"Grooting" Is Now a Thing

Oh, Groot. The extraterrestrial plant monster from Guardians of the Galaxy has captured hearts across the nation. If you weren't already a fan during the movie, then surely, the ever-adorable dancing baby Groot has won you over. The squee-inducing end tag, danced by none other than director James Gunn himself, is so popular that it even has its own toy. And now, it might even have its own viral movement: Grooting.

It all started last week at Wizard World Chicago, when Michael Rooker, who plays Yondu Udonta in Guardians of the Galaxy, reenacted the entire scene as Groot with Dave Batista reprising his role as Drax. But that's not where the Groot stops. Gunn and his brother, Sean (who you might know as Kirk from Gilmore Girls and who also plays Kraglin in Guardians of the Galaxy) upped the ante: They reenacted dancing baby Groot with an entire crowd of cosplayers at DragonCon in Atlanta. I smell a trend on the horizon. Will Grooting be the next viral trend? Will it replace the Ice Bucket Challenge? Will more of the Guardians of the Galaxy cast be #grooting in the near future (please be yes)? Will it get bigger than planking? Does anyone even do planking anymore (just wondering)?

These are questions we do not yet know the answers to. But, one thing is for certain: if you want to look for hilarious clips of people dancing behind people who are completely unaware of it, look no further, dear readers, for it has already happened. Ellen DeGeneres, talk show host and human equivalent to a basket of puppies, has made that dream a reality with the "Dance Dare" on her show. Not only does DeGeneres frequently challenge her fans to send them videos of themselves dancing behind people without them noticing, she often gets her guests on the show to do it too. Guests like:

Emma Stone

Jason Biggs

Ellie Kemper

So while the dancing baby Groot movement may be in its infancy, it is Ellen Degeneres, the Queen of Awkward Dancing, that shows us that literally dancing like no one is watching is a tradition as old as time (or at least as old as like, 2012).

Image: JamesGunn/Instagram