TF2 FreakShow Wiki
TF2 FreakShow Wiki
TF2 FreakShow Wiki
402
pages
in: Browse, Content

TF2 Freak History

View source

TF2 Monsters are a notable YouTube phenomenon, with their history spanning several years already. This article aims to sum up the most important periods and events in a concise manner.

This approach toward the TF2 Freak history is inspired by geologic periods and is an out-of-universe one. In in-universe terms there is little continuity in the TF2 Freak World, but information about certain stories may be found in the YouTube videos category.

Periods

Primary

Alternatively "the Emergence" (31 December 2008 - 9 January 2010) of the TF2 Monsters. This period marks the beginning of the TF2 Freak history. It starts with the RED Vagineer's debut and ends with the debut of Painis Cupcake.

Early Primary

The first stage (31 December 2008 - 9 August 2009) of the TF2 Freak history, it sees several video appearances of the RED Vagineer.

  • 31 December 2008 - RED Vagineer: the first RED and Engineer TF2 Monster.

Late Primary

During this stage (9 August 2009 - 9 January 2010) emerge several other very early TF2 Freaks. Videos starring them become more numerous.

Secondary

Also known as "the Divergence" (9 January 2010 - 22 January 2012), is arguably the TF2 Monsters' "Golden Age". It is the most prolific period in the creation of TF2 Freaks, which starts with Painis Cupcake's epochal debut.

Early Secondary

The stage (9 January 2010 - 17 December 2010) of the so-called "Freak Explosion", it witnesses a sudden outburst of creation of new TF2 Monsters, many of them inspired more or less directly by Painis Cupcake. All Freaks considered "Classic" have already appeared by the end of this stage.

Middle Secondary

This stage (17 December 2010 - 26 May 2011) sees the creation of numerous "third-generation" TF2 Monsters, that is more complex Monsters rarely inspired by Painis Cupcake in any notable way.

Late Secondary

The last stage of the Secondary (26 May 2011 - 22 January 2012), it popularises the idea of various TF2 Monsters interacting (usually fighting) with one another. Even more relatively original TF2 Freaks appear.

Tertiary

Alternatively "the Maturity", is the longest significant period in the history of TF2 Monsters (22 January 2012 - 28 May 2015). In general it introduces a more serious and story-driven approach toward the Freaks, which beforehand has been often focused mostly on comedic aspects. Fewer new Freaks appear, and those which do are often relatively advanced.

Early Tertiary

This stage (22 January 2012 - 15 July 2012) sees the debuts of the last batch of new non-standard team TF2 Monsters. Random videos gradually become uncommon and newer TF2 Monsters begin to appear in video series more frequently. The series which have started earlier gain more prominence.

Middle Tertiary

The second stage (15 July 2012 - 4 May 2013), it begins with the conclusion of Painis Cupcake's Revenge, an influential series inspired by the TF2 Freak Fight. By this time the creation of newer Freaks decreases noticeably, and multiple previously established ones slowly lose prominence.

Late Tertiary

This stage in the history of TF2 Monsters (4 May 2013 - 28 May 2015) is arguably "the Waning Age of TF2 Freaks". Few new Monsters appear and random videos are rare, continuing the trend from the Middle Tertiary. Focus has shifted considerably toward long-running and newer video series.

Quaternary

The last period and the "winter" of TF2 Freak history (28 May 2015 - present). Whilst still known, the TF2 Freaks are no longer as prominent as they used to be. Their moderate popularity is mostly maintained in the early years through the efforts of devoted fans and several veteran Gmodders. In spite of the protracted decline, however, the early years of the period do see a minor resurgence of interest.

Ultimately, however, by the time of 2016 onward, TF2 Freaks have taken a large dip in popularity; at this point, they are mostly treated as a dead fad by most of the internet. Content creators have moved on to other projects or simply stopped making videos altogether, and those who still engage in making TF2 Freaks are mostly children who have no regard for quality in their creations, with few exceptions. Many YouTube series still ongoing by this point never see a conclusion. Thus marks the end of the long-spanning TF2 Freak history.

Trivia

  • The names of the periods were inspired by Tertiary (obsolete) and Quaternary, two periods of the Cenozoic era.
  • Spycrab predates the RED Vagineer by about 6 months, but because its nature as a full-fledged TF2 Freak is arguable, it is not included in the timeline.
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.