Will Ferrell's FunnyOrDie.com celebrates 1-year anniversary

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-04-17 10:34

In this image released by FunnyOrDie.com, Will Ferrell is shown in a still from his video called 'The Landlord.' [Agencies]

FunnyOrDie.com, the Web site started by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, is 1 year old. Its biggest star, Pearl, is 3.

The comedy site is celebrating its anniversary with a video posted Wednesday of its stars wishing Funny or Die a happy birthday. Among the many making cameos: Pearl, McKay's toddler daughter who became a star in her own right in the site's first video: "The Landlord," with more than 55 million views.

In just a year, Funny or Die has expanded to become a repository of professional content created by many top comedians, including Judd Apatow, Jack McBrayer ("30 Rock") and the comedy troupe Human Giant. Their videos are mixed with (the less popular) viewer-submitted videos, which can remain on the site if they are rated highly enough.

Pearl isn't coming out of "baby retirement," as was announced at the end of her last video, "Good Cop, Baby Cop." McKay says he'd prefer to keep her out of the spotlight, but figured a little birthday wish was harmless enough.

"It's sort of like when a professional boxer fights a professional wrestler," McKay tells The Associated Press. "It's not really a sanctioned bout."

McKay, the director of "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," never expected the site — which he founded with Ferrell and partner Mark Kvamme, a venture capitalist at Sequoia Capital — to take off like it has.

"I always thought we'd be getting a couple hundred thousand hits a month and it'd be a fun thing to screw around with," McKay says.

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