How Tumblr User 'Sabertoothwalrus' Got Hashtag 'Mole Interest' Trending Over '9/11' On September 11th, 2023

Every year on September 11th, the world and, of course, the internet, comes together to remember the tragedy that was the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. While this is obviously a sensitive time for many, it has also become a popular source of memes over the past two decades. That’s just how the meme landscape goes. In any given space where you might find someone mourning the lives lost on that tragic day, you’re likely to find someone else joking about jet fuel and steel beams. People love to makes jokes out of the darkest of topics online, whether to troll, offend or help themselves and others cope in a dark time.

This year on September 11th, Tumblr users took things in a strange direction after one user managed to inspire an army of users to get the hashtag "#mole interest" trending above the hashtag “#911” on the day of the tragedy by sharing countless memes featuring adorable little moles. The hashtag began as a way to test Tumblr’s trending tags system, but quickly became a smash hit, earning a spot in the Tumblr history books.

We spoke with Sabertoothwalrus, the user behind the meme campaign, to learn more about the hashtag.

Q: The "Mole Interest" meme was essentially designed as a way to test Tumblr's "trending tags" system. When did you get the idea to try this, and what is it that you were trying to test exactly?

Sabertoothwalrus: I was sitting at the kitchen counter procrastinating on putting my dishes away when the thought came to me. I’d SEEN tags end up on the trending page when it seemed like only one new post had been made recently and wanted to test if that really happened. I very quickly realized that everyone reblogging it and tagging it “mole interest” wasn’t going to do anything since reblogs don’t count and that every tag I’d seen this happen to was large and established. As soon as I saw other posts in the “mole interest” tag I started reblogging them because at that point I was determined to get the tag trending no matter what.

Q: You used a random word generator to come up with the “mole interest” tag. Were the randomly generated words "mole interest" the first two words you generated? Or were there others before "mole interest" came up?

A: “Mole interest” was actually maybe the 5th or 6th option. I swear to god there was one a couple clicks before that had “hole” in it (or something with equal potential to be suggestive) but I closed the tab on accident. I really wish I could remember what the other word was because I just know tumblr would’ve had a field day with that one.

Q: Were you worried that the words "mole interest" wouldn't garner enough interest, or did the two words immediately seem meme-able to you? What is it about the two words that you think worked?

A: In general, I think things are more likely to go viral the less specific they are. I always had more fun playing “Apples to Apples Jr.” than the regular version because it doesn’t have the pop culture references that can leave people feeling excluded. I loved the word “interest,” because, like, what does that even mean? It could mean anything.

Personally, I love science and biology! One of my hobbies is documenting animals and bugs I see to the app iNaturalist, so I really liked the excuse to learn mole facts.

Q: Why do you think it is that "mole interest" became so popular so fast? Do you think it would have been as popular if it were two other words that, say, didn't include an animal?

A: Tumblr loves memes about animals. Horse Plinko. Crab Rave. Those cow poems. Neil Banging Out The Tunes. Cats, in general. Those weird little white dogs with the eye stains. Crave That Mineral. And so on. Moles had not been addressed by the general tumblr populace and maybe that helped. We were starting fresh. Moles fit perfectly within that venn diagram of “cute” and “weird,” which definitely aided its success.

Q: When did you first notice the tag and memes taking off? Were you surprised by the reaction?

A: I think I made the post around 10:30pm PST and went to bed a few hours later and at that point there were maybe 5-ish people dedicated to posting in the tag. Nothing happened until I woke up the next morning around 7:30am, and at that point it started picking up quickly. It first made it on the trending page three hours later and I think it finally made it to #1 as I was walking to my 1:00pm class.

Q: Did the meme prove your original hypothesis about Tumblr's trending tag system?

A: No. But now that “mole interest” is a large, established tag, maybe now it’ll only take one post to get it trending again.

Q: You suggested you wanted to pass the 9/11 tag on 9/11 in a post about mole interest and did. Did you ever expect it to actually pass the tag?

A: Tumblr also loves memes about 9/11 and doing things for the bit. I knew if I could get the tag to trend at all, it’d surpass 9/11.

Q: What was your reaction like when it did?

A: I laughed!! It’s so silly. Tumblr is so silly. I love how predictable the website can be and that made the whole thing even better.

Q: Have you gotten any backlash for passing the 9/11 tag on that date, maybe from people finding it disrespectful, or is everyone so far able to see the humor behind it?

A: I think the smartest thing I’ve ever done in my life was close my askbox before I went to bed and didn’t reopen it until several days later. If I got backlash, I didn’t see it at all.

Q: Is this your first viral moment on Tumblr? If not, what are some other notable ones?

A: Absolutely not. I think my most popular post is about Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle wanting to get pegged.I’m fairly known for creating an Adventure Time OC named Nico the Catboy and somehow unintentionally convinced a bunch of people he was a real character. Plus I’ve had a few other random posts get big. One was an audio clip I’d made about someone’s clown roommate having clown relations in the next room over (it was entirely cartoon sound effects). In 2021, I’d made a post about how it’d be funny if Tumblr added polls and then they did and it was funny.

Q: People continued to make "mole interest" memes days later. How long do you think the meme will go? Do you hope it will be remembered among other popular Tumblr memes?

A: “Mole interest” is fun to say and a large portion of Tumblr is neurodivergent and likes to vocal stim. So I would say a while. I definitely never aspired to make a lasting Tumblr meme (it’s like the most worthless clout imaginable) but I also feel like I put in the time, y’know? I’ve had my account since 2012. I’m just cashing in my tokens.

Q: Thanks so much for talking with us! Anything you want to promote? Where can we follow you or support you?

A: Just keep an eye out for projects I’ll be working on in the future. I’m working on my short film this semester which should hopefully be done this winter! I also have an animated show pitch I may start making a proof-of-concept for, so that might hit the internet in the next year or two. I (clearly) use tumblr more than anything else so follow me there at sabertoothwalrus.tumblr.com.

A big thanks to Sabertoothwalrus for speaking with us. You can follow her on Tumblr.