Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippo from Thailand, is now the official Top Meme of 2024 by X (formerly Twitter). The hippo received an astonishing 7.7 million posts featuring her chubby-cheeked and distinctive antics. By 2024, no TikTok trend or an Instagram feed was complete without Moo Deng.
Now that Moo Deng is the it-girl of memes, the internet is going feral. She’s trending with captions like: “Every empire has its crown, and Moo Deng wears it for 𝕏.”
A user shared the famous Pablo Escobar meme, stating:
"Did I at least make the runner-up? 🤔"
A user mentioned: "And there goes the price of $moodeng."
A user humorously said: "Zuck with eyebrows had to be close."
The only individual who doesn't care about this list is the Chill Guy.
Who is Moo Deng?
First things first—who’s the star of the show? Moo Deng was born on July 10, 2024, in the Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Chonburi Province, Thailand. Her name translates to “bouncy pork.” Can you imagine a better name for a chubby, cheerful pygmy hippo?
Ever since Moo Deng waddled into this world, she ascertained the aura of the main character. The internet cooed over her baby fat rolls, side-eyes, and those famous meme-worthy situations that seemed to request captions.
It began with basic posts – pictures of Moo Deng eating watermelons, swimming, or just relaxing. It was like the entire internet collectively decided that this baby hippo is the serotonin we need.
What made Moo Deng stand out from your average meme template was creativity. Internet users turned her into everything from a superhero (“Moo-perwoman”) to a relatable icon (“When you accidentally open the front camera but still slay”).
Moo Deng’s breakthrough
One fine day, Moo Deng found herself at the center of a quirky U.S. election prediction stunt. She had to pick between two watermelons—one repping Donald Trump and the other Kamala Harris.
Moo Deng waddled over, took one look, and dived right into the Trump melon. The internet absolutely lost it, and, suddenly Moo Deng was a secret political analyst.
Trending
The incident was peak 2024 social media. Moo Deng is, at one moment, a sympathetic hippo who is adorably looking; in the next moment, inciting people to political and meme warfare over polarizing issues such as animal rights. Like, how did we get here?
When the case got tough, this particular celebrity was well backed up by the fans. People became immediately captivated by the hashtag #ProtectMooDeng and began to fill their feeds with wholesome memes, funny artwork, and love.
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