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Into the ‘nursery-verse,’ a movement that’s blowing up TikTok

Understanding the internet’s latest main character.

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Charlotte Colombo

TOS Nursery verse
That One Sound is a column from internet culture reporter Charlotte Colombo that explores the origin of popular sounds heard on TikTok.
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Workplace skits are really the bread and butter of TikTok. These reenactments of both day-to-day and bizarre happenings at work provide insight into a vast range of industries —as well as being entertaining.

But what happens when these POVs go so far, they develop a life of their own? Here’s what you need to know about the “nursery-verse” TikTok sound.

The sound

@a.h888x not to mention the accs ppl have of the dif characters like get a life 😭🙏 #thenurserynurse #weird #fyp ♬ NURSERYVERSE – Creator Universe
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The upbeat pop song invites people to “escape” into the “nursery-verse” and join their ‘imaginary family.” But before we dive into that, we should probably explain what the “nursery-verse” is.

TikToker Charlotte Henderson has been posting skits about working in a nursery (the U.K. equivalent to pre-school) since 2021. According to TikTokers, these plot lines, in which she plays all the characters, have become increasingly verbose. However, the tipping point for most TikTokers is Charlotte’s purported love triangle with herself.

In turn, this song has become a means for TikTokers to mock the expansive lore of the “nursery-verse,” with several sharing their (usually negative) views via on-screen text. 

And then there’s the sincere fandom, where fans are posting themselves lip-syncing and dancing to the song. Across TikTok, the fandom is also being widely mocked, with many TikTokers comparing the intensity of the fandom to DSMP.

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Altogether, at the time of writing, this sound has been used 2,107 times. But not many of the videos are positive.

Where’s it from?

@shiviansch1ld finally learnt it! #THENURSERYNURSE #foryourpage #fyp #thenursery_nurse #nurserynurse #tnn #nurseryverse #relatable #thenurseryverse #thenurserynurse #wecreatepopular #dance @Charlotte @Ellie @WE CREATE POPULAR® @Lyds @Stevie ♬ NURSERYVERSE – Creator Universe

The song was made by Creator Universe. A collective of U.K.-based TikTokers who aim to raise money for charity through music. The group previously made a bid for the U.K. Christmas No. 1 in 2023. 

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Specifically, the “nusery-verse” song was made to raise money for Cybersmile, a charity that combats bullying online. 

Sound off

@didn632 nursery nurse bed rotting #nurserynurse #nuseryverse ♬ original sound – didn

In a now-deleted 10-minute video, incorporating the characters from her nursery skits, Charlotte responded to the backlash against the song and her TikTok account as a whole. 

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“Newsflash, Einstein, that’s exactly how a one-woman show works,” she said. “It’s a woman wearing wigs doing different characters. OK, they are meant to interact with each other. They’re meant to have relationships with each other.”

She also addressed claims that the fandom was acting “cringe.” Speaking to fans directly, she said: “Ladies, they tell you you’re being cringe. Be cringier. If they tell you you’re being weird, be weirder. If they’re telling you you’re being too loud, be louder.”

However, Charlotte amassed criticism for the video because she referred to haters as “bed-rotters,” which, according to some viewers, is insulting to people with depression. She has since deleted the video.

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