The moment many have been waiting for has arrived: The Japanese animated saga and marketing juggernaut Dragonball has ascended to #1.
We've been tracking Dragonball since we started the Lycos 50, noting its outsized popularity online and relative obscurity offline. It has been one of the top eight items for 71 straight weeks, but it had never made it to the top until this week.
Very early on, in September 1999, we wrote: "It's a little early to declare Dragonball Z the next Pokemon, but a rise to #5 indicates a very hot item." Two weeks later, we wrote, "If your kids aren't already talking about Dragonball Z, it looks like they will be soon."
You can dig deeper for more information on Dragonball with our February and November articles on "The Strange Mystery of Dragonball Z," or check out these Dragonball fan sites on Tripod and Angelfire.
It looks like Dragonball is in for a long ride at the top. This week it gets 34 percent more searches than #2 Britney Spears and 72 percent more searches than #3 Napster. Other than Valentine's Day, the Super Bowl, or an unforeseen news event, there is only one thing in the near future which might topple Dragonball, and that is?
REALITY BITES: Survivor 2: The Australian Outback saw searches triple in the last week and finishes at #59. CBS unveiled the new cast this week with pictures and bios on the official Survivor website. There seems to be huge anticipation for this new version, which debuts after the Super Bowl. So far we can't figure out which cast member is going to be constantly naked.
The other reality show we are monitoring, FOX's racy Temptation Island, also saw searches triple this week and received about 40 percent as many searches as Survivor. (All news organizations are legally required to refer to this show using the phrase "racy Temptation Island.")
As for ABC's The Mole, well, I hope for their sake they have some extra episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway? on hand for emergencies.
SIN AND SALVATION: Two Lycos 50 perennials each go up 30 percent this week, for different reasons. Las Vegas (#8) hits the top ten, probably thanks to new economy professionals looking for places to stay and things to do during this week's Consumer Electronics Show. The Bible (#20) also jumps; searches like read the bible in a year show that many folks make the good book part of their New Year's resolutions.
BUREAUCRACY RULES: Yes, it's not one but two government agencies in the top ten. Searches for new postal rates send the U.S. Postal Service to #5. And what are we going to using those 34-cent stamps on? Of course, tax forms! The IRS is at #9 as America starts the 1040 square dance. Allemande left, refund right, now do-si-do your deductions?
SHORT SUBJECTS: With his holiday just around the corner, Martin Luther King, Jr. (#36) makes the Lycos 50 for the first time since March? Just like last year, searches for diets (#27) go up significantly after the new year as people fight to fulfill their resolutions? As expected, marijuana (#28) returns after a one-week absence? Hey kids, we hope you enjoyed your vacation, but it's time to get working on those science fair projects (#23) again.
NEW THIS WEEK: The U.S. Postal Service, science fair projects, diets, marijuana, Martin Luther King, Jr., Limp Bizkit, NBA.
DROPOUTS: Santa Claus, the Edgewater Technology shooting, solar eclipse, Publishers Clearing House, Sega Dreamcast, Alyssa Milano, and it looks like Claire Swire mania has receded.
BIGGEST RISE: The IRS, up 13 spots to #9.
BIGGEST DROP: Christmas, down 23 spots to #24 (but oddly enough, still on the Lycos 50 two weeks after the holiday).
ONE YEAR AGO: Rapper DMX debuted on the Lycos 50 at #45, and science fair projects made their first-ever appearance at #16.
