5 things you might not know about the Game Grumps' Dan Avidan

Dan Avidan is the "Not so Grump" of the YouTube Let's Play series Game Grumps. The actor, singer, and comedian has been part of the group for over ten years now, becoming one of the most beloved figures on YouTube. After a decade of episodes, plenty of tidbits have been revealed about Avidan's life.

Here are 5 facts you might not know about Game Grumps' Dan Avidan.

1. Dan Avidan's early bands

Avidan is known for his musical talents. He is the frontman of Ninja Sex Party with his friend Brian Wecht, the co-creator of Starbomb with Game Grumps' Arin Hanson, a guest vocalist for TWRP and Night Runner, and started a new rock band in 2021 with Jim Roach called Shadow Academy. These weren't his first bands, though. Before joining the Game Grumps, Avidan was part of the Philadelphia-based group The Northern Hues and then the Brooklyn group Skyhill. However, his very first band was called Vacuum because, in Avidan's words, they sucked.

2. Dan's favorite game

It's well known among Game Grumps fans that Avidan's favorite video game is the NES' The Legend of Zelda. However, did you know it also scared him? Avidan had a fear of skeletons in any video game growing up, which included the Stalfos in the Zelda series. He did, however, like the skeletons in the game Castle of Dragon because they looked like "pipe-cleaners."

3. Danny Sexbang's full name

Dan Avidan's on-stage name for Ninja Sex Party and Starbomb is "Danny Sexbang." He revealed in a GrumpOut Q&A that his persona's full name is "Daniel Y. Sexbang," where the "Y." stands for "You." Earlier names he considered for his on-stage alter ego were "Danny Sweetnuts" and "Star-Spangled Banger."

4. Not the "Not so Grump" right away

While known as the co-host of Game Grumps now, Avidan wasn't the "Not so Grump" right away. He'd met his future co-host prior, with Hanson providing animation for the Ninja Sex Party song "Dinosaur Laser Fight." Originally, Avidan was to join Ross O'Donovan as the second conductor of their spinoff series Steam Train. However, with the departure of the first co-host JonTron, Avidan was welcomed by Hanson to join him as the new host.

Bonus fun fact: The first time Avidan was mentioned on the Game Grumps YouTube channel before joining the group was during the fourth episode of their Banjo Kazooie playthrough.

5. His grandfather saved millions of lives

While Avidan entertains millions of fans, his grandfather has helped save millions of lives. In a "Before the Grumps" interview, Dan discusses that his grandfather was Bernard Schwartz, who filed a patent with Richard M. Berman in 1961 for the body electrode. This device is critical for medical surgeries to help doctors track heart and brain activity and has other uses, like creating an electrocardiogram.

You can find Dan Avidan's work with the Game Grumps on their YouTube channel and hear his musical work on your favorite streaming service.