Cute animals doing funny things have always ruled the internet—some initial viral hits, like “Keyboard Cat” and “Sneezing Baby Panda,” were instantly meme-ified.
Fast forward to today, and the internet’s love affair with cute little animals is stronger than ever. Nowadays, social media is awash with animal celebrities, from Moo Deng, the sassy dwarf hippo who somehow expresses every emotion, to Pesto the Penguin, a hulking boy with a figure that melts Hearts everywhere.
Why we all fell in love with a little hippo named Moo Deng
At a time when people might be looking for a little joy and diversion in the real world, these viral feelings provide the perfect escape. And memes – they gave us a lot of memes.
So Mashable has rounded up some of the most popular animals on the internet right now that are sure to make you smile.
Moo Deng
On July 10, 2024, a hot new bombshell walked into the villa of Internet celebrity animal characters, Little Miss Moo Deng was born. The feisty baby pygmy hippopotamus has been known to wreak havoc in the enclosure at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand, biting zookeepers and throwing tantrums. (She’s a Cancer – she’s very emotional.) Still, she’s so cute. Who can resist the childlike antics of a lively baby hippo? There seemed to be no one. she was inspired countless work of fan Art, her own product line, TikTok Beauty Trendsand one saturday night live sketch. She was so popular that a Thai zoo launched one 24 hours live broadcast With its pygmy hippo enclosure, you can keep up with Moo Deng from anywhere in the world. She is carefree, nourished, on her own path, focused, and thriving. This is true It-girl behavior. — crystal bellcultural editor
Popular stories that can be mixed and matched
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Lyss, also known as @lyssielooloo on TikTok and Instagram, is an influencer from Orange County who posts daily content about her life and looks like a young Jennifer Garner. 13 ongoing30and of course her perfect cat Juni. There’s a lot to love about Juni. First of all, Junie is a ragdoll cat, so it’s no surprise that he is so calm and grumpy, but what? yes Surprisingly, whenever she held him, he immediately fell asleep. — Christina Silvasenior cultural reporter
mole
Have you ever seen a baby sloth? you know they are this Cute? I didn’t realize this until I met Molé, an orphaned baby sloth, during my five-year program. this video Posted by creator Kyle Thomas while volunteering Kids save the rainforest At Manuel Antonio’s rehabilitation center in Costa Rica, he will take little Molai into the jungle, supplement vitamin D every day, and enrich his behavior by climbing trees. With his sleepy eyes and upside-down smile, little Morley embodies the essence of relaxation goals, right down to the stuffed teddy bear he cuddles for comfort. forget girl rot;I want to be a sloth. — CB
Penguin Pesto
It’s hard to feel depressed looking at the absolute individuality of a penguin. The Pesto Penguin – a giant little king penguin at Melbourne’s Sea Life Aquarium – is the perfect brain bleacher. You don’t need to know anything except that this big boy weighed 50 pounds at nine months old, and he still has dark, fluffy feathers, while most king penguins weigh about 30 pounds when fully grown. He’s cute, taller than his years, and it’s fun to watch him waddle around. — Tim MasingDeputy Culture Editor
Hua Hua
Huahua is the princess of the Chinese people…or at least the darling of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Huahua, a chubby giant panda beloved for her sweet demeanor and rice ball-like figure, spends her days toddling around with her sister He Ye, gnawing on bamboo poles, and spending time with her caretaker Tan Jintao (affectionately known as ” Grandpa”) play. Tan”). In addition to being very dignified and attentive, Huahua also has a unique appearance that makes her stand out, as developmental delays make her smaller and frailer than her other panda friends. This only makes people like her even more. In China On the social media platform Weibo, the hashtag “花花” has accumulated billions of engagements. She even reached celebrity status. — CB
Simon Sitz (played by Isabel Klee)
The TikTok account SimonSits is named after Isabell Klee’s good dog Simon, who is very cute and well-behaved. But a major draw of Klee’s narrative is actually the foster pups she often took in and helped get adopted. The internet (and myself) have fallen in love with the likes of her caregivers King, Poutine, and Aruba. Klee often takes in puppies who are going through hardships or have medical needs and works to show people how wonderful they can be. Really nice to see. — TM
cookie
I respect a savvy marketing team. With the internet awash with Moo Deng memes and Pesto the Penguin edits, the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society saw an opportunity to raise awareness of its marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation efforts and jumped at it. Biscuit is a quirky baby seal with big, round eyes who was rescued by August after he was separated from his mother. VAMMR wrote in a TikTok that has been viewed more than 14 million times: “This is a public service announcement – Cookie wants to be added to your list of favorite critters!” Pray and you will receive. Don’t forget – cookies can also serve as a symbolic gesture of adoption. — CB
bonus: we live in time horse
Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield had a rough time in A24 we live in time. This is a devastating romantic story about a couple facing terminal cancer. But it wasn’t Pugh and Garfield who caused an internet storm when Film Crave released the first look images from the movie — the stance was ugly carousel. He is ugly. He was their third. As Stephen Colbert said, he “made a mistake on ketamine.” He stole the limelight and our hearts. If we rank The pop culture horse of 2024, not 2022he will definitely enter the final promotion. — CS
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