this post was submitted on 23 May 2024
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[–] kandoh@reddthat.com 9 points 5 months ago

There are a few key reasons why shrimp memes have become so popular recently:

The viral "shrimps is bugs" tattoo post on Reddit sparked a huge meme trend. In May 2023, a Reddit user posted asking for advice on covering up his poorly spelled "shrimps is bugs" tattoo, which went massively viral and spawned countless memes and even a dedicated subreddit.[1][2][3] People found the misspelling and absurdity of the tattoo hilarious, leading to an explosion of shrimp-themed jokes and memes.

The niche Instagram meme account @207poundsofshrimp gained a cult following. This account solely posts bizarre, random shrimp memes and jokes, capturing the internet's love of weird, hyper-specific humor.[1] Its popularity helped drive the shrimp meme phenomenon.

Shrimp's status as a beloved but somewhat random food makes it ripe for meme-ing. The juxtaposition of the humble shrimp with outlandish meme formats and jokes resonates with many as an amusing form of anti-humor.[1][5] Shrimp's popularity in chain restaurants like Red Lobster also contributes to its meme-ability.[1][5]

So in summary, the perfect storm of a viral tattoo fail, a dedicated shrimp meme account, and shrimp's inherent meme potential as a food all converged to create the recent shrimp meme craze across social media.[1][2][3][5]

Citations: [1] Happiness Is This Niche Shrimp Meme Account | Bon Appétit https://www.bonappetit.com/story/shrimp-memes-207poundsofshrimp-instagram [2] Shrimps Is Bugs | Know Your Meme https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/shrimps-is-bugs [3] Our very own “Shrimps is Bugs” has made it to 'know your meme ... https://www.reddit.com/r/TattooDesigns/comments/13mjdbp/our_very_own_shrimps_is_bugs_has_made_it_to_know/ [4] r/shrimpmemes - Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/shrimpmemes/ [5] What's the Deal With All the Shrimp Memes? - Food & Wine https://www.foodandwine.com/shrimp-memes-explained-8580471