The phrase 'Hoo-dini' or 'Hoodini' quickly became a popular internet
meme (showing up primarily in YouTube comment sections) when VanossGaming, a very well known gaming YouTuber, uploaded a video where he and some of his friends used a glitch in the video
game Grand Theft Auto V to enter a comedy club. Once inside, the group began telling cheesy
one-liners to each other. Vanoss, whose GTA character is known for wearing an owl mask, asked his friends, "What do you call a magic owl? HOO-DINI!" in reference to the sound an owl makes and the famous magician Harry Houdini. The joke itself wasn't
funny, but instead how Vanoss said it. Nonetheless, the phrase caught on and appeared in the comment sections of many YouTubers such as Jacksfilms and
Markiplier.
The set-up for most of these jokes include a
short riddle, and the answer "HOO-DINI" even if "Hoodini" has nothing to do with the original riddle.