What "Slime Tutorial" Really Means on Social Media (Hint: It’s Not About Making Slime)

It has come to our attention that not all slime tutorials uploaded to platforms like YouTube result in the creation of sticky masterpieces like cloud slime, butter slime, or any other type of slime for that matter.

Recently, people have been captioning their TikTok videos as "slime tutorials" or adding links to so-called "slime tutorials" in the comments of videos, many of which revolve around Wicked, whether it’s the film adaptation or the musical.

Like most people, you’re probably wondering how "slime tutorial" even remotely makes sense as a caption for a clip from Wicked. Well, we’re here to explain.

On social media, the term "slime tutorial," when used outside its literal context, now refers to clips of movies or plays, often recorded in theaters, uploaded online. For instance, if you attend a Wicked performance on Broadway, secretly record a portion of it (which, let’s be honest, isn’t allowed), and then upload that clip, or even the entire show, online, it’s labeled a "slime tutorial."

Essentially, "slime tutorials" are creative workarounds to share glimpses (aka bootlegs) of productions that audiences might not otherwise experience.

YouTuber @Musical.Theater uploaded a 2-hour-and-20-minute video titled "Wicked the Musical ft. Ryan McCartan -- slime tutorial," showcasing what seems to be the entire Wicked play — bootleg style, of course. The camera is anything but steady, but if you can’t make it to Broadway or afford the hefty ticket prices, perhaps this is the next best option.

Now, if you're wondering if this is legal, recording a movie or play and sharing it so others don't have to pay and watch it technically isn't. But, according to @Musical.Theater, the video "is available to the public under FAIR USE for educational purposes in the performing arts and drama theory uses."

The disclaimer also adds that it "contains incredible acting techniques, lighting, directing, musical skill which legally and morally must be available to the public." The YouTuber also mentions that they are "not profiting off people watching this video, it is not commercial and it is educational, therefore this video CANNOT be taken down due to fair use."

It was uploaded on Sept. 20, 2024, and is still available for viewing as of this writing.

Perhaps the only reason the video is still up is that many of these so-called slime tutorials are compilations of the same play pieced together from different performances. TikToker @caiteycassidy, in the comment section of her video captioned "Friendly reminder you can watch all of Wicked on Broadway on YouTube [winky face]", explained that the video is made up of “a bunch of different people” but assured viewers that it was “seamless.”

These so-called slime tutorials have not only generated a lot of buzz online (and even a few jokes about holding space for “Defying Gravity” — but that’s another story!) but have also inspired TikTokers to create their own “tutorials.”

TikToker @yassifiedshax, for instance, captioned a video of herself acting out a scene from Wicked with, “New Wicked slime tutorial just dropped.” Obviously, she’s not sharing a real "slime tutorial" — her clip stars herself — but hey, no rules are being broken with this kind of creativity!