The early 2000s anime series Kirby: Right Back At Ya is getting some love right now as a new meme based on one of its most iconic scenes takes over social media.

The meme is based on a scene in which the character King Dedede says, "Hot dog, taco, hamburger," and social media users have taken this phrase and turned it into an increasingly viral slang term.

So what exactly is the context behind the scene, where does the meme come from and what does it mean? Here's what you need to know.

What Is The 'Hot Dog, Taco, Hamburger' Meme?

In December 2003, the 59th episode of the anime series Kirby: Right Back At Ya, based on the Kirby video game series, aired in North America. In the episode, King Dedede holds a cooking competition after getting tired of his castle's menu selection, which consists of hot dogs, tacos and hamburgers.

In one scene, he combs through the menu, repeating, "hot dog, taco, hamburger," before complaining to his minion, Escargoon, about the limited options. This scene was first used as a meme in 2023 on the /r/whenthe subreddit, where it was used in a joke about what non-Americans might think an American restaurant menu looks like.

How Is 'Hot Dog, Taco, Hamburger' Used In Memes?

The scene was popularized as a meme in March 2025, after TikToker @vokieo posted a captioned version of it as a way to criticize the anime series Solo Leveling as being repetitive and bloated but enjoyable nonetheless for its vibes.

This meme went viral after it was reposted to X, inspiring one user to repost it, writing, "can we start saying hot dog taco hamburger instead of hype moments and aura?"

From there, the meme only continued to grow in popularity as users began using the phrase "hot dog, taco, hamburger" to describe similar instances of things that are good for their hype moments and aura, but weak in other ways.

@powwa22222 album sofawkingahh 💔💔💔🥀🥀| #carti #iammusic #hotdogtacohamburger #fyp ♬ original sound – thetuyufan

@sap1entt I just realized #hotdog #taco #hamburger #kirby #anime #fyp #fypシ #meme ♬ NO SOUND – Sok Baraby

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For the full history of Hot Dog, Taco, Hamburger, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.