Attention all Grizzlies, symptoms of the auditory virus 6-7 have been found in your peers.
Exhibit extreme caution, as early warning signs include repetition of the phrase, “6-7”, and mild irritation among siblings and classmates.
At Cal High, students can’t go two sentences without hearing the dreaded 6-7 joke again and again. But some students praise its stupidity, finding charm in it.
“It’s used as a joke for me and my friends to make the atmosphere lighter and funnier,” freshman Hari Kotecha said.
The 6-7 joke is associated with a meme originating from the song “Doot Doot,” which was released on Dec. 1, 2024 by music artist Skrilla. The song went viral in early 2025, due to it’s mentioning of this number.
The joke also went viral thanks to a popular group of memes about basketball player LaMelo Ball, whose height is 6-foot-7. Together, they formed an unholy amalgamation, spreading across the internet and Cal’s campus.
And regardless of whether you like it or not, it’s inevitable.
“I think [the joke is] kind of stupid, but stupid in a funny way,” junior Benny Lopez said. “Stupid in a ha-ha way, I get a chuckle out of them.”
Lopez said, teachers have begun to catch onto the joke. Band teacher Robert Grigas once brought up 6-7, and then did the hand motion.
Sophomore Carter Stanek admits he found the joke a bit funny at first, but it was beginning to get annoying.
Stanek explained how 6-7 has been used so excessively in classes that some teachers, oftentimes math teachers, have banned its use in class.
At the peak of this scourge, in early August, 6-7 was something many would hear practically everywhere with a clip of a kid saying it.
The legend himself is now known as the 6-7 kid.
“It kind of bums me out. I feel like the memes used to be clever,” Cal High marine biology teacher Jake Martin said. “Now they’re all short-lived and shallow. On a scale of one to 10, 10 being dumb, I give it like a six or a seven.”
But it gets worse. A new strain of the number virus has been revealed, named “41”. Little is known about this new addition, but we know it was created around the peak of the 6-7 epidemic.
“41 was kind of just a song,” Stanek said. “But 6-7 was kind of this huge thing and 41 was a response to it.”
This new 41 number joke came from a YouTube video titled “Did Unc Snap,” which went viral on TikTok and Instagram back in August. It was posted by the creator Hoopify, who claimed it was the new 6-7.
It’s also important to address what might be the root cause of all these jokes, the infamous virus 21.
After looking back to our childhoods, we have revealed the existence of the original number joke, 21.
The joke first emerged in 2013 through Vine, an app that was the source of the internet’s beloved trends. A video was posted of a boy incorrectly answering the question “What’s 9+10,” unsurely stating the answer was 21.
Though it’s no longer very relevant, 21 set the stage for many numerical jokes.
And returning from 2014 is the infamous 1738 virus.
Coming from the song “Trap Queen” by the artist Fetty Wap, this number was said in the opening verse. The song was originally dropped in 2014 and was popular for a while.
Its resurgence in popularity in early 2025 is due to Fetty Wap becoming relevant again, thanks to the JBL speaker meme, which trended with his song “Again” bumping in the background.
The JBL speaker meme consists of edited clips from movies or shows, with characters holding a JBL speaker, blasting lyrics from “Again” at the most inappropriate of times.
This naturally led people to be curious about his other music, thus leading to the rediscovery of “Trap Queen.”
With its new fame, the song regained attention and various music creators created their own twists to the song.
One iconic remix is a more cinematic cover, following an orchestral version of the original song. It was titled “Trap Royalty” by an artist named Very Cool Tutorials.
The remix gained popularity earlier this year, through platforms like Instagram and TikTok, due to the many edits portraying characters from various franchises committing heroic acts.
An example was from the show “Invincible”. Around the finale for the show’s third season, many social media platforms were filled with edits of a fan-beloved character, Rex Splode, who carried the majority of the show’s popularity.
The Californian will continue to monitor the spread of 6-7 and its variants. Whether you believe it’s comedy gold or just confusing, expect to hear its echo in the hallways.
And if you or a loved one has recently said it or made a related hand gesture, please check on them if it’s not already too late.