TikTok Cults

About

TikTok Cults are participatory groups on TikTok in which users change their profile pictures to a uniform image, follow each other, and act like a "cult," often raiding the comment sections of large TikTokers as a display of power. The first official TikTok cult was May 2020s Step Chicken Cult, opening the door for many other cults in the future, including the Hamster Cult, Vegeta Cult, Goku Cult, and Lana Del Rey Cult.

Origin

Step Chicken Cult

The first notable TikTok cult was the Step Chicken cult, which was started by TikTok comedian @chunkysdead in May 2020. On May 6th, 2020, the TikToker called on her fans to suggest a cult name in a video that received over 58,200 likes in a week (shown below, left). On May 10th, after establishing the name cult name as "step chicken" and ordering followers to use a certain profile picture, @chunkysdead announced in a video that thousands of people had changed their profile pictures (shown below, right). The video received over 145,000 likes in three days. The popularity of the cult lead to a cult war between the TikToker and @myleswithuhy.

Spread

Lana Del Rey Cult / Hamster Cult

In February 2021, fans of the singer Lana del Ray began expressing their fandom through a faux group called "Lana del Ray cult." To join the group, one must change their avatar photo to a picture of del Ray smiling. Within 24 hours, the trend went viral on TikTok, with many changing their pictures to that of Lana del Ray. However, the emergence of the group inspired parodies to mock the fandom. On February 20th, 2021, Twitter^[1] user @Camellia_Alexan tweeted screenshots of a conversation on TikTok in which the Lana del Ray cult members were bombarded with people from other cults, including one called "Hamster Cult." Hamster Cult soon grew as a trend in a similar fashion to Lana del Ray cult, with memers following each other en masse.

DO NOT JOIN THE HAMSTER CULT ON TIK TOK 💀 I DID IT AND THIS HAPPENED pic.twitter.com/EReF4os784

— chlo ᵕ̈ (@intolouve) February 20, 2021

Vegeta Cult and Goku Cult

"Vegeta Cult" is a TikTok cult in which users change their profile pictures to an image of a character photoshopped into Vegeta from Dragon Ball's green jacket, as worn in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. Users then follow each other and raid certain large TikTokers' comment sections speaking about a takeover. The cult began in late June 2021 and grew over the course of the next two months.

"Goku Cult" or "The Blue Jacket Cult" is a TikTok cult in which users change their profile pictures to an image of a character photoshopped into Goku's blue jacket, as worn in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. Members of the cult follow each other and raid large TikTokers' comment sections, as well as generally interact with each other. The cult began in June 2021 and grew over the course of the next two months, particularly in response to the popularity of the Vegeta Cult at the same time in an attempt to overpower them.

Ghostface Cult

"Ghostface Cult" is a TikTok cult in which users change their profile pictures to an image of Ghostface from the Scream franchise and follow each other. The most common Ghostface cult image shows a parody of Ghostface from Scary Movie smoking marijuana and blowing smoke from the mask. The cult began in October 2021.

Minion Cult / Hector Cult and Ara Ara Army

"Minion Cult" is a TikTok cult where members change their profile pictures to a screenshot of a man in a Minion costume holding up a glowing ball, representing the stolen moon from the Despicable Me franchise. Members of the cult are known as "Moonions" and are meant to follow other members with the profile picture, increasing each other's followings. The cult was started by TikToker @hutchbucketz in late June 2022 and gained viral spread over the following days leading up to the release of the Minions The Rise of Gru movie. In August 2022, the Minion Cult disbanded and @hutchbucketz created a similar cult, "Hector Cult," based on another Despicable Me character.

"Ara Ara Army" is a TikTok cult for weebs and anime fans where members change their profile pictures to an image of TikToker @jafiki in One Piece cosplay. The cult is named after the Japanese expression "ara ara" and was created to combat the Minion Cult.

A-Train Cult

The "A-Train Cult" is a TikTok cult where members change their profile picture to an image of A-Train from The Boys and follow one another. Members are also required not to have had a Valentine's Day date for 2023. The cult became popular on TikTok in February 2023 and inspired the Vought International Instagram page, a promotional page for The Boys, to join in that month on Valentine's Day, as well as the official Slim Jim TikTok account.

Search Interest

External References