About

Skeleton Running Past 👀, also known as Carl the Skeleton, refers to a series of video edit memes centered on an exploitable video element of a green screen skeleton running across the screen and startling the video's subjects, who are given the Eyes Emoji, 👀, to show their terrified shock. The question, "Did you see that?" was also a common video caption. The skeleton was named Carl by the meme's original creator, Instagram user @ananas_.nasdas, in late 2025, who was inspired by the precursor Let's Take a Look 👀 and Noticing 👀 memes. Skeleton Running Past 👀 memes spread to TikTok soon after.

Origin

On October 29th, 2025, Instagram^[1] user @ananas_.nasdas shared a video edit meme, using a scene from the animated series South Park in which the characters are bald and react to a greenscreen CGI skeleton running across the scene. Each boy is given a 👀 emoji when the skeleton runs past to express their shock. A sharp violin sound effect also plays when the skeleton runs by, followed by eerie music. Over one month, the Reel received over 352,400 likes.

Spread

On October 30th, 2025, Instagram^[2] @ananas_.nasdas shared another video meme that followed the same premise, instead using a clip of YouTuber ProJared laughing at the My Name Jeff meme. Over three weeks, the video garnered over 150,600 likes.

On October 31st, Instagram^[3] user @ananas_.nasdas posted another iteration of the trend, in which they called the Skeleton "Carl" in the video's description.

The meme creator built on the name in an Instagram^[4] Reel shared on November 2nd, 2025, which was a collaborative post with the official Instagram account of iFunny. It clipped the Chocolate Rain video, showing YouTuber Tay Zonday "[moving] away from the mic to check on Carl." Over three weeks, the video gained over 93,600 likes.

Carl the Skeleton memes began spreading on video platforms in the following weeks as new creators added to the trend.

For instance, on November 4th, 2025, TikToker^[5] @eatinbrick mashed several of @ananas_.nasdas's videos into one edit that added a throat singing audio, gaining over 9,400 likes in 17 days.

On November 19th, X^[6] user @beetleplex43177 shared a Family Guy YouTube Poop that incorporated a Skeleton Running Past 👀 gag at the 18-second mark. Over two days, the post received over 12,000 likes.

Joe www.pic.twitter.com/pvVLGGv94q

— beetleplexx (@beetleplex43177) November 19, 2025

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References