It’s that time of year again: every website is posting “year in review” lists ranking the events of the past year according to their interests: music bloggers rank the best (and/or worst) songs and albums of the year, literary bloggers rank the best (again, and/or worst) books of the year, and I’m sure you get the gist of what I’m saying, so that’s the end of this particular train of thought.

Yesterday afternoon, JibJab released their 2013 Year in Review Video, which I didn’t think was as good as some of their previous efforts. I also learned that they had made a 2012 Year In Review Video – this isn’t surprising per se, but I don’t remember ever watching it before yesterday night (technically, around 11 PM December 21 2013). 

In most cases I would prefer to have some kind of quantitative methodology for ranking things, but this list of every JibJab Year In Review Video is very qualitative instead: instead of ranking videos by views, or reviews, or any other potentially quantitative methodology, I’m ranking them purely by my current opinion of their quality. I will concede that it is entirely possible I may be slightly biased, in that I’ve seen some, if not most or all, of the older ones multiple times. 

What better way to revisit Bush the Younger’s second term and Obama’s first term is there than watching JibJab videos? They’ve only been making them since 2005 (after their 2004 election video starring George W. Bush and John Kerry brought them into the spotlight). At first I had thought that I might have better ways to spend my time, but let’s be honest – I’m nowhere near tired, I was slightly drunk when I started thinking about doing this, and if I hadn’t decided to write this blog post I probably would have spent my time messing around on the Internet in some other fashion anyway.

9.) 2012: The End is Here
It was a tough choice, but my reasons for giving this one the lowest ranking include lack of familarity with this video and the seemingly racist depiction of Mayans as stereotypical bone-in-nose leaf-wearing savages. As previously mentioned, I didn’t even know this video existed until about 2 hours ago. 

8) 2013: What a Year!
This is the newest JibJab Year in Review Video, and I don’t like it as much as their older efforts. Obviously I liked it slightly more than their 2012 video, but other than that I have difficulty thinking of a concise reason to put it above 2012 other than eliminating the possibility of ties.

7) 2011, Buh-Bye!
Tune: “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” (Traditional)

6) So Long to Ya, 2010
Points awarded for Muppet-esque puppetry, but still not as good as some of their earlier efforts.

5) Nuckin’ Futs! – Best of ’06
Tune: Jingle Bells (James Lord Pierpoint)
I had forgotten how funny this one was, but I decided 2009 and 2008 were better.

4) Never a Year Like ’09
Tune: The Entertainer (Scott Joplin)
Maybe I just have a weakness for ragtime.

3) 2008 Year in Review
I don’t recognize the tune, but I’ve liked this one since it came out 5 years ago.

Now that I’ve typed that, I’m wondering how it’s been 5 years since I was a high school senior.

2) 2-0-5 (2005)
Tune: Auld Lang Syne (Traditional, lyrics by Robert Burns)
This is another one of my favorites. I wasn’t a fan of George W. Bush, but so help me I almost miss a Texan accent in the White House. With Obama we just have impersonations of his non-regional accented voice and caricatures of his ears in addition to his being biracial, unlike every one of our previous presidents.

1) In 2007
Tune: We Didn’t Start the Fire (Billy Joel)
Maybe I just like Billy Joel, but this has been one of my favorites probably since its debut. Of course, when there were only 3 JibJab Year in Review videos, there wasn’t nearly as much choice, was there?