Old Memes Have Infiltrated TikTok

Old memes aren’t dead, they’re just on TikTok.

Though TikTok is mostly known for its viral dance challenges like Renegade or Savage, there’s another corner of the platform where TikTokers are paying homage to the memes of the past, whether they’re aware of it or not. From the remixes of early YouTube to cringey bait-and-switch songs, no old meme is safe from the new platform.

"Shooting Stars"

The chill 2008 synthwave song Shooting Stars by Australian electronic duo Bag Raiders spawned a series of remix videos soon after it’s release. In most of the videos, the song was a soundtrack to various falling objects and beings. Not much has changed after the song was passed over to TikTok, though many are just using the sound to emphasize their punchlines.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6797532249186192645

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6759864515724070150

"Chacarron Macarron"

If you were on YTMND back in 2005, you most definitely heard this infamous clip from the song "Chacarron Macarron" by Panamanian artists El Chombo and Andy Val Gourmet. Yes, the one with the incoherent gibberish chorus. While previously paired with GIFs and clips of people dancing, the song has been adopted by TikTokers to annoy or distract their loved ones or as a soundtrack paired with footage of their irrational behavior.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6811237793554074885

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6813848150512618758

Harlem Shake

Back in 2012, the Harlem Shake dance trend stirred up relatively calm rooms with its spastic and iconic heavy bass track. TikTokers appreciate this just about more than anyone and have recently featured the song in 2012 appreciation videos.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6804593281993805062

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6801237232058518789

Interior Crocodile Alligator

TikTokers love the 2007 freestyle rap Interior Crocodile Alligator by Cleveland rapper Chip tha Ripper. Though the song was used back in the day as an internet bait-and-switch prank, it is now lip-synced by TikTok celebs like Addison Rae and used in videos where TikTokers are strutting on the way to do something irresponsible or childish.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6812341544129940742

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6815960372416154886

Cooking by the Book

The Icelandic children's show LazyTown has blessed us with numerous memes over the years not to mention the catchy bop Cooking by the Book. The song’s eerie and odd sound caught the attention of many memers online, especially after the release of an infamous Lil Jon music video mashup. This song has strayed far, far away from its origin and it's now used in a Snapchat conversation meme on TikTok. TikTokers like David Dobrik have participated in the recent trend, boosting its popularity on the platform.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6823828700270841093

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6822720093814820102

Misheard Lyrics

Various animations and slideshows of transcribed misheard lyrics have been widely shared online since the early 2000s. Videos of this sort are still going strong on TikTok, where they typically feature footage of live editing on Photoshop to illustrate the lyrics they misheard.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6800436542222470405

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6815982958533463301

The Hampster Dance

The single-serving site Hampster Dance, featuring rows of animated cartoon hamsters set to a sped-up sample of the song "Whistle Stop" by Roger Miller, has long been an iconic part of early internet meme history. This song was incredibly popular in the 90s and early 2000s and has evolved to become the soundtrack of many cutesy animal videos on TikTok.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6754982493293661445

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6801201722707463429

That’s Why I Love Nestle Crunch

In the 1980s, Nestle released a wholesome commercial of a child singing That's Why I Love Nestle Crunch. Little did Nestle know that their jingle would turn into the soundtrack for many wipe-out or disturbing surprise-ending videos on Vine in 2016. TikTokers scooped up that same trend and continue to make their own surprise videos today.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6769304409630395654

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6795521486695320838

I’m a Snake

Back in 2010, one brave man uploaded a video of himself wearing a snake hat while repeatedly declaring that he was "a slithery little sneaky snake" on YouTube. After going viral, he appeared on TV shows like Tosh.0, and now the sound of his voice can be heard in videos of snakes or imitations of snakes on TikTok.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6813780173805128965

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6731812336627109125

Go Demarcus

In 2008, a young man by the name of Demarcus uploaded an amateur music video of himself singing to a young girl on a playground. His crooning echoed in parody videos on YouTube over the next few years. On TikTok, Go Demarcus parodies became a pretty big trend in 2019 and is still used in many lip-sync videos to this day.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6643535301534813445

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6642487182370016517

"Stereo Love" Remixes

The 2009 Romanian dance hit "Stereo Love" by Edward Maya and Vika Jugliana has reached nearly every corner of the internet through remixes. These days, TikTokers are using a remixed version of the song in Deep Fried Conversation videos in which users act out cliché situational conversations with intermittent stills of themselves deep fried.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6681286027740450054

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6735123830877998342

Foar Everywun From Boxxy

Boxxy is back in a big way on TikTok thanks to popular cosplayer BonbiBonkers. This early YouTuber became notorious on 4chan in 2009 for acting out cutesy and cringey characters. Today, cosplayers on TikTok can’t get enough of a sound clip from her early video titled “FOAR EVERYWUN FROM BOXXY."

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6733248864112938246

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6819479640596352262

Oopsie Whoopsie

The parody 404 website error message Oopsie Woopsie made its way on to TikTok in the form of a series of lip dub videos which also starred viral cosplayer BonbiBonkers. This meme, originating on Twitter in 2018, is a mock website error message used to satirize websites that display cutesy, custom error page screens rather than a simple error code. The piercing uWu copypasta can now be heard far and wide across the platform.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6801973958360009990

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6796128908392549637

Loss

The iconic comic strip that everyone loves to mock is not lost on TikTokers. In 2008, the webcomic series Ctrl+Alt+Del introduced the internet to "Loss" in which the female lead suffers a miscarriage. TikTokers are doing their part to keep this meme alive by referencing the comic in its full or minimalist form.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6691819010872315141

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6718920097848741125