Huang brothers

Huang brothers
Michael (left) and Cary (right) in 2023
Occupations	YouTubers animators
Years active	2008–present
Notable work	Battle for Dream Island The Scale of the Universe
Website	htwins.net
Cary Huang
Born	Cary Kaiming Huang (1997-03-18) March 18, 1997 (age 28) Moraga, California
Education	Stanford University
YouTube information
Channels	carykh Humany
Subscribers	697,000 (carykh) 316,000 (Humany)
Michael Huang
Born	Michael Yiming Huang (1997-03-18) March 18, 1997 (age 28) Moraga, California
Other names	Yoyle Cake [‡ 1]
Education	University of California Berkeley
YouTube information
Channels	Michael H Yoyle Cake
Subscribers	110,000 (Michael H) 70,200 (Yoyle Cake)

Twin brothers Cary Kaiming Huang ^[a] and Michael Yiming Huang ^[b] (born March 18, 1997) are a duo of American YouTubers, voice actors, and animators who co-created the indie-animated web series Battle for Dream Island and the interactive online visual tool The Scale of the Universe .

Early life and education

The Huang brothers were both born on March 18, 1997, and grew up in Moraga, California. ^{[1] [2]} While attending elementary school, they began using the multimedia software program Adobe Flash. Cary "started using Flash when he was 10 years old". ^[3] Cary later studied computer science at Stanford University and Michael studied film at the University of California, Berkeley. ^[4]

Projects

In 2005, the twins created the website htwins.net, where they released and hosted several Flash games, ^[5] including the visualization tool The Scale of the Universe ^[6] and its sequel The Scale of the Universe 2. ^{[7] [2]}

On February 4, 2008, the twins began uploading on the YouTube channel jacknjellify. ^{[c] [8]} On January 1, 2010, the first episode of the animated web series Battle for Dream Island was uploaded to YouTube on the channel. ^[4]

On June 21, 2014, Cary launched Abacaba, a YouTube channel where he uploaded data visualization videos pertaining to topics such as chess, ^[9] internet memes, ^[10] and the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[11]

Impact

The Huangs' web series Battle for Dream Island inspired a genre of similar animated web series called "object shows". ^{[12] [13]}

The Scale of the Universe was featured on NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day in 2018 ^[14] and inspired the Kurzgesagt app The Universe in a Nutshell, which was released in 2020. ^[15] 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. ^[16]

Notes

1. (Chinese :黃凱明; simplified Chinese :黄凯明; traditional Chinese :黃凱明; pinyin :Huáng Kǎimíng)
2. (Chinese :黃一鳴; simplified Chinese :黄一鸣; traditional Chinese :黃一鳴; pinyin :Huáng Yīmíng)
3. Pronounced Jack 'n' Jellifee

References

1. 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.
2. "Scale of the Universe". ABC News. Archived from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Harris, Joan (October 22, 2013). "Twins Host Web Games". The Claw. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
6. "APOD: 2018 October 7 - The Scale of the Universe Interactive". apod.nasa.gov. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
7. "The Grand Canyon Is Bigger Than Rhode Island". HuffPost. February 15, 2012. Archived from the original on May 11, 2025. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
8. Ruette, Peter (February 28, 2025). "The Creative Lead Animator Behind Jacknjellify's "The Power of Two"". Fox40. p. 1. Retrieved November 16, 2025.^{[ dead link ]}
9. Dvorsky, George (April 4, 2016). "Beautiful Visualization Charts History's Best Chess Players". Gizmodo . Retrieved January 31, 2022.
10. 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.
11. Evon, Dan (February 26, 2020). "Is Coronavirus Spreading Faster Than SARS, Ebola, and Swine Flu?". Snopes . Retrieved January 30, 2022.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. "The Scale of the Universe, by Cary and Michael Huang". The Planetary Society. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
15. VanderBorght, Mieke. "Universe in a Nutshell App Review". Common Sense Media . Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
16. "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 (‡):

1. Huang, Michael Y. (April 25, 2025). "And if I say call my music Yoyle Cake and not my legal name pls!".