Viral moments of 2023: From a giant baked bean to a seal pup at a kebab shop

People become stars overnight in 2023 as local moments became national news stories after catching the attention of millions online.

From the creation of a giant baked bean to a seal pup found outside a kebab shop in Norfolk, here is a look at a few of the quirkier viral moments of 2023.

– Friday night rescue for seal pup spotted outside Norfolk kebab shop

A seal pup was rescued after it was spotted wandering past an arcade and kebab shop in Norfolk late on a Friday night in January, and attracted thousands of views online.

Marine and Wildlife Rescue went to the scene after it was sent pictures of the grey seal pup outside Istanbul Delight kebab shop in Hemsby.

Was the seal pup stopping for a late night snack? (Dan Goldsmith/Marine and Wildlife Rescue/PA)PA Media - Dan Goldsmith/Marine and Wildlife Rescue

“We spoke to a couple of people that were milling around there and thought it was a wind-up. They were like, ‘No, you won’t find a seal around here, mate’,” Dan Goldsmith, chairman of the Great Yarmouth-based rescue centre, told the PA news agency.

“After searching the area for some time, we eventually found the seal shuffling along on a path outside an amusement arcade called the Mirage.”

– Climate journalist finishes animal encyclopaedia he began aged nine

Josh Gabbatiss, a climate journalist from south London, began drawing his own book of animals aged nine and completed it 20 years later, saying: “I feel the same way as I did when I was nine about these things.”

He began drawing and writing ‘Josh’es (sic) Book of Animals’ – comprising 118 pages of animal descriptions, terminology and an index – in 2001, and completed it towards the end of January 2023, garnering more than half a million views.

Josh began working on his animal book when he was nine in 2001, finishing it in 2023 (Kathryn Gabbatiss/Josh Gabbatiss/PA)

He told PA: “I think it just shows that those childhood passions can be really important and shouldn’t be seen lightly.

“For me it feels really special because I know that in many ways I feel the same way as I did when I was nine about these things.”

– Woman rediscovers decades-old manual she made aged nine on how to find ‘lovely men’

Author Katie McCloskey posted pictures of A Book Of Lovely Men On Holiday – a nearly 30-year-old manual she made aged nine detailing all the ways to find “a lovely man”.

The book offers a lot of advice, such as things to look for in men and things they should eat (Katie McCloskey/PA)

“I’m not going to say I wasn’t surprised,” Ms McCloskey told PA of the reaction – hundreds of thousands of views on X, formerly Twitter – in February.

“I feel like this sounds strange but I feel like my inner child is validated somehow… It’s really wholesome.”

– Singing estate agent’s NeverEnding Story-inspired video goes viral

Estate agent Claire Cossey went viral in March for creating a song to advertise a property on Rightmove, earning nearly 600,000 views on YouTube.

The owner of Just-Knock Estate Agents parodied NeverEnding Story by popstar Limahl and sang a song about a £700,000 Bedfordshire home she was eager to sell and dubbed it the “never-ending property” due to its five bedrooms, five reception rooms, three bedrooms and a games room.

Claire Cossey ushers viewers into the hallway featuring exposed wooden beams (Just-Knock Estate Agents/PA)

Ms Cossey, who was a singer for 24 years before becoming an estate agent, told PA the viral video – which took her 10 hours to edit – is “on another level”.

“I’ve never known anything like it,” she said.

– Viral giant baked bean is ‘what the people need’, say creators

Advertising creatives Tom Snell and Dylan Hartigan used two tins of Heinz beans to create one giant baked bean.

The duo spent a Sunday afternoon in April creating a mammoth version of the popular British staple and shot a mock campaign for it, garnering thousands of shares across social media platforms after initially being shared on Reddit.

“There is no real reason… People need a big bean in their lives,” Mr Snell told PA.

A giant baked bean went viral after the creators, Dylan Hartigan and Tom Snell, made it ‘just for fun’ (Dylan Hartigan/Tom Snell/PA)

Mr Hartigan added: “We just thought this is what the people need.

“The UK loves beans so what’s the next step for the bean? How do we elevate it? The obvious next step was to make it as big as we can.”

– Scarecrow festival born in lockdown ‘brought village community together’

Long-time friends Louise Henson and Lizzy Heritage placed scarecrows outside their homes in the Welsh village of Llysfaen during lockdown to “make people laugh”, which developed into an annual event to “bring the community together”.

Louise Henson and Lizzy Heritage judged the best scarecrow in the competition, with the winner receiving a box of beer from the local brewery (Louise Henson/PA)

“We’ve found that there are lonely people in our community, and I think we’ve managed to help them and to give them a bit of a sense of purpose,” Ms Heritage, who hosted the event in July, told PA.

“It’s actually brought the community together through laughter and giggles… Everybody has become proud of their village.”