By Ashe Burr
February 5, 2025
Many of the most popular internet memes have been animals. From Doge the Shiba Inu to more contemporary such as Moo Deng the pygmy hippo, animals — often cute ones — have been snapshots into the cultural zeitgeist of their respective times.
Why do we feel drawn toward these cute animals? One reason might be baby schema, which according to David Barash, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Washington, is the phenomenon of how people are drawn toward infantile traits. Another reason is that cute animals have their own unique personalities that people resonate with. Professor Matthew Grizzard, a communications professor at Ohio State University, stated that we tend to gravitate toward things we relate to, such as Moo Deng’s seemingly-perpetual expression of frustration.
However, as a society we tend to forget about the impacts that the internet has on these animals. The popularity of Shiba Inus online, such as Kabosu (better known as Doge), Balltze (better known as Cheems) and Peanut Butter the speedrunning dog, has seen the breed’s popularity skyrocket. Kabosu was so popular that her hometown near Tokyo installed a statue of the dog. As the memes became more popular so did the breed, which led to Jeri Burnside, co-founder of the Shiba Club of Southern California, to say that the recent spike in popularity triggered “an indiscriminate volume [of] breeding by backyard breeders and puppy mills” to meet the demand for ownership.
This growing popularity is also impacting the internet’s current favorite hippo. There have been reports of visitors at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo throwing objects at Moo Deng. Their goal seems to be provoking her into making the reactions that have made her internet famous.
Despite the negative impacts that humans have had on animal celebrities, there are some positives too. For instance, Moo Deng and Pesto, the giant king penguin chick, are drawing tourists to the regions they reside in.
Our favorite four-legged celebrities are living creatures. Treat the animals with the same respect you would a human, and we can continue to see these animals for decades to come as well.
Ashe Burr is a junior at Michigan State, where they study Professional and Public Writing and Japanese. When they aren’t writing for The Current, they can be found at Impact 89FM, on the field with the Spartan Marching Band or wondering who the next animal celebrity will be.