As Siliconrepublic.com counts down the memes that have shaped our internet procrastination in 2105, we now look at Pizza Rat, whose tireless effort to bring home a slice of pizza to its family impressed everyone.
When you think of it, the phenomenon of Pizza Rat is probably happening right now across the world, wherever pizza is served near underground railways, but on 18 September this year it just happened to be caught on video.
Shot by commuter Matt Little in New York City, the video shows Pizza Rat bravely carrying a slice of pizza down a flight of stairs, even though it probably weighs twice as much as the little furry creature.
And yet, for all we know, Pizza Rat never made it back to wherever its family was likely hiding as it drops the pizza before it makes it down the steps or, at least, that’s as much as we saw from Little’s video.
Having accumulated more than 8.5m views at the time of writing, the post became a hit on Reddit before it spread to all of the social networks, inevitably spawning a novelty account charting the adventures of Pizza Rat in the process.
Unsurprisingly, much of the internet couldn’t look past the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reference, which isn’t a bad thing, I suppose.
Then weird animal crossovers occurred.
Then it was the turn of the adorable GIFs to emerge
But then things got a little out of hand with rumours of interplanetary sightings of Pizza Rat.
Something strange about the #MarsRat… #PizzaRatpic.twitter.com/xdOUT3Rtsl
— Pizza Hut Canada (@PizzaHutCanada) November 27, 2015
Given that it was approaching Halloween, Pizza Rat couldn’t have timed its appearance any better. Arguably, David Spade is the scariest element of this costume.
oh my god he is the pizza rat for halloween pic.twitter.com/3RUJPk6R2g — claudia (@tinafeyever) November 26, 2015
It was in November that Pizza Rat became art when it and its other felt buddies all dined out on the streets of New York City.
@RussPate “@tjvonp: Spotted more than one #pizzarat#UnionSquare#nyc#folkart#rat#pizzahttps://t.co/Tdpe46PPpxpic.twitter.com/PweV5kOomX”
— Porkchop (@Pantone811) November 30, 2015
Throughout this time, people were asking, what happened to Pizza Rat? Taking this question seriously for a minute, it is likely long dead given the average lifespan of a rat and the dangers of the New York subway, but let’s pretend it didn’t meet a grizzly fate. In November, there was even an alleged sighting of the furry pizza lover.
Pizza rat sighting!!! 6th street L stop, Brooklyn bound! #NYC#pizzaratpic.twitter.com/8gEig8Tt4V
— Tiffany E. Cook (@TiffanyECook) November 25, 2015
But let’s be honest here, we all knew the truth.
I think that #PizzaRat guy might be one of my cousins. If there’s one thing my family knows, it’s how to eat! pic.twitter.com/YBFVqRI8SU
— Rizzo (@Rizzo) September 21, 2015
Rat image via Shutterstock
