As the 2023 season comes to an end, let’s recap all of our trending moments throughout the year.
Mr. Beast
The famous YouTuber known as Mr. Beast would soon find his doppelganger. A YouTuber went viral for looking somewhat like Mr. Beast. In January, his face was all over social media platforms, and he soon got the nickname, “Mr. Beast Copycat.” Instead of arguing over the matter, he saw this as an opportunity to gain popularity and make himself known to the public eye, but to little avail.
Whopper, Whopper, Whopper
February would take a more delicious and catchy road. The infamous fast food chain, Burger King, would release a light-hearted jingle for their well-known burger, the whopper. As the trend started, it soon became a hit, appearing many times on the TikTok “for you page.” It strays from their original, notorious melody that everyone knows. But ever since the release, many people seem to have different opinions on the beat and lyrics. “I’m trying to memorize the song,” said a fellow TikTok commenter. “This is so annoying,” stated a TikTok user. Saying that this harmless trend hadn’t brought out the rage built up inside people would be an understatement.
Tenacious Tydus
March featured Tydus, an energetic, wild kid signing his original song called “First Girlfriend.” HIs uncanny lyrics and weird rhythm made him an overnight internet sensation. The comment sections under his song were filled with tons of people quoting his lyrics; “Waking up, Gucci on my pj’s. You know what’s up. Today’s gonna be a good day.” Unfortunately for young Tydus, they weren’t laughing with him, but instead at him. HIs song started trending for the cringe worthy lyrics and his “raspy” voice. “He sounds like he smokes,” a TikTok user commented. This side of TikTok isn’t new to anyone, so let’s support our adolescent, up-and-coming artist.
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
Coming into April you will find the “One, Two, Buckle My shoe trend. The “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” era was one mostly children participated in. The trend involved wearing buckled shoes and playing the audio published by the creator. In comparison to the other popular trends, it served the shortest time. The trend had gained thousands of views and likes, mostly from young kids from the app, YouTube. There is not much to say about this trend, because of its inability to stay relevant, but if you’re under the age of 10 this is the trend for you!
Ominus Once-ler
Moving over to May you may have seen many fawning over the fictional character, The Once-ler. He originated from The Once-ler is only one of the two popular characters that took over your “for you page” with viral edits. The Once-ler is a greedy, money hungry man, yet that seems to be appealing to his audience. His edits quickly captivated millions of views, which led to many people rewatching The Lorax. It was an astonishing sight to say the least, but a hilarious one. Now it seems the audience is more interested in The Once-ler than the plot of the movie itself.
His earlier version from The Lorax (1972) has received a fandom of his own. Unlike the 2000’s Once-ler, he doesn’t show his face and instead remains mysterious. The previous movie was much darker and didn’t give the impression of something meant for children. Many times throughout the movie he’s seen holding a cigar. People describe the first Once-ler as “pure evil”, which makes sense because he gives off an ominous feeling.
In 1989, a school in California banned the well-known classic by Dr. Suess. They thought the book would give children a bad view on the forestry industry.
Bombastic Side Eye
In June, the “Bombastic Side Eye” sound was created. People used this sound when they felt something was suspicious, weird, or if you said something that caught them off guard. If you said something that was eye-catching or made people’s heads turn, expect to be greeted with stares, or as the people who used this sound called it, “Side Eye.” It was a funny trend that people of all ages participated in. This was the only time there was a TikTtok community that agreed with each other. But it didn’t last for long.
As the trend died down, people blamed the younger generation for making this trend “cringe.” Though, some may argue that it was cringe from the start.
Colleen Ballinger
Colleen is a thirty-seven year old American comedian and YouTuber. In July, she went viral for allegedly taking advantage of underage fans. After these allegations, she went on to make an apology video. You think because she was accused of doing something as serious as grooming she would make a serious apology. But no. Colleen decided to make a song out of it. A snippet of the song went viral, because the lyrics were so out of pocket. Colleen stated, “The only thing I’ve ever groomed is my two persian cats.” To this day, Collen is still shamed for her actions. It doesn’t seem like she’ll be returning back to her previous career.
Omar the Reff
Imagine this, a basketball is heading towards you at lightning speed! But then, Omar the Reff comes in and saves the day (and also your face). That’s what you would expect to see if you were on TikTok in August, morning, noon, and night. “You ladies alright?” The caption under the video would ask. Many recreated this trend in their own creative ways, but it would always ask the same question. No matter the weather or season. I think you know what that is. Omar the Reff would somehow always be there to catch the same basketball. Over and over. He’s been like our digital hero. But at the end of the day, he’s just doing his job.
We Live, We Love, We Lie
Going into the month of September you will find the worldwide meme “We Live, We Love, We Lie”, featuring a fabricated, blue smurf cat walking along mystical mountains. It has been stated that his design was inspired by Papa Smurf. With the meme, several remixes of the audio itself have been made. A popular remix was made by the TikTok creator CG5. Creators who have done this trend have gained a huge amount in following. As the trend lost its popularity, more fictional animals have been made to “replace” his once irreplaceable image.
#SatoruGojo
The spectacular and mighty Satoru Gojo would soon become a viral sensation all over the world. In the month of October alone the hashtag “#Satoru Gojo” had already gained millions of uses. His ineffable beauty captured the hearts of many around the world, and brought out talented editors from the depths of TikTok. When a whole month and song has been surrounded around him, It seems his presence can never be at rest. “He’s so mesmerizing,” commented a TikTok user. Even with his death, he still lives on in people’s hearts and phones, shining brightly. No true fans will ever be as dedicated as they were. His white hair and refulgent blue eyes will be remembered by all.
If you feel just as solemn, consider adding to his strange, but very real memorial.
Mount Rageous
Velvet and Veneer are a pair of nefarious twins from the new trolls movie, Trolls Band Together. Their song “Mount Rageous” started trending in late November. Amy Schumer and Andrew Rannells are the incredible voices behind them. Velvet played a key role in making this song such a hit, because of the lines, “Fame. I’m gonna make it to heaven (Heaven). Light up the sky like a flame (Fame).” Let’s enjoy this movie when we can, because the director for The Trolls movie stated that Trolls four is “ready to go!”
Josh Hutcherson Whistle
In December, you wouldn’t be able to escape Josh Hutecherson. In the early 2000’s, he began his acting career. Though, his movies aren’t what made him a trending topic. In 2014, a fanmade birthday video was published for Josh. It was originally posted on YouTube, but it’s trending on social media platforms, like TikTok. The video has a series of Josh Hutcherson’s photos, along with him signing a cover of the song “Whistle.” As his face begins to appear everywhere, from airplane windows to ice cubes, it seems he may be the reason for the season. Still, it is an interesting way to end this year.
And just like that, the 2023 season comes to an end. What was your favorite trend throughout the year?