Who Is 'Anderdingus' And Why Is He A Meme On TikTok? The Viral 'Candy Salad' Video Explained

TikTokers are in disbelief after seeing a viral video in which a kindergartener seemingly named Anderdingus pours some Sour Patch candies into a candy salad bowl. Despite being deleted, the video has inspired a pile-up of memes and edits since it was uploaded, many simultaneously celebrating young Anderdingus and poking fun at what his name. But is that even his name? Here's what you need to know.

@thebasicbookworm i love him #fyp #foryou #trend #anderdingus ♬ original sound – Tara Elizabeth

Who Is 'Anderdingus' And Why Is He A Meme?

On May 11th, 2024, a kindergarten teacher uploaded a video to TikTok of her students taking part in the candy salad trend. The trend has people make a "candy salad" by having multiple participants, often children or members of a specific community or group, approach a large bowl, state their name and their addition to the salad, then pour their candy into the bowl.

At one point in this now-deleted video, a child approaches the bowl with Sour Patch watermelons and strawberries. Before he pours them in he says his name in a way that sounds like "Anderdingus." In reality, his first name is actually "Zander," but the way he says it slurs the first name together with the second name, making it sound like "Anderdingus." The video went viral, purportedly gaining over 3 million views before it was removed by the uploader.

@evangothitbyatrain #fyp #anderdingus ♬ original sound – Evan C

How Is 'Anderdingus' Used In Memes?

The video became the subject of reactions and memes over the following days, with many poking fun at what they believed to be his name. With that came a lot of stylistic video edits and memes using footage of Zander, with many heaping praise and appreciation on the child. However, some viewers of the video were purportedly not too pleasant, leading to its deletion.

A few days into the video's virality, the original uploader, a kindergarten teacher, posted a video explaining that she deleted it due to hateful commenters. She claims that some people began contacting her school, wondering if she had permission to upload the video of the children online, which she insists she did.

@kurisuxo Really takes me back…he was a great man #anderdingus #ander #dingus #meme #fypシ゚viral ♬ moments – Teesa

@madeline.kendall.art anderdingus my beloved 🫶 I dont inow why the clips in the middle have a little strobe effect 😩 #art #artist #anderdingus #drawing #fyp #sketch #sketchbook #fypage ♬ not a lot, just forever – Adrianne Lenker

@tara_3lizbeth Why yall so negative? #kindergarten #teacher #CandySalad #viralcandysalad ♬ original sound – Tara Elizabeth

@lahkeii #stitch with @Tara Elizabeth ♬ original sound – lahkeii

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