Hyves is back: scribbles, glitter images and the dancing banana make a comeback

And yes, of course we have to talk about the dancing banana. Anyone who experienced Hyves knows exactly what this is about. Glitter images, animated pictures, GIFs and profile pages that were sometimes so full that your browser could barely handle them. Hyves was not just a social network; for an entire generation, it was a fixed part of daily internet life.

And now, after nearly thirteen years of absence as a social network, Hyves is back.

On 22 September 2026, exactly 22 years after the original platform was founded, owner Mediahuis relaunched the social network.

The comeback comes at a time when social media look completely different from when Hyves disappeared as a social network in 2013. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube have since taken over a large part of digital social life. Yet that very development appears to be an important reason why the old name has become interesting again.

Not simply the old Hyves

Hyves is not simply being taken from an old hard drive and switched back on in 2026. The platform has been completely redeveloped and given a modern technical foundation. Mediahuis is working with technology company Apadmi, which built the app and website.

At the same time, several recognisable elements from the original Hyves are returning.

And so users can once again leave scraps.

Glitter images, GIFs and the famous dancing banana are also back.

That may sound somewhat old-fashioned at a time when users have become accustomed to short videos, stories, livestreams, influencers and algorithms that try to determine within seconds what someone wants to see. But that is precisely where the revamped Hyves is trying to distinguish itself.

The platform wants to return to the social aspect of social media.

Fewer algorithms, more friends

Many contemporary platforms revolve strongly around reach. Who has the most followers? Which video gets a million views? Who appears on the For You Page? How do you get more likes? And how do you ensure that users watch one more video before finally putting down their phone?

Hyves is deliberately taking a different approach.

According to Mediahuis, the revamped platform should mainly revolve around contact with people users actually know. The company says it has deliberately chosen not to offer an endless scroll and algorithms that continuously serve up new content.

That does not mean, however, that Hyves in 2026 is exactly the same as it was in 2006. The new version must meet the expectations of modern internet users, be able to grow technically and be further developed in the coming period.

Nostalgia, however, remains an important component.

Scraps are returning. Glitter images are once again getting a place. GIFs are part of it. And, of course, the dancing banana is back too.

It is a bit like someone opening an old box in the attic after twenty years and asking: “Do you remember?”

But are people still waiting for Hyves?

The big question, of course, is: do people in 2026 still want a social network like Hyves?

Nostalgia can make people curious and prompt them to create an account. But that does not automatically mean they will stay.

Facebook has an enormous user base and has become deeply intertwined with groups, events, businesses and family contacts. Instagram is heavily focused on photos, Reels, influencers and lifestyle. TikTok has changed the social media behaviour of millions of users with short, quickly consumed videos. YouTube has meanwhile grown into a complete media landscape in its own right.

Against that stands a revamped Hyves that cannot make do with the message: “We are back.”

The platform will have to give users a reason to open yet another social network alongside Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and other platforms.

That may well be the greatest challenge.

A platform can function excellently from a technical standpoint, but a social network is ultimately determined by the people on it. If friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances remain on other platforms, it will be difficult to convince users to open Hyves every day as well.

Nostalgia as the strongest weapon

On the other hand, Hyves has one advantage that virtually no new social network can buy: memories.

For people who experienced the old Hyves, the name alone evokes images of a different internet era. A time when social media felt less professional. Your profile did not have to be perfect. You did not have to be a content creator and you were not constantly concerned with reach, followers and statistics.

You could simply leave a scrap.

Perhaps that is exactly the gap the revamped Hyves is trying to fill.

Not necessarily competing with TikTok to produce the next viral video or with Instagram to show the most beautiful photos, but offering an alternative for users who have had enough of the constant stream of content.

Mediahuis says it has also researched that need. According to the company, a Newcom survey of more than 2,000 Dutch people in April 2026 found that nearly 60 percent of respondents would probably or certainly try Hyves. Reasons mentioned included nostalgia, personal contact, fewer algorithms, clarity and simplicity.

Can Hyves also convince young people?

The comeback is therefore more than just a technological experiment. It is also an experiment with nostalgia.

Can a brand that was once embraced by an entire generation become relevant again to that same generation while also appealing to young people who know Hyves only from stories told by their parents?

The latter may well become the most interesting test.

Because for someone in their thirties, forties or fifties, a dancing banana can be pure nostalgia.

For a teenager today, it is simply…

a dancing banana.

Still, Hyves does not necessarily have to defeat Facebook, Instagram or TikTok in order to have a right to exist. If the platform manages to build its own community and gives users a reason to return regularly, it can carve out a place alongside existing social networks.

The coming period will have to show whether Hyves truly gets a second life or remains mainly a nostalgic flashback.

But one thing is already certain: after nearly thirteen years, the name is once again being heard as a social network on the internet.

Hyves is back.

And somewhere, someone is probably already ready to post a scrap again after all these years.

And of course…

a dancing banana. 🍌