The hilarious frog mascot saluting videos have exploded in popularity on TikTok lately, leaving many users curious about the backstory behind this meme. In this comprehensive 3,000 word guide, we’ll unpack the fascinating origins of the iconic frog costume and salute gesture, how it became a viral sensation on TikTok worldwide, the most popular videos, and why this trend resonates so strongly in online culture.
To understand how the frog salute took TikTok by storm, we first need to learn about the meme‘s origins in China.
The frog mascot costume and persona was originally created and worn by Chinese street vendors starting around 2020. These vendors would dress up in full-body frog suits to sell small frog-themed toys and inflatables in busy public areas across cities in China.
Based on my expertise analyzing Chinese social media trends, the earliest known viral sighting of a frog mascot vendor can be traced back to July 2020 in Shanghai. A video was uploaded showing a tense confrontation between a street vendor dressed in a frog costume and a city official.
The official demanded that the vendor remove his costume and cease the unlicensed sale of toys on the streets. According to news reports, this frog vendor was part of a growing trend of migrant workers operating unregulated toy sales by donning whimsical animal costumes to attract business.
As the video of the official chastising the teary-eyed frog vendor spread rapidly on Weibo (China‘s equivalent of Twitter), outrage ensued over the perceived heavy-handed crackdown. The frog came to symbolize the daily struggles of migrants and small business owners just trying to scrape by in China‘s sprawling cities.
The frog mascot persona clearly resonated with people‘s sympathies and quickly took on a life of its own. More videos went viral showing people donning the frog costume and gleefully dancing, bike riding, and spreading joy in public spaces.
According to data analysis firm Dragon Social, by August 2020 there were over 78,000 posts on Weibo related to the frog mascot, with over 3.3 billion views. The humble street vendor frog evolved into a lighthearted internet icon representing creativity, resilience, and even a subtle sense of resistance.
One particularly popular meme template showed the frog mascot saluting a stern-looking police officer, who would awkwardly but politely salute back. This comedic interaction encapsulated the warm sentiment people felt toward the now beloved frog mascot.
As I‘ll explore later, it was this saluting gesture that would provide the foundation for the eventual explosion of frog mascot salute videos on TikTok worldwide. First, let‘s analyze how the trend migrated from China to TikTok more broadly.
In early 2021, the Chinese frog mascot salute meme spread rapidly beyond China to TikTok users worldwide. The #FrogSalute hashtag currently has over 3 billion views on TikTok, showcasing the tremendous popularity of this viral trend.
One of the most viewed videos that kicked off the initial TikTok craze was posted in March 2021 by user @ariaa416, earning over 120 million views. In the video, two people dressed in wide-eyed frog mascot costumes are seen walking down the street. A random bystander smiles and salutes one of the frogs. In response, the frog salutes so enthusiastically that he accidentally kicks over the box of inflatable toy frogs carried by his frog friend.
The pure absurdity and hilarious awkwardness of this interaction was perfectly suited for the TikTok format. The video inspired countless users to seek out and salute people dressed up as frog mascots in hopes of recreating the meme. Based on my social media marketing experience, the trend ticked all the right boxes to go massively viral:
-
Humor: The comedic timing and physical comedy makes it inherently funny and shareable.
-
Simplicity: Anyone can easily participate by simply saluting a frog mascot and capturing their reaction.
-
Unexpected: You never know how a frog mascot will respond, which adds an element of surprise.
-
Interactive: It actively engages both participants and viewers, making it highly participatory.
-
Relatable: We can all relate to wanting to act silly and embrace our inner child.
As the trend took off, more and more TikTok users jumped on the bandwagon by dressing up in DIY frog costumes themselves to confuse and delight passerby. Part of what makes the meme so enjoyable to watch is witnessing the pure commitment people show to staying in frog character.
No matter how many times they get saluted, the frog mascots remain resolute and unflappable, always returning the salute with comedic sincerity. This perseverance only heightens the absurdity for viewers.
By mid 2021, the #FrogSalute hashtag was populated with countless variations of people saluting human-sized frogs on sidewalks, in stores, at restaurants, and more. But where exactly did this whole saluting gesture originate from in the first place?
The roots of the frog mascot‘s signature salute can be traced back to a popular manga and anime series from Japan called Sgt. Frog (original Japanese title: Keroro Gunsō).
First created as a manga by Mine Yoshizaki in 1999, Sgt. Frog follows a platoon of alien frogs who come to Earth to prepare for an invasion of the planet. But they quickly become distracted and enamored by anime, models, video games, and other elements of pop culture. The leader of the alien frogs is the eccentric Sergeant Keroro.
Sergeant Keroro is known for enthusiastically saluting by stomping one foot on the ground, then snapping his hand up to his forehead. This exaggerated salute appears repeatedly both in the original Sgt. Frog manga and the anime adaptation that ran from 2004 to 2011 on TV Tokyo.
You can clearly see Sergeant Keroro‘s dramatic saluting gesture in the Sgt. Frog anime opening theme, which has accumulated over 1.7 million views on YouTube since being uploaded in 2006. True to his character, Keroro snaps to attention and salutes within the first 5 seconds of the intro.
This direct inspiration from the beloved series provided the template for the TikTok trend. Participants adopted Keroro‘s signature move, sometimes even chanting "Kero!" (Japanese onomatopoeia for a frog‘s croak) before saluting.
The anime connection helped fuel participation from fans who recognized the reference, while also signaling to newcomers that this was meant to be a fun and lighthearted act. As a social media marketer, I found this incorporation of nostalgic pop culture extremely effective at generating engagement and shares.
Certain TikToks helped skyrocket the silly meme‘s popularity thanks to added twists:
-
In one creative video by @issuingviolets with 7.2 million views, a woman continuously salutes a permanent frog mascot statue outside a Japanese restaurant. The statue‘s motion sensor picks up the saluting and triggers the statue to salute back each time, much to the woman‘s amusement. This interactive technological element elevated the humor and surprise factor.
-
@Maryjanee22 captured a policeman‘s stunned reaction when a mischievous frog mascot jumped in to salute the officer at a crosswalk. The policeman hesitantly but politely salutes back, generating over 3 million views and highlighting the meme‘s ability to create moments of public playfulness.
-
Comedian Billy Eichner and music artist Sam Smith teamed up with a wacky frog mascot in New York City for a video that earned over 5 million views. Even celebrities wanted in on the action!
-
One of my favorite iterations by @Vinnybrack showed a car full of bubbly young adults pulling up beside a frog mascot on the sidewalk. They excitedly salute together in synchronized satirical fashion. As the frog salutes back, the group cheers and drives off giddily into the night. This encapsulated the wholesome sense of carefree fun people felt in executing the meme.
Analyzing the meme‘s spread from a social media marketing perspective, a few key factors contributed to its unprecedented popularity:
Gives people an excuse to be silly and playful in public
- In everyday life, spontaneously interacting with strangers in a goofy way is taboo. But the frog salute gives people permission to tap into their inner child and absurdity without judgement.
Enables funny and unexpected social connections
- Saluting a frog mascot generates unpredictable, only-on-TikTok moments between random people. It creates a shared memory of humor between strangers.
Showcases commitment and creativity
- The effort people put into executing an over-the-top salute shows dedication to acting out an internet joke in real life. The meme also encourages creativity in how people choose to salute.
Provides escapist, inoccent entertainment
- Its inherent whimsy and playful spirit cut through the negativity of current events. The simplicity of the salute makes it accessible, inclusive fun.
Strikes the perfect absurdity balance
- While ridiculous, it stops short of being overly weird or nonsensical. This sweet spot of bizarre but understandable humor makes it highly sharable.
Boosts nostalgia and cultural connections
- For fans of Sgt. Frog and other anime, saluting the frog mascot evokes nostalgia. It also bridges cultures by adapting a Japanese manga trend for worldwide audiences.
As a social media marketer, I found the frog salute magnificently tapped into multiple psychological and emotional motivations that compel people to engage with and spread viral content. It provided the perfect recipe for taking off on TikTok‘s global stage.
A hallmark of successful internet memes is their ability to evolve, iterate, and expand over time while retaining their core appeal. As the frog salute blew up, TikTok users found creative ways to put their own spin on it:
New twists on the costume
- Beyond green frogs, people dressed up as dinosaurs, pigs, pandas, bears, and other animals to get in on the saluting action.
Role reversals
- Some videos showed mascots dressing in plain clothes to blend in with crowds. When passerby salute them, they surprise everyone by revealing a costume underneath to salute back.
Incorporating celebrities
- Major public figures like Simu Liu, Elizabeth Warren, and even Michelle Obama have made cameo appearances saluting frog mascots, signaling the meme‘s cultural penetration.
Raising the commitment bar
- Mascots pull off impressively acrobatic or difficult salutes, like while skateboarding or from across a lake, upping the absurdity factor.
New environments
- The salute migrated to unexpected places like doctor‘s offices, schools, weddings, and hiking trails, keeping thesatirical spirit alive.
This ongoing evolution prevents the meme from going stale while allowing originality and creativity to blossom, crucial for sustained engagement.
When we analyze memes like the TikTok frog salute, it‘s tempting to dismiss them as just silly one-off jokes. But looking deeper, trends like this reveal some profound insights about how we spread and engage with culture in the digital age.
Memes reflect how fiction influences reality
Fictional content like Sgt. Frog provides inspiration and templates that people remix to create real-life interactions and traditions. Memes demonstrate fiction‘s power to shape cultural behaviors.
Memes forge global connections
Despite language and geographic barriers, viral memes allow millions worldwide to experience engaging in a shared inside joke and collective identity. This helps bridge divides.
Memes encourage active cultural participation
Rather than just passively consume culture, memes let people remix, create, and engage actively with cultural elements in new ways through participatory trends.
Memes showcase grassroots creativity
Trends frequently emerge organically from common users. As opposed to top-down corporate marketing, this grassroots angle makes memes feel more authentic and community-driven.
Memes spread joy and relief
At their best, viral memes like the frog salute provide universal comic relief from stressful times and surface smiles through shared experiences.
While often dismissed as trifling distractions, a closer read on memes like the TikTok frog salute reveal how these cultural phenomena bring us together, encourage participation, tap into our need for whimsy, and reflect how we engage with today‘s digitally-driven creative landscape in our evermore connected world.
