Written by: Katie Curran
This month marks the thirteenth anniversary of One Direction’s formation on The X Factor, and we are filled with all the nostalgia! From the songs to the iconic concert mems, they have truly given us so many treats over the years. In honor of our favorite UK five-piece, here are 13 moments One Direction absolutely melted our hearts. 🥰
1. Vas Happenin’
Longtime fans of One Direction will look back on their X Factor days and remember Zayn’s iconic catchphrase. In their tour diaries and early post-X Factor era, Zayn often introduced himself in videos and in person. The other 1D boys later joined in on the fun and wrote this silly song with songwriter and X Factor vocal coach Savan Kotecha. Over time, it became a phrase that fans fell in love with, and we can’t blame them! 😂
2. Dodgeball on James Corden
One Direction’s appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden is one of the most iconic moments of their career and one of their most notable after Zayn’s departure. It also gave us so many hilarious videos, and their dodgeball game is one of them! 🏐
3. Our Moment
Another one of our favorite heart-melting moments is the commercial for their first fragrance, Our Moment! It features the boys and several different types of beautiful flowers, even blowing them into the camera at some points! However, it wouldn’t be One Direction without the usual hijinks. Harry and Louis can be seen pouring flowers onto Zayn with buckets, and Niall accidentally smells Liam’s foot after a line of fragrances! Truly one of the most heart-melting, but hilarious moments in 1D history. 🌸
4. Their pie fight with 5SOS
One of the most famous One Direction moments of all time is their pie fight with then-opener 5 Seconds of Summer! At the last of their Australian shows on the Take Me Home Tour, they invited the band onstage to perform “Teenage Dirtbag” with them. Towards the end of the song, band members and crew sneak onstage and start pie-ing everyone. Chaos ensued, and the rest is history! 🥧
5. When they got pranked by Nickelodeon
Early in their career, the group sat down for an interview with Nickelodeon — or so they thought. Louis and Zayn had conspired with producers to trick the other boys into believing a “producer” had gone into labor when it was actually a hired actress! After the boys sat down, she acted as though she had just gone into labor, and sent Harry, Liam, and Niall into a state of panic! However, their reaction to the prank made fans absolutely melt. Watching Harry, Liam, and Niall help her without knowing the situation made fans fall in love. 🤧
6. Tattoo Roulette
In another segment on The Late Late Show in 2015, fans saw the boys play a round of Tattoo Roulette for the first time ever! While Harry, Liam, and Louis all had tattoos, Niall did not - and is famously not a fan of them. So, when it came down to it and each member had to choose a box that would decide their fate, fans saw Niall getting anxious. What made hearts melt is Niall’s reaction to Harry having to get the tattoo. When Harry revealed what his box said, Niall jumped up in the air and cheered, happy not to have to get his first tattoo! 📦
7. Carpool Karaoke
The last of the Late Late Show moments on this list (but certainly not least) is the One Direction edition of Carpool Karaoke! We were treated to the boys singing hits from all the years and even were blessed with the iconic "No Control" dance from James Corden. 🎤
8. The Pepsi Ad
One of everyone’s favorite moments is when the group was featured in a Pepsi ad in 2012! Part of the brand’s “Live For Now” campaign, the ad features Harry going up against former NFL quarterback Drew Brees for the last Pepsi in the fridge. It goes so far as to Niall convincing Drew to give Harry the Pepsi with the promise of joining the band! 🥤
9. Spin the Harry
A longtime fan favorite One Direction series is their Spin the Harry shows from their time on X Factor! The silly game show had multiple segments hosted by the one and only Louis Tomlinson. This series still makes us laugh until we cry. This was also one of the first times they were exposed to fans outside of the UK, it showed the boys at their most authentic. 🫶
10. SNL Dance Sketch
Fans will never forget One Direction’s third appearance on Saturday Night Live when the group appeared in the “Girlfriends Talk Show.” In the sketch, they appear as dance team members, and even get to flirt with some of the cast members’ characters! 💃
11. 1D Day
Everyone remembers where they were when 1D Day happened, and it allowed fans to get to know the boys even more! From the phone booth that gave fans an exclusive listen to Midnight Memories before its release and celebrity cameos, fans worldwide fell more in love watching this iconic live stream. 💿
12. The bonfire in This Is Us
This Is Us is an iconic moment in One Direction’s "History" and for good reason! It gave us first hand insight into the daily lives of each member, and even gave us the iconic camping moment. In the movie, the boys go camping together to bond, and it ends up exactly as you would expect! From figuring out the tents to building a fire “the Tommo way" to their conversation about leaving a 1D legacy, this gave fans a moment to remember for a lifetime. 💞
13. When they played “Act My Age” at their last ever show
This moment is one to remember for all fans, as it marked the last time One Direction played together before their hiatus! Before walking off stage for the last time, the boys played the end of "Act My Age" not once, not twice, but three times. After each one, they thanked their family members and friends in the front row. For longtime fans, this moment will make your heart melt and your eyes fill with tears! 🥹
While we miss 1D, we are so happy for each of the boys and their solo careers. They have come a long way in the past 13 years and we know that Directioners all over the world are proud of them. However, this doesn’t keep us from taking a trip down memory lane every July 23rd. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter for more 1D content and Happy 13 Years of One Direction!
If you want to get more involved in fan communities, join a Fan Crew or our awesome weekly newsletter!