Cary and Michael Huang
Cary and Michael Huang | |
|---|---|
Michael (left) and Cary (right) in 2023 | |
| Education | Campolindo High School |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Notable work | |
| Website | htwins |
| Cary Huang | |
| Born | March 18, 1997 |
| Education | Stanford University (BS) |
| YouTube information | |
| Channels | |
| Michael Huang | |
| Born | March 18, 1997 |
| Other names | Yoyle Cake[‡ 1] |
| Education | University of California Berkeley |
| YouTube information | |
| Channels | |
Cary Huang and Michael Huang (born March 18, 1997) are American twin brothers, YouTubers, and animators who created the interactive online visual tool The Scale of the Universe and the animated web series Battle for Dream Island, both released in 2010.
Early life and education
The Huang brothers were both born on March 18, 1997, with Cary arriving two minutes before Michael, and grew up in Moraga, California.[‡ 2][1] While attending elementary school, they began using the multimedia software program Adobe Flash. Cary "started using Flash when he was 10 years old",[2] and won an award for an animated video he made in 5th grade.[3] They graduated from Campolindo High School in June 2015.[4] Cary later studied computer science at Stanford University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 2020.[‡ 3] Michael studied film at the University of California, Berkeley.[5]
Projects
In 2005, the twins created the website htwins.net, where they released and hosted several Flash games,[6] including the visualization tool The Scale of the Universe in 2010 and its sequel The Scale of the Universe 2 in 2012.[7][8][1]
On February 4, 2008, they began uploading on their YouTube channel Jacknjellify.[9] On January 1, 2010, the first episode of the animated web series Battle for Dream Island was uploaded on the channel.[5]
On June 21, 2014, Cary launched Abacaba, a YouTube channel where he uploaded data visualization videos, a few of which have received external coverage, including the ones about computer chess, internet memes, and the COVID-19 pandemic.[10][11][12]
Impact
The Huangs' web series Battle for Dream Island inspired a genre of similar animated web series called "object shows".[13][14]
The Scale of the Universe was featured on NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day in 2018[15] and inspired the Kurzgesagt app The Universe in a Nutshell, which was released in 2020.[16] On June 16, 2021, the International Astronomical Union gave the main-belt asteroid (10003) 1971 UD1 the name Caryhuang after Cary Huang, in part for his involvement on The Scale of the Universe.[17]
References
- ^ a b "Scale of the Universe". ABC News. Archived from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ^ Hill, David J. (April 15, 2012). ""The Scale Of The Universe 2" Animation Made By 14-Year-Olds Is Mind Blowing". Singularity Hub. Archived from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ Braccini, Sophie (May 28, 2008). "Elementary School Student Gets an Award for his Anime" (PDF). Lamorinda Weekly. p. 17. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
- ^ "Moraga: Campolindo High School Class of 2015 graduates". The Mercury News. Bay Area News Group. June 12, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
- ^ a b Kaiser, Hein (June 19, 2025). "'BFDI': Online series continues to soar". The Citizen. Archived from the original on October 26, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
- ^ Harris, Joan (October 22, 2013). "Twins Host Web Games". The Claw. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
- ^ "APOD: 2018 October 7 - The Scale of the Universe Interactive". apod.nasa.gov. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
- ^ "The Grand Canyon Is Bigger Than Rhode Island". HuffPost. February 15, 2012. Archived from the original on May 11, 2025. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
- ^ Ruette, Peter (February 28, 2025). "The Creative Lead Animator Behind Jacknjellify's "The Power of Two"". Fox40. p. 1. Archived from the original on November 1, 2025. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ Dvorsky, George (April 4, 2016). "Beautiful Visualization Charts History's Best Chess Players". Gizmodo. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ Britton, David (May 20, 2021). "This video captures 15 years of meme trends in 10 minutes". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on June 19, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ Evon, Dan (February 26, 2020). "Is Coronavirus Spreading Faster Than SARS, Ebola, and Swine Flu?". Snopes. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ Seibold, Witney (October 23, 2025). "What Are Object Shows And Why Is Gen-Alpha Obsessed With Them?". /Film. Archived from the original on October 30, 2025. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
- ^ Burlingame, Russ (October 21, 2025). "Michael Huang hopes theatrical release will help Battle for Dream Island expand its huge YouTube audience". Comics Beat. Archived from the original on October 21, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ^ "The Scale of the Universe, by Cary and Michael Huang". The Planetary Society. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
- ^ VanderBorght, Mieke. "Universe in a Nutshell App Review". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ "WGSBN Bulletin 1, #3" (PDF). WGSBN Bulletin. 1 (3). International Astronomical Union: 7. June 16, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
Primary sources
In the text, these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):
- ^ Huang, Michael (April 25, 2025). "And if I say call my music Yoyle Cake and not my legal name pls!".
- ^ Huang, Cary; Huang, Michael (March 18, 2021). "Streaming the moment we turn 24! (down to the second)". YouTube. Event occurs at 3:50. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
- ^ Huang, Cary (September 15, 2020). My college diploma from Standford University finally arrived! 😀 (video). Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2025 – via YouTube.