Synopsis

Inside a brightly lit toy store, each member of *NSYNC appears as a plastic doll sealed in a display box. They break free and compete with toy soldiers and other dolls for the attention of a shopper. After several comic setbacks, the group spots the woman again and performs a synchronized routine on the shelves. She finally buys them, triggering a transformation from miniature figures into life-sized versions of the band. The toy-store action is intercut with shots of the real *NSYNC performing in a stylized, strobe-lit set.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed from April 26 to 28, 2000, at Los Angeles Center Studios, with additional footage shot at Play Co. Toys in Canyon Country, California.

• The toy-store set was modeled on Play Co. Toys. Multiple shelves were built to make the store appear much larger and more repetitive than the actual location.

• The concept extended the puppet imagery associated with the band's album No Strings Attached, turning the group into boxed action figures instead of marionettes.

• The woman shopping in the video is Kim Smith, who also appeared in the group's Bye Bye Bye video. Her return created a visual link between the two clips.

• The production used relatively limited CGI. The filmmakers emphasized practical sets, makeup, props, and physical toy-store effects in order to preserve an authentic miniature-world appearance.

• The video premiered on MTV's Making the Video on May 21, 2000, and appeared on Total Request Live two days later.

• It won Best Makeup in a Music Video at the 2001 MVPA Music Video Awards. The makeup work was credited to Screaming Mad George and Elan Bongiorno.

• The video's most enduring afterlife came from Justin Timberlake's pronunciation of "me," which many listeners hear as "May." The resulting "It's Gonna Be May" meme returns across social media each spring.

• The concept was later parodied in Fall Out Boy's 2016 video for "Irresistible," featuring Demi Lovato.