remember “how enjoyable life can be when you apply some time and creativity to anything.” He hopes that their posts might offer a "distraction for a few people to help during these difficult times."

Alex added that the two favorites so far have been “The Shining” and “Bridesmaids,” the latter especially because Matilda loved the dress and wore it for two days straight.

When I say Alex and Matilda have re-created a ton of movies, I am not exaggerating. Listing titles such as “E.T.,” “Love Actually,” “Titanic,” “Star Wars,” “Free Willy,” “Lord of The Rings,” “Mission: Impossible,” “The Great Gatsby” and “The Matrix” (twice!) doesn’t even scratch the surface.

I would have been very sad if Matilda hadn’t attempted “Matilda,” but the Zanes did not disappoint.

Who knows what kind of movie magic Alex and Matilda will create next. For sure they’ll be having fun while doing it.


This article originally appeared on 6.20.22