What Is the Toc Toc Dance? The Song, the Origin and the Original Videos

The Toc Toc dance is a TikTok trend set to "Toc Toc", a 2015 song by the French entertainer Patrick Sébastien: dancers hop on one foot in rhythm, often in single file, then mime knocking on a door with a fist on the chorus, all with a perfectly straight face. It took off in late September 2026 and spread far beyond France. The AI version on this site takes one viral solo take of the dance and remakes it with the person or pet from your photo as the dancer, move for move; AI results vary from one render to the next.

The Song: "Toc Toc" by Patrick Sébastien, a.k.a. Kicékéla

The sound behind the trend is "Toc Toc" (also written "Toc toc"), released in 2015 by Patrick Sébastien, the French entertainer and host of the TV show "Le Plus Grand Cabaret du monde" (Sud Radio, Presse-citron).

The song is in French. Outside France, people call it "Kicékéla", which spells out how the chorus's French question "qui c'est qui est là ?" sounds to non-French speakers. It means "who's there?", which is exactly what the knocking in the dance acts out (stephanelarue.com, ayther.fr).

Patrick Sébastien already had about 330,000 TikTok followers before the trend, according to Sud Radio.

Where the Toc Toc Dance Came From

• Who made up the moves: the choreography is credited to the French TikTok creator Nooah Prvv (@noah_prvv_), according to Sud Radio (29 September 2026).
• When it took off: late September 2026 on TikTok. The French Gendarmerie nationale posted its own version on 24 September 2026 (stephanelarue.com).
• What the singer said: Patrick Sébastien told Sud Radio he had learned "a week ago" that someone had made a choreography to his 2015 song, and that "it went to Germany, Poland… everywhere! I'm the first one surprised!"
• When the press caught on: French media covered it as a worldwide trend between 12 and 19 October 2026, including Presse-citron, franceinfo and ICI (ayther.fr).

The Reference Videos: Solo, Group and AI Cat

These three TikTok posts show a solo routine, a group version and an AI cat version of the Toc Toc dance. They are the creators' own posts, credited and linked; none was generated on this site.

• The solo take by @castinggastro (posted 29 September 2026): one dancer in a white suit and a platinum wig does the whole routine in a bare white room, in one continuous 11-second shot. It had about 3.5M views on 25 October 2026. This is the take our AI generator follows, with one person or one pet per video.
• The dorm-corridor line by @4thfloorboys (6 October 2026): college students hop and knock in single file down a corridor. Real people, not AI, and about 39.9M views on 25 October 2026.
• The AI cat by @shalunts_art (4 October 2026): an AI-made tabby cat on its hind legs does the routine in a living room, with about 1.6M views on 25 October 2026.

What the Dance Looks Like

In the solo take, the whole routine fits in about 10 seconds:

1. Hop in place on one foot, the other knee lifted, arms loose.
2. Knock twice on an invisible door with your fist beside your face, still hopping: "toc toc".
3. Throw both arms out wide with one leg raised.
4. Turn side-on and skip across the room, kicking one heel back on every beat.
5. Turn back to the camera and spread both arms wide with one knee up for the finish.

The deadpan face is half the joke. In group versions, people do the hops and knocks in single file, one behind the other. Our step-by-step guide breaks down each move with timings.

Why It Caught On

• Anyone can do it. Hopping and knocking need no dance training, so all kinds of people join in, from college students in a dorm corridor to the French Gendarmerie nationale.
• It works as a group. A line of people hopping one behind the other is funnier than one person alone.
• The chorus is a question. "Who's there?" plus a knock on a door is a joke that works in any language, even for people who don't speak French.
• The straight face. Doing something this silly without smiling is what makes the clips so watchable.

Who Has Done It

The trend spread from France to Germany, Poland, the United States, Italy and China (ayther.fr, Presse-citron). The K-pop group TWS, figure skaters and a priest in Poland have all done it, some people dance it dressed as the French cartoon character T'choupi, and AI versions with people and pets are circulating too.

How the AI Version Works

The generator on this site doesn't write a new dance. It copies one take, @castinggastro's solo, and puts the subject of your photo in the dancer's place.

What comes from the original take:

• The bare white room, with the door on the left and the white drawers
• The fixed camera and the timing
• Every move: the hops, the two knocks, the arms-out beat, the side skip and the final pose
• The sound: the same stretch of "Toc Toc" the TikTok trend uses, lined up with the moves

What comes from your photo:

• Who the dancer is: you, a friend who said yes, or your pet
• Their own look, including their clothes
• A pet stays an animal: it stands on its hind legs, hops and taps a paw where the dancer knocks

The background of your photo isn't used. You get a vertical 9:16 MP4 in 720p with no watermark, either 10 seconds (the whole routine) or 6 seconds (the hops, the two knocks, the arms-out beat and about two seconds of the side skip, ending before the turn back and the final pose). AI results vary from one render to the next.

Make Your Own Toc Toc Video

Upload one photo in the generator on the homepage, pick 6 seconds (6 credits) or 10 seconds (13 credits), and download your video or share it to TikTok. Want to learn the moves yourself first? Read how to do the Toc Toc dance. Making one with your pet? See how to make your dog or cat do the Toc Toc dance.

Join the Trend Responsibly

• Use your own photo, your pet's, or a photo of someone who gave you permission. Anyone shown must be 18 or older.
• Don't use photos of celebrities, politicians or other public figures.
• Label your clip as AI-generated when you post it, for example with TikTok's AI-generated label.

Toc Toc Dance FAQ

Who made up the Toc Toc dance?

The choreography is credited to the French TikTok creator Nooah Prvv (@noah_prvv_), according to Sud Radio. The song itself is much older: Patrick Sébastien released "Toc Toc" in 2015.

What language is the Toc Toc song, and what does it mean?

It's in French. Its nickname "Kicékéla" comes from the chorus question "qui c'est qui est là ?", which means "who's there?", and that's why the dance mimes knocking on a door.

Is the Toc Toc dance the same thing as Jean Phil?

No. "Jean Phil" (Jean Philanthrope) is a separate French internet character, probably AI-made, with a blonde bob, a curled moustache and a houndstooth suit, who went viral from 17 September 2026 (Yahoo). Some AI Toc Toc videos dress the dancer in his look, but he didn't start the dance. Our generator keeps the look of the person or pet in your photo.

Is this site official?

No. Toc Toc Dance is an independent fan-made tool. It isn't affiliated with Patrick Sébastien, Nooah Prvv, TikTok, Jean Phil or the creators of the clips shown here.

Which video does the AI copy?

The solo take by @castinggastro, posted on 29 September 2026: one dancer, a bare white room, one continuous shot. Your video follows that room, camera and choreography, with you or your pet as the dancer, though AI results vary from one render to the next.