Flash mobs might not be as trendy as they were just a few years ago, but for 93 year-old actress Betty White, a flash mob is the perfect birthday gift. This week, TV Land released a video of White’s 93rd birthday celebration, which came with a fun hula-themed flash mob that came together on the Hot in Cleveland set. Check it out, below.
There’s actually a story behind the hula-themed flash mob. Apparently, each day on set Betty White’s assistant greets her with a hula dance, which is maybe the cutest thing we’ve heard all week. So, when the actress turned 93 over the weekend, the Hot in Cleveland team decided to up the ante and actually put together a large, complex flash mob that was hula-related. They surprised the actress with this flash mob just a few days ago and taped her reaction, leading to the release of this classic video.
Honestly, it’s easy to dismiss the event as “just another flash mob.” The web has been flooded with flash mobs over the last several years, including numerous flash mob proposals. And shows from Modern Family to The Office have featured flash mobs in episodes. For a while, Fox even had a TV series featuring Howie Mandel that looked at different flash mobs, but the time of the flash mob heyday is long over. It’s easy to crack jokes about Hot in Cleveland being behind the times, and then you see Betty White’s face as she watches her birthday flash mob unfold, and you melt inside. Or, at least you should.
Older people can often be difficult to surprise and even more difficult to shop for when holidays and birthdays roll around, since they've been around for a long time and have most of the things they need already. I love that the Hot in Cleveland team was able to make Betty White’s birthday extra special this year. Unfortunately, it will be the last time. TV Land announced earlier this year that Hot in Cleveland has been cancelled, and the show is currently airing its sixth and final season on the network. Luckily, TV Land already has a few new projects in the works, including Younger starring Hilary Duff, which hits the network in March. A few other TV Land projects are also in the works.
With Hot in Cleveland ending, I wouldn’t be surprised if Betty White retired. Regardless, I hope she has a few more hula-themed flash mobs in her future.
