Examine individual changes

'{{short description|Turkish internet celebrity (born 1962)}} {{Infobox person |name = Mahir Çağrı |image = Mahir Cagri.jpg |image_size = |alt = |caption = |birth_name = <!-- Speckle Cajjir --> |birth_date = {{birth year and age|1962}} |birth_place = [[Kars]], Turkey |death_date = |death_place = |nationality = |other_names = Internet Mahir<br />{{lang-tr|İnternet Mahir}}<br />I kiss you Mahir<br />{{lang-tr|I kiss you Mahir}} |spouse = |relations = |years_active = 1999—present |notable_works = |known_for = [[Blog]]ging ([[Romance (love)|romance]] and [[personal life]]) |website = {{url|https://www.ikissyou.co}}, [https://web.archive.org/web/20020726141104/http://www.istanbul.tc/mahir/mahir/ archive of his famous website] }} '''Mahir Çağrı''' ({{IPA-tr|maːhiɾ tʃaːɾɯ}}, born 1962) is a Turkish individual who became an [[Internet]] [[celebrity]] in 1999. His picture-laden personal homepage, which exclaimed, in broken English, his love of the [[accordion]], travel, and women, was visited by millions and spawned numerous fansites and parodies, one of which was featured on Fox's ''[[MADtv|MadTV]]'' (season 5, episode 20). He was also repeatedly parodied in 1999 on episodes of the ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'', wearing red [[Speedo]]s and playing [[ping-pong]]. Çağrı was ranked #2 in [[CNET]]'s ''Top 10 Web fads''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/4520-11136_1-6268155.html|title=Top 10 Web fads|website=[[CNET]]|access-date=22 July 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050722014307/http://www.cnet.com/4520-11136_1-6268155-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 July 2005|first=Molly|last=Wood}}</ref> The site was also included in [[PC World (magazine)|PC World]]'s "The 25 Worst Web Sites" list.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/127116/article.html|title=The 25 Worst Web Sites|website=[[PC World (magazine)|PC World]]|date=15 September 2006|first=Dan|last=Tynan|url-status=live}}</ref> Çağrı claimed in various interviews that his personal webpage was hacked, with additions such as "I like sex" embedded into his webpage.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} The site was originally hosted on the now defunct [[Xoom (web hosting)|XOOM]] [[web hosting service]] which advertised Çağrı on their front page during the mania. [[Çağrı]] was used in British TV advertising for [[smartgroups.com]] by St. Luke's advertising agency.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/st-luke-rsquos-chooses-mahir-smartgroups-spokesman/36769|title=St Luke chooses Mahir for Smartgroups spokesman|website=[[Campaign (magazine)|Campaign magazine]]|date=26 May 2000|first=Francesca|last=Newland|url-status=live}}</ref> ==Similarities to Borat== Çağrı has stated that [[Sacha Baron Cohen]]'s character [[Borat]] was based on him, and is therefore owed some sort of royalties for use of his likeness.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3MZ1WCUN8Q|title = Mahir Cagri - Interview about Borat|website = [[YouTube]]}}</ref> However, Cohen had been developing a similar character since 1996 on the show [[F2F (TV series)|F2F]], before the Mahir webpage was published. ==See also== * [[Internet celebrity]] * [[Internet meme]] * [[List of Internet phenomena]] == References == {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20050101090510/http://www.ikissyou.org/ I Kiss You] at web.archive.org ;News * [https://www.wired.com/2006/11/mahir-to-borat-i-sue-you/ Mahir to Borat: I Sue You!] - Wired Magazine, 14.11 * [https://methodshop.com/mahir-cagri-i-kiss-you-internet-celebrity/ The Story Behind The “I Kiss You” Home Page And How It Made Mahir Cagri The World’s First Internet Celebrity] - MethodShop * [http://celebs.electronicnewsnetwork.com/sacha-cohen/ Evidence for a Mahir vs. Borat Lawsuit] - Electronic News Network * [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-borat-real/will-the-real-borat-please-stand-up-idUSL0945883020061110 Will the real Borat please stand up?] - [[Reuters]] January 19, 2007 * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6133378.stm "Real Borat" hopes to make film] - [[BBC]] November 9, 2006 * [http://www.milliyet.com.tr/2006/11/10/son/sonyas11.asp İnternet Mahir BBC'de: Ben de kendi filmimi yapmak istiyorum] {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Cagri, Mahir}} [[Category:1962 births]] [[Category:Internet memes introduced in the 1990s]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from İzmir]] [[Category:Turkish Internet celebrities]]'