Do you remember Pepe the King Prawn from your childhood? Just recently, it has become a viral meme. People on TikTok have been combining the shocked Muppets character with captions describing their most wild, embarrassing, and traumatic experiences. If that’s not enough, the memes are accompanied by a slowed-down version of Like a Prayer by Madonna. This Internet trend is finishing off this year with a bang, encouraging people to let go of their traumas and enter the new year without extra baggage.
Bored Panda rounded up the best Pepe the King Prawn trend stories in the list below. Scroll down to find them, and don’t forget to upvote the ones that you can’t believe are real. If you’re feeling daring, you can also share some of your most embarrassing or traumatic stories below. Let’s all welcome the new year fresher and lighter!
Take a look at Pepe the King Prawn meme as it takes the Internet by storm
Image credits: cassidyhurley_
More stories await you in the list below:
#1
It was 2017. I was at the peak of my mental illness and was severely depressed/anxious. Somehow I'd gotten a job as a kids' party entertainer. This was the middle of Aussie summer and my boss had sent me off to do a job by myself.
I was booked to do an hour of face painting then pretend to leave and come back dressed as Peppa Pig so I could take some photos and dance to a song. First half went great .. all the kids were sweet I said goodbye and went to my car to get the costume and a CD player she's given me. I put on this budget shein looking Peppa Pig costume and when I put the head on I realised I couldn't see a thing.
I walk back in and within 5 steps I completely bodied some toddler being held by his grandpa coz he wanted to say hi .. they both fall to the ground baby starts crying. I go to apologize before realising I have no idea if Peppa Pig talks or what she sounds like because I did zero research. So I'm just walking around this party making random high pitched "ohhh" "weee" noises. I'm catching glimpses through my mesh nose holes of all these kids looking up at me super confused and scared.
All the kids are running away from me and crying so I'm just making noises walking to the area I'm supposed to dance in. I go to turn on the song but I can't see the cd player and I have these massive gloves on. So instead of the first track I've hit track 4 and started dancing .. this insane techno remix to the Peppa Pig theme starts playing. I have no idea how to dance around children so I'm just flailing my arms around wildly in the middle of this party completely alone and all these kids are just staring up at me terrified.
Some of the parents try to get them to dance (doesn't work) but it's just dead silent besides this song and me still making weird high pitch "ooohh" noises because wtf else am I supposed to do. This remix seems to go for like 8 minutes it just doesn't end and it's 40 degrees so I'm dripping in sweat..and kids are screaming at this point. It FINALLY finishes and the parents realise I'm starting to pass out so they have to lead me out of the house while the entire party are crying and staring at me.
As I'm walking out I catch my reflection in the window. When I yeeted the old guy and the baby it pushed a huge dent in the side of this giant felt Peppa Pig head. so the whole time these kids were looking at some weird deformed elephant-man version of this beloved character making deranged pig noises..Not one person asked for a photo. But I just know somewhere, footage of this moment exist..
I was booked to do an hour of face painting then pretend to leave and come back dressed as Peppa Pig so I could take some photos and dance to a song. First half went great .. all the kids were sweet I said goodbye and went to my car to get the costume and a CD player she's given me. I put on this budget shein looking Peppa Pig costume and when I put the head on I realised I couldn't see a thing.
I walk back in and within 5 steps I completely bodied some toddler being held by his grandpa coz he wanted to say hi .. they both fall to the ground baby starts crying. I go to apologize before realising I have no idea if Peppa Pig talks or what she sounds like because I did zero research. So I'm just walking around this party making random high pitched "ohhh" "weee" noises. I'm catching glimpses through my mesh nose holes of all these kids looking up at me super confused and scared.
All the kids are running away from me and crying so I'm just making noises walking to the area I'm supposed to dance in. I go to turn on the song but I can't see the cd player and I have these massive gloves on. So instead of the first track I've hit track 4 and started dancing .. this insane techno remix to the Peppa Pig theme starts playing. I have no idea how to dance around children so I'm just flailing my arms around wildly in the middle of this party completely alone and all these kids are just staring up at me terrified.
Some of the parents try to get them to dance (doesn't work) but it's just dead silent besides this song and me still making weird high pitch "ooohh" noises because wtf else am I supposed to do. This remix seems to go for like 8 minutes it just doesn't end and it's 40 degrees so I'm dripping in sweat..and kids are screaming at this point. It FINALLY finishes and the parents realise I'm starting to pass out so they have to lead me out of the house while the entire party are crying and staring at me.
As I'm walking out I catch my reflection in the window. When I yeeted the old guy and the baby it pushed a huge dent in the side of this giant felt Peppa Pig head. so the whole time these kids were looking at some weird deformed elephant-man version of this beloved character making deranged pig noises..Not one person asked for a photo. But I just know somewhere, footage of this moment exist..
91points
#2
This is like the time at work where I stated I was so hungry I could eat my arm off, meanwhile my coworker had only one arm. He stated "that's what I did" keep in mind this is my first day there lmao.
Report
89points
#3
I met a boy during the first week of university and fell in love instantly. We dated for 2 months... then broke up. I was heartbroken. But we stayed friends. And 2.5 years later, we got back together. I was ecstatic.
A week later we went to one of his friend's 21st birthday parties. It was my first time seeing his friend group in 2.5 years, and I was nervous. I drank. A lot. I don't remember how I got home.
Next morning, I'm in his bed. I look over smiling and go in for a cuddle. He, just staring at me, asks, "Do you remember what you did last night?" "No?" "You peed on my carpet" "Ha, no I didn't" "Yes, you did. Go smell the rug." I laughed, thinking he was joking.
Then I peeked over the bed... and saw a wet rug and a pile of towels. He tells me I had woken up at 3am, walked to the end of the bed, squatted down, and peed on the carpet. While he watched in shock yelling my name. He proceeds to tell me I had shook, climbed back into bed, and fallen back asleep. All while he sat there in disbelief and proceeded to clean up my mess for 40 minutes.
I sit in shock, hearing his mom upstairs making breakfast, and wonder... how is he going to explain the piss-scented rug to his family? This boy is going to dump me. AGAIN. I need to get out of this house. I get in my car, break down in tears. I can't call anyone because I'd have to admit what I did. Hours later, no word from him. I am absolutely distraught.
Then he calls... He blamed it on the dog. I'm in the clear. His family thinks I'm normal. We got married 2 months ago, 8 years after the incident. I haven't peed anywhere other than a toilet since that night.
A week later we went to one of his friend's 21st birthday parties. It was my first time seeing his friend group in 2.5 years, and I was nervous. I drank. A lot. I don't remember how I got home.
Next morning, I'm in his bed. I look over smiling and go in for a cuddle. He, just staring at me, asks, "Do you remember what you did last night?" "No?" "You peed on my carpet" "Ha, no I didn't" "Yes, you did. Go smell the rug." I laughed, thinking he was joking.
Then I peeked over the bed... and saw a wet rug and a pile of towels. He tells me I had woken up at 3am, walked to the end of the bed, squatted down, and peed on the carpet. While he watched in shock yelling my name. He proceeds to tell me I had shook, climbed back into bed, and fallen back asleep. All while he sat there in disbelief and proceeded to clean up my mess for 40 minutes.
I sit in shock, hearing his mom upstairs making breakfast, and wonder... how is he going to explain the piss-scented rug to his family? This boy is going to dump me. AGAIN. I need to get out of this house. I get in my car, break down in tears. I can't call anyone because I'd have to admit what I did. Hours later, no word from him. I am absolutely distraught.
Then he calls... He blamed it on the dog. I'm in the clear. His family thinks I'm normal. We got married 2 months ago, 8 years after the incident. I haven't peed anywhere other than a toilet since that night.
Report
86points
Pepe the King Prawn (full name Pepino Rodrigo Serrano Gonzales) first appeared in the Muppets in 1996, winning fan’s hearts with his snarky wit and heavy Spanish accent. Every time he would be called a shrimp, he would take offense and respond, "I am not a shrimp! I am a king prawn, okay?
His expressive face and blank stare, similar to a thousand-yard stare, made him a perfect candidate for a relatable meme format.
#4
One day, I was at church and service had ended so everyone was standing around talking. I heard something speaking in a robotic voice behind me. I was in a silly goofy mood and I yelled "what is this, an alien invasion?!"
It was in fact, not an alien invasion. it was a 90-year-old man with throat cancer. He had a voice box.
Please make it stop. I think of this literally every night before I go to bed, and sometimes on my lunch break at work. I cannot escape it. God forgive me.
It was in fact, not an alien invasion. it was a 90-year-old man with throat cancer. He had a voice box.
Please make it stop. I think of this literally every night before I go to bed, and sometimes on my lunch break at work. I cannot escape it. God forgive me.
Report
80points
#5
When I noticed a little kid lying on the ground and moving his limbs like he was having a tantrum so I said "aww, looks like someone needs a nap" and his dad said "Nope, Cerebral Palsy". That will haunt me til the day I die.
Report
76points
#6
I told a patient in a wheelchair to take a seat and he looked down at his wheelchair and said, “Done.”
Report
76points
All that was missing for it to go viral was a person who would bring people’s attention to it. That person was TikToker caitycline21, who kicked off the trend on November 30 by posting a series of memes with Pepe and his blank, shocked stare. Her first post was captioned, “Sometimes I’m late because I’m spending too much time like this.”
This TikTok currently has 174k views and is known as the original Pepe the King Prawn meme. But it was her third post with the caption “The face I make when I’m trying to maintain great customer service while getting screamed at” that went viral, garnering 4 million views in 10 days. Others promptly joined in, making it, as some claim, the best internet trend of the year.
#7
When someone came up to me on the subway and asked if I liked the book I was reading and I told them "No, it's the most self-indulgent, overwritten drivel I've read in a while. The main character is so unlikable I keep praying a meteor falls on her or something just so this book can end". When the person asking was in fact the author and had based the character on herself.
Report
71points
#8
My husband and I were shopping at the grocery store, looking at produce. I let out a silent raunchy fart. I turned to my left & told my husband "I farted" with the biggest grin on my face. My husband was actually on my right side. And I was staring at a black man holding a lemon with the most confused expression. My husband is a pale white man...
Report
64points
#9
I asked a guy buying flowers at a Safeway “uh oh what did you do wrong?!” He was getting flowers to put on his wife’s grave.
58points
Some examples are on the more tame side, like “When someone starts explaining the rules to a card game I’ve never played before” and “My face when I daze out during a meeting and someone says my name,” while others are more intense, like “The girl was in the year for a year and when she got out, she said she is going to come after me,” and “My face when I pull the sock of diabetic patient and their pinky toe goes flying across the room.”
#10
After I soaked my hair in oil, I saran wrapped my head. I went down to the garage to get a drink out of our garage fridge. I put way too much oil. It dripped everywhere. The path became an oil slick.
Suddenly, one of our cats jumped out, frightened me, and I went FLYING on the oil. I slammed into the door and passed out. I woke up in complete darkness. (The lights were on a timer.) I panicked. I didn't know where I was. My phone was dead. I tried to stand. My legs were completely asleep AND I was covered in oil.
I tried to run the door, I slammed into many things, knocking them over, making tons of noise, screaming. I finally got to the house door. I opened it and set off the house alarm. (My family had gone to bed and set it.) I tried to type in the right code. (I didn't because I was so confused.) I make my way as fast as I can to my room.
As soon as I get upstairs, the FULL burglar alarm starts blasting. I had never heard it before. My Dad jumps out in front of me, only in his underwear, wielding a titanium baseball bat. We both scream. He's pissed. He turns off the alarm. I go to my room lay down a towel. Lay down my Saran wrapped head for slumber.
15 minutes later, I hear noises coming from the door below my bedroom. I look out the window. 3 men in all black with flashlights. Trying to pick the lock. I HAVE to wake up Dad AGAIN. WE'RE BEING ROBBED. Turns out it was the police checking out the alarm trigger. They were already in the neighborhood due to a waterline break. My Dad is PISSED.
By this time, I have to be up in an hour. I don't sleep. I listen to the winter storm outside. My head soaks in the oil. When it's time to wake up, I run to the bathroom to rinse the oil out of my hair. Because of the waterline break, there's no water. I go to school with a Saran wrapped head.
Suddenly, one of our cats jumped out, frightened me, and I went FLYING on the oil. I slammed into the door and passed out. I woke up in complete darkness. (The lights were on a timer.) I panicked. I didn't know where I was. My phone was dead. I tried to stand. My legs were completely asleep AND I was covered in oil.
I tried to run the door, I slammed into many things, knocking them over, making tons of noise, screaming. I finally got to the house door. I opened it and set off the house alarm. (My family had gone to bed and set it.) I tried to type in the right code. (I didn't because I was so confused.) I make my way as fast as I can to my room.
As soon as I get upstairs, the FULL burglar alarm starts blasting. I had never heard it before. My Dad jumps out in front of me, only in his underwear, wielding a titanium baseball bat. We both scream. He's pissed. He turns off the alarm. I go to my room lay down a towel. Lay down my Saran wrapped head for slumber.
15 minutes later, I hear noises coming from the door below my bedroom. I look out the window. 3 men in all black with flashlights. Trying to pick the lock. I HAVE to wake up Dad AGAIN. WE'RE BEING ROBBED. Turns out it was the police checking out the alarm trigger. They were already in the neighborhood due to a waterline break. My Dad is PISSED.
By this time, I have to be up in an hour. I don't sleep. I listen to the winter storm outside. My head soaks in the oil. When it's time to wake up, I run to the bathroom to rinse the oil out of my hair. Because of the waterline break, there's no water. I go to school with a Saran wrapped head.
Report
58points
#11
My third day of college, I decide to bring my longboard to campus and skate from class to class so that I can get around quickly. I stop at the dining hall and get mac and cheese and broccoli to go. I get on my longboard and start cruising through the main quad.
It is Seattle. it is always raining. The giant brick square I have to cross is getting slippery. but surely I can make it! I attempt to push off and immediately slip and fall, kicking my longboard at least 100 feet away. My tote bag falls off my shoulder. All of my school supplies are dirty and wet. I smash the back of my head on the ground and throw my container of food 10-15 feet into the air as I fall. The cardboard container opens midair and rains mac and cheese and broccoli all over me.
It is passing period and there are 40,000 students at my school. Hundreds of my fellow scholars have witnessed this. People are asking me if I'm okay. A really hot boy is chasing down my longboard. I'm not badly hurt but I'm so embarrassed. I start laughing hysterically until I can't breathe. As I hyperventilate, the sky above me darkens...a MURDER OF CROWS DESCENDS UPON ME AND BEGINS EATING THE MAC AND CHEESE AND BROCCOLI. One lands on my HEAD.
I am now wet, crying, hysterical, covered in food, and being attacked by dozens of crows. People are audibly gasping. I cut my losses and pick up my tote bag and literally run away. Someone gives me my longboard back and I sprint back to my dorm, while recording a voice memo to send to my new group chat of college friends. My friends find this hilarious and refer to the incident as "crow gate".
For my birthday, they put the voice memo over a trap beat and blast it in the car. A few times I meet mutual friends and they already know about me because they've heard the voice memo.
It is Seattle. it is always raining. The giant brick square I have to cross is getting slippery. but surely I can make it! I attempt to push off and immediately slip and fall, kicking my longboard at least 100 feet away. My tote bag falls off my shoulder. All of my school supplies are dirty and wet. I smash the back of my head on the ground and throw my container of food 10-15 feet into the air as I fall. The cardboard container opens midair and rains mac and cheese and broccoli all over me.
It is passing period and there are 40,000 students at my school. Hundreds of my fellow scholars have witnessed this. People are asking me if I'm okay. A really hot boy is chasing down my longboard. I'm not badly hurt but I'm so embarrassed. I start laughing hysterically until I can't breathe. As I hyperventilate, the sky above me darkens...a MURDER OF CROWS DESCENDS UPON ME AND BEGINS EATING THE MAC AND CHEESE AND BROCCOLI. One lands on my HEAD.
I am now wet, crying, hysterical, covered in food, and being attacked by dozens of crows. People are audibly gasping. I cut my losses and pick up my tote bag and literally run away. Someone gives me my longboard back and I sprint back to my dorm, while recording a voice memo to send to my new group chat of college friends. My friends find this hilarious and refer to the incident as "crow gate".
For my birthday, they put the voice memo over a trap beat and blast it in the car. A few times I meet mutual friends and they already know about me because they've heard the voice memo.
Report
53points
#12
My dad walked backwards into who he thought was my mom at target and farted on her, except that it wasn’t my mom at all, it was some poor random lady.
Report
52points
The trend doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon, as users continue to share their embarrassing stories and rack up millions of views. At the time of writing, the hashtag #pepethekingprawn has 22.1K posts, with one of the most popular remaining to be the original author’s.
#13
The time I went to the zoo with my mum and we were looking at the alpacas and they were making a funny noise that we started to repeat back to it quite loudly. Turning around to see a disabled man in his wheelchair making the noise and his carer standing next to him looking at us.
Report
51points
#14
One time I really really didn't wanna go to school. So I told my mom I was hurting REALLY bad so she would let me stay home. She asks about my symptoms and I make something up on the spot. She proceeds to tell me to get in the car and that we were going to the hospital because she 100% sure appendix burst.
Knowing I lied I was freaking out in the car and was scared I was gonna get in trouble for lying. After getting tests done in the hospital I decided to tell my mom I lied about not feeling good she was so upset at me that she said "u better HOPE something's wrong with u". The doctor comes in and tells my mom "you might wanna sit down". He tells my mom that I have a tumor. He says it has teeth, hair, and can have EYEBALLS. Hospital trip well spent.
Knowing I lied I was freaking out in the car and was scared I was gonna get in trouble for lying. After getting tests done in the hospital I decided to tell my mom I lied about not feeling good she was so upset at me that she said "u better HOPE something's wrong with u". The doctor comes in and tells my mom "you might wanna sit down". He tells my mom that I have a tumor. He says it has teeth, hair, and can have EYEBALLS. Hospital trip well spent.
Report
50points
#15
Once I started seeing a therapist and spent the first several sessions ranting about my terrible manager. On the 4th session I noticed a photo behind her desk, my manager was her daughter.
49points
Looking at this popular trend, there seems to be no limit to what people share online. This is especially true for young people. “In the past, we used to think about our online lives and our offline lives as being two separate things. Whereas for young people, it’s just their life,” says mental health expert Dr. Louise La Sala to VICE.
#16
Dude I worked as a cashier and this guy said he was buying groceries for his son and I said "wow and what’s he doing while you're here". He said ”dying of cancer”. I can never forget that experience.
Report
44points
#17
I once meant to ask a patient at my EYE CLINIC to take off their glasses but I was looking at their shirt when I said it so instead I said “take off your SHIRT”.
44points
#18
I said congratulations to a couple cause the doctor said the ultrasound looked good. They were there to make sure the miscarriage didn't cause any permanent damage.
Report
43points
Young people might feel enticed to share traumatic experiences online because it can validate the experiences they have. “From that perspective, posting on social media can be a very helpful part of a young person’s mental health journey,” says Sala.
However, they are treading thin ice, as any information can be misconstrued or minimized. “I think if you see something that’s unsafe, or you see something that might be potentially distressing to others, when you like, or share, that content you’re teaching the algorithms that other young people might want to see more content like that.”
#19
One time a customer was talking to me and I didn’t hear what he said so I just laughed it off, and he repeated that his dog died of cancer.
Report
40points
#20
I was a house cleaner and was hired by a woman to clean her place (which was gorgeous) when I walked in I said “I’d give my right arm to live here” her husband had one arm…. His left arm.
Report
40points