Latest meme alert: Moo Deng pauses for Thai national anthem

A new meme featuring Moo Deng, a pygmy hippo baby sensation, has gone viral across Thailand’s social media platforms.

The meme began with two-month-old Moo Deng, also known as the bouncy pig, lying on the ground before she starts to walk. She suddenly stops when the Thai national anthem is played.

The meme, posted by the TikTok account “TripกะDolls,” has attracted around 6,000 comments and has been shared approximately 3,700 times as of today.

Moo Deng’s popularity has soared since her caretaker began sharing photos, video clips, and memes on social media following her birth in July this year.

Phi Ky, the admin of “TripกะDolls,” told Thai PBS World that he created the travel page about three years ago, using “Chucky,” one of the many scary dolls in his collection, to narrate travel stories.

He decided to visit Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, where Moo Deng resides, after his father, who usually prefers to stay home, expressed a desire to see the hippo.

“My father hasn’t wanted to go out or anywhere, but one day he said he wanted to see the hippo. So, I immediately took him and Chucky, of course to see Moo Deng,” Phi Ky said.

He added that he didn’t expect his meme to go viral or generate so much buzz among the country’s netizens.

“I am just happy that the meme could bring joy to people,” he said.