Dad Asks Baby ‘Did You Sleep Well?’ and the Little One’s ‘Answer’ Has Internet Cracking Up

(Courtesy of For The ORB)

Baby Oliver’s father was treated to a sideshow of some highly amusing emotional expressions when his tiny son awoke from a nap. Luckily, Dad had the camera rolling.

Oliver, greeted by his doting father, “Good morning! Did you sleep well?” responds in his own baby way. The video footage was uploaded by Oliver’s dad to YouTube.

(Courtesy of For The ORB)

Oliver appears to cycle through the full emotional spectrum as if to test each one out before starting the day. “Oh, mean look,” says Dad. Until at last, the baby decides on the right one for Dad, a lovely smile greeting.

It’s a kaleidoscope of emotions transmitted through a baby’s pure and transparent facial features, and millions of viewers agree that baby Oliver is providing entertainment at its finest.

(Courtesy of For The ORB)

“Oliver the ORB wakes up, testing all the emotions he knows,” Oliver’s father captioned. “Some great facial expressions. Thank you to everyone who is watching this.”

“Answer to the comments was he pooping,” the doting dad added. “No, his diaper was clean.”

The adorable clip soon went viral. Today, it’s a timeless pick-me-up that still delights netizens around the world. Oliver’s video was uploaded on Aug. 26, 2012, and to date it has amassed over 10 million views.

(Courtesy of For The ORB)

Enthusiastic comments from viewers attest to baby Oliver’s enduring ability to make people laugh. “This child should be bottled as an anti-depressant,” wrote one viewer. “Just beautiful!”

“He’s running a systems check,” joked another.

“Very cute,” one viewer commented. “I laughed when he got from smile to angry to smile.”

“Proves that we all react to love and compassion, even as infants,” another reflected, “completely human reaction.”

(Courtesy of For The ORB)

As to whether viewers should ascribe “adult” emotions to baby Oliver’s whirlwind of comical facial expressions, expert Dr. Pamela Cole suggests not. “Generally speaking, emotions begin in infancy in ways that look familiar but aren’t true emotional experiences,” Cole, a researcher and professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State University, explained to Parents.com.

“Babies coo early on, which is how we think that they are feeling well,” Cole explained. “Out of this eventually come a smile and a laugh [...] It is not precisely clear when fear develops, but you don’t really see fear in young babies.”

(Courtesy of For The ORB)

“During the first six months of life,” she summarized, “it is not necessarily the case that babies are ‘experiencing’ emotions.” Baby Oliver’s approximations, however, are so uncanny that millions of viewers have cracked up watching them.

Seven years after Oliver’s antics went viral, his family is still running the YouTube channel For The ORB, a parenting and family channel based out of Sonoma County, California. “Hi! I’m Oliver ‘The ORB,’” reads the channel’s description. “Watch me grow up.”

(Courtesy of For The ORB)

“My dad helps me make these videos. I’m called ORB because of my initials,” the family explains. “All profits from this channel go into my college fund, so the more you watch, the more you help.”

As of December 2019, Oliver is 7 years old and exploring the world with all of his senses. Ten million people, and maybe more, remain grateful that Oliver’s father had the camera rolling when it all began.