The Weekly Meme Roundup: A Debate, A PS5 Pro and a Hippo

Know Your Meme is sending me to Thailand to interview a baby hippo tomorrow, so the Weekly Meme Roundup is coming a day early this week.

However, that doesn't mean there isn't a full week's worth of memey content to cover – heck there was a full week's worth of memes crammed into two hours Tuesday night – so let's dive in and get to it.

The Harris-Trump Presidential Debate

This entire article could focus solely on things former President Donald Trump said at his first debate against Vice President Kamala Harris because he said a lot of wacky things that instantly became memes.

"Highlights" include Trump repeating an unfounded hoax that Haitian immigrants are eating people's pets in Ohio by shouting "THEY'RE EATING THE DOGS!," Trump claiming that Harris wants to perform "transgender operations on illegal aliens in prison" and saying he has the "concept of a plan" when it comes to adjusting United States health care policy.

All of these could be expanded upon to fill their own list, but there were, in fact, other things that happened this week, so we've decided to just lump the craziness that was the debate into one category. If you'd like to see more of the debate memes in further detail, you can check them out here.

Examples

PS5 Pro

Moving away from the world of U.S. politics and into the world of video games, we look at the PS5 Pro, a $700 upgraded version of the PlayStation 5 console that's major selling point appears to be "make the distant crowds in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart look slightly clearer.

That's an exaggeration, but only a slight one. Sony's announcement of a souped-up PS5 had many gamers flabbergasted and scoffing at the expensive price, as what is promised by the console's hardware (plus Sony's general lack of software) hardly seemed to justify dropping an additional $700, particularly for gamers who already own a PS5. This has led to a weeklong drubbing of Sony, as gamers just don't see the value in a PS5 Pro.

Examples

Moo-Deng The Baby Hippo

It's been some time since the internet got to fawn over a baby animal, but finally, we got a real winner in Moo-Deng, a baby pygmy hippo born in a Thailand zoo in July.

This perfect creature went viral thanks to a photo in which it was sprayed with water and apparently didn't like it too much, leading to a fan art frenzy across numerous sites and platforms recently.

Examples

My New Character

The internet loves a new character, and @PhillipBankss' "new character," a chill low-key guy depicted as a brown anthropomorphic dog who doesn't give a toot, got a resurgence on TikTok in recent days after first appearing in 2023.

@xssume rm: @James || yes i know the flare went over the leaf no i will not be reexporting because it took 30 minutes || #fyp #fypツ #foryou #xssume #edit #trend #mynewcharacter ♬ original sound – xssume

The character has been the subject of myriad ironic and sincere edits, as it seems TikTok can't get enough of this chill, low-key dog. Since garnering attention, there's even been a notable spinoff meme in the form of the counterpart "My Old Character."

Examples

@abnormalpenguin2 my new character lowkey has some lore #mynewcharacter #foryoupage #foryou #comedy #fyp #meme #hopecore #inspirational ♬ lowkey chill audio – abnormal penguin🐧

@lordwolfgng @a ☆ #chillguy #unchillgal #mynewcharacter #newcharater #cosplayer #cosplay #meme #silly ♬ lowkey chill audio – abnormal penguin🐧

@zoxwoxington My new Character. (Creds @abnormal penguin🐧) #fyp #fypツ #MyNewCharacter #edit #hopecore #trend ♬ original sound – zoxwoxington

@usergoofball #mynewcharacter #nonchalant #brainrot ♬ original sound – goof angel

Nikocado Avocado Weight Loss / Two Steps Ahead

Finally, we have Nikocado Avocado's Weight Loss. For those unaware of the history of Nikocado Avocado, he used to be an obese YouTuber known for mukbangs and breakdowns on camera, but recently, he revealed that for the past two years, videos uploaded to his channel were recorded years ago and he spent that time losing weight.

This led to a shocking reveal, dramatically told by Avocado in which he claimed to be a mastermind always "two steps ahead" and that the whole thing was a "social experiment."

The weight loss has shocked his fanbase, but it's also been well-received by many, as even his followers have expressed worry for his health during his "absence" from the public eye. Memes were made celebrating Avocado, as well as some poking fun at his new look or monologue.

Examples

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We'll be back next Friday with another edition of our Weekly Meme Roundup series, so stay tuned!