Top 10 Most Nostalgic YouTube Channels

As of 2025, YouTube has existed for 20 years, making a significant impact on the childhood memories of both Millennials and Gen Z.

In the early days of YouTube, internet culture was much different, featuring videos and memes such as Notepad Club Penguin tutorials, videos made with Windows Movie Maker, and ROFLcopter, among others.

This list commemorates some of the most popular YouTubers who shaped a huge part of our childhood.

The Top Ten

  1. Toadette Von Shroom

  2. Caramella Girls

  3. Jimi Love

    Mostly known for uploading the iconic "Star Wars Kid" video.

  4. Nearfar Productions

    Now known as skippyshorts, this YouTuber created a lot of successful YouTube videos starting in the late 2000s, including his "Worst Kids Show Ever" video from 2008.

  5. Jake Paul

    Jake Joseph Paul (born January 17, 1997) is an American social media personality and professional boxer. He first gained fame on the video-sharing app Vine, and later starred as Dirk Mann on the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark for two seasons. Throughout his career, Paul has drawn controversy for his... read more

  6. Willcraft

    He was the original creator of the Monster School, garnering millions of views over the years, which then spurred thousands of clone videos of other channels to be made. Not only known for that, but he is also known for a rather obscure series called "Endventures."

  7. Smosh

    Smosh is an American sketch comedy YouTube channel created by Ian Andrew Hecox and Daniel Anthony Padilla. Anthony Padilla created a website called smosh.com in 2002 and was later joined by his friend Ian Hecox. The duo became one of the most popular creators on YouTube, and the channel has since expanded... read more

    This was typically the go-to channel right when we got home after school. Remember that "SHUT UP!" sound effect that begins every time you watch his older videos? Me too. Anyway, the channel is still going strong, although it has been taken over by a company. Sadly, one of the main founders left the channel.

    Old Smosh was awesome. New Smosh sucks.

  8. PewDiePie

    Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg (born October 24, 1989), known online as PewDiePie, is a Swedish YouTube personality, comedian, and commentator. He gained fame for his Let's Play videos and vlogs and was the most subscribed YouTuber for nearly six years, after which he was surpassed by T-Series. As of March... read more

    "MY NAME IS PEWDIEPIE!" If you are an older fan, you may remember watching his series "Fridays with PewDiePie" and his "Let's Play" series. While newer fans may recall the T-Series vs. PewDiePie diss tracks and the 9-year-old army gang. He's still as popular today, but his current charm is much different than it was in his old videos.

  9. Dave Days

  10. Nigahiga

    Ryan Higa, born June 6, 1990, is an American comedian, YouTube personality, and actor best known under his username nigahiga. He gained fame through comedy videos that have been viewed more than 3 billion times.

    His channel held the title of most subscribed on YouTube from 2009 to 2011, second... read more

    One of the best YouTube channels for binging in nostalgia for both millennials and early Gen-Z. His short How To series is one of his classics from the 2000s. Who also remembers Daily Life of Rustin Hieber, Fruit Ninja FAIL, Shed a Tear, The iNavigator, etc.? Although his main channel is inactive, he still aged like fine wine.

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    6BIT

  12. ?

    Fabio Mariano

    Creator of the Windows error remix.

    13. The Contenders

  13. PopularMMOs

    One of the GOATs when it comes to older Minecraft YouTubers and commenting on mods, especially with his Challenge Game series, lucky boxes, and TNT mods. You remember that iconic intro, the "Hey guys, it's Pat" greeting, and Jen was still in the channel before they broke up?

  14. Dork Daily

  15. SkyDoesMinecraft

    Adam Dahlberg, born January 17, 1993, is better known online as Sky Does Everything or NetNobody, and was formerly known as SkyDoesMinecraft. They are an American YouTuber, video game commentator, and former animator who gained prominence for their early Minecraft content.... read more

    This was the man who started the gold "budder" trend back in 2013, as well as the hatred of squids. It was also one of the go-to Minecraft YouTubers for many young Gen-Z people and older Minecraft players. Today, he has another YouTube channel called Nobody Records (previously NetNobody), but isn't as active as before.

  16. Tranceluv

    Although not the original music artist, it was a channel centered on trance music that uploaded 009 Sound System songs, which defined a large part of old YouTube.

  17. ForrestFire101

    Maker of the Duck Song series, which was the peak of 2009-2012 YouTube nostalgia. He was also the same guy who produced the Lego Batman series for some of you who may not know. You may also remember the Honey Bear spinoff if you dig a little deeper.

  18. Annoying Orange

    If 2009-2012 YouTube was your prime years, especially in childhood, I assure you know that familiar phrase "Hey Apple" repeated, then proceeding to spout cheesy jokes until Apple was sliced up by a knife. You may also remember Pear, Grapefruit, Little Apple, and some other characters.

  19. Thelovingfamilyshow

  20. EthosLab

    A prolific Minecraft YouTuber who majorly shaped the "Let's Play" series and is still going strong with hundreds of episodes for a decade. He traces back to old Minecraft and its nostalgic features, comparing them to the much-improved Minecraft versions we have today. Not as active as in previous years, but like most old YouTubers, he has aged like fine wine.

  21. Nostalgia Critic

    Nostalgia Critic is an American web series created, written, edited, directed, and performed by Doug Walker. The series features comedic reviews of movies and TV shows, often focusing on nostalgic content from the 1980s and 1990s. It debuted on YouTube in 2007 and has since become one of the most recognizable... read more

  22. Fred

    Fred Figglehorn is a fictional character created and portrayed by American actor Lucas Cruikshank. The character became popular in the early days of YouTube. Cruikshank retired the character in 2013 because he could no longer perform the Fred voice, and between 2010 and 2012, a trilogy of Fred movies... read more

    It's not only on Nickelodeon where he got his exposure. He was very popular in the old YouTube days, starting in 2008. Love him or hate him, he shaped a fairly large part of 2000s nostalgia.

  23. Angry Video Game Nerd

    James Duncan Rolfe is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, film and video game critic, and internet personality. He is best known for creating and starring in the web series The Angry Video Game Nerd, produced by his company, Cinemassacre Productions. The series was formerly associated with GameTrailers... read more

  24. Keyboard Cat 2020

    You may know him as Keyboard Cat or chuckieart if you happened to watch his videos in the past. If you're ever thinking about the old YouTube days, the Keyboard Cat meme is one of those videos that likely pops into your mind.

  25. ImJaystation

    Jason Matthew Ethier, better known as ImJayStation or JayStation, is a Canadian internet personality and former YouTuber. He gained notoriety for his controversial content, including fake paranormal activities and faking his girlfriend's death. His actions led to significant backlash, legal troubles... read more

    Active until early 2021, he would probably be considered nostalgic among mid-to-late Gen Z.

  26. TomSka

    Thomas James Ridgewell, known online as TomSka, is a British YouTube personality. He's also an actor, writer, producer, director, voice actor, and filmmaker. He is the founder of Turbopunch Ltd, a production company known for creating online comedy content.... read more

  27. Dead Meat

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