Buzz
Animals have often stolen the spotlight on the internet. If the web were a zoo, which creatures would be its founding figures? Here are six standout animals, listed in no specific order, that would undoubtedly claim the top spots.
1. The Legendary Badgers
The iconic flash animation Badgers was crafted by Jonti Picking from Weebl's Stuff, debuting in September 2003. Its viral success earned Picking a role at MTV Europe, where he developed the beloved series Weebl and Bob. The Badgers phenomenon has spawned countless spin-offs, including zombie badgers, Badgers on a Plane, Big Ass Badgers, soccer badgers, a Harry Potter adaptation, and Baby Badgers, featuring adorable plush toys available for purchase.
2. The Dramatic Prairie Dog
A 5-second clip titled Dramatic Chipmunk
3. Viking Kittens
Viking Kittens is a flash animation by Joel Veitch of Rathergood.com, created in 2002. It features two kittens sailing longboats and brandishing weapons to the tune of Led Zeppelin's "The Immigrant Song." The animation has since been removed from Veitch's site and is no longer mentioned there, though it can still be found elsewhere. The reasons for its removal are unclear, though bandwidth issues or licensing conflicts with the Led Zeppelin track may be to blame. Regardless, Veitch has plenty of his own original compositions to promote.
4. Hamster Dance
Deidre LaCarte, a Canadian art student, created the Hamster Dance in 1998 to drive traffic to her website—and it worked. Inspired by her pet hamster, Hampton Hamster, the animation featured a 9-second loop of "Whistle Stop" by Roger Miller from Disney's Robin Hood. By 1999, the site was attracting thousands of daily visitors, making it the internet's top destination. While initially amusing, the hamsters soon became an annoyance as they were endlessly shared via email. The phenomenon spawned several songs that became minor hits in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, along with five albums and numerous redesigns available on the official site.
5. Oolong the Pancake Bunny
Oolong is the rabbit famously pictured with the caption, "I have no idea what you're talking about... so here's a bunny with a pancake on its head." Starting in 1999, photographer Hironori Akutagawa trained Oolong to balance objects on his head and shared the photos on his website. Oolong became an internet star in 2001, amassing a loyal following until his death in 2003 at the age of eight. According to Urban Dictionary, "pancake bunny" is now synonymous with the patron saint of silence.
6. LOLrus
While the LOLcat phenomenon has dominated the internet with countless humorous felines, the most iconic figure isn't a cat—it's a walrus! The LOLrus was a walrus famously obsessed with his beloved bucket. The original image inspired a wave of walrus memes, often lamenting the loss of his bucket. Interestingly, the photo was of Minazo, an elephant seal (not a walrus) from Japan's Enoshima Aquarium. Minazo passed away in 2005, but his legacy (and his bucket) endures.
Who will be the next stars of the internet zoo? Several famous animals are strong contenders for hall-of-fame status: Tubcat, Spaghetti Cat, Mocha the baby hamster, Oscar the death-predicting cat, Faith the two-legged dog, the Cadbury Gorilla, Tyson the skateboarding dog, Sugar Bush Squirrel, and the most beloved of the LOLcats. Which other animals would you nominate?
