Italian brainrot
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Italian Brainrot)
Tralalero Tralala, a shark wearing three blue Nike-
branded sneakers, was the first viral character in the Italian brainrot genre.
Italian brainrot is a series of surrealist Internet memes that emerged in early 2025
characterized by absurd images of AI-generated creatures who are given pseudo-
Italian names.[1][2] The phenomenon quickly spread across social media platforms
such as TikTok and Instagram, owing to its combination of synthesized "Italian"
voiceovers, grotesque and/or humorous visuals, abstractism, and nonsensical
narrative.[2][3]
Description
Italian brainrot is characterized by absurd images or videos created by generative
artificial intelligence. It typically features hybrids of animals with everyday objects,
food, and weapons.[4] They are given Italianized names or use stereotypical cultural
markers and are accompanied by AI-generated audio of an Italian man's narration,
which is often nonsensical.[5] The names of these characters often have
Italian suffixes, such as -ini or -ello.[6] These characters combine elements of
surrealism, visual anxiety (uncanny valley) and internet irony, reflecting the post-
ironic humor of Generation Z.[3]
The term brain rot was Oxford's Word of the Year in 2024, and refers to the
deteriorating effect on one's mental state when overconsuming "trivial or
unchallenging content" online. It can also to refer to the content itself. [7] Online users
often use this label to acknowledge the ridiculousness of Italian brainrot, while
recognising the growing amount of AI slop present online.[5] Fans have created
various stories featuring characters from Italian brainrot,[5][8] forming a type of
"Internet folklore" with overly dramatic storylines and voices.[9]
History
Precursor
A series of internet memes involving Dwayne
Johnson (pictured in 2013) are credited as the beginning of Italian brainrot.
In October 2023, Internet users created various Italian memes about American actor
and wrestler Dwayne Johnson in which he rhymes about absurd topics. In one video,
Johnson would use the nonsense word "Tralalero tralala", and would later rhyme it
with "smerdo pure nell'aldilà" ("I shit even in the afterlife"). The phrase would later be
used to create the basis of Italian brainrot.[10]
Creation
Although the exact origin of Italian brainrot is hard to pinpoint, the character Tralalero
Tralala is widely considered to be the first example of the trend.[5][11] The creation of
the character is often attributed to the TikTok user @eZburger401, who reportedly
posted a video featuring the character in January 2025. The user was banned after
posting, potentially due to its accompanying audio
containing profanity and blasphemy against God and Allah in Italian.[12][13] Later, user
@elchino1246 would post a video using Tralalero Tralala's audio, accompanied with
an image of a shark mixed with a pigeon.[11] Lastly, on 13 January 2025, user
@amoamimandy.1a would create a now deleted post using the audio, instead using
an AI-generated image of a shark with shoes. This video gained 7 million views.
[12]
Alternatively, American website Vulture claimed that TikTok user @burgermerda
created the audio in September 2024, and that @eZburger401 was merely a re-
uploader.[10]
Characters
Italian brainrot features various AI-generated characters. Several characters are
hybrids, often combining animals with everyday objects and various fruits.[4] Other
characters are combinations of pre-existing ones, resulting in excessively long
names.[14]
Tralalero Tralala
See also: Trallalero and Tra-la-la
The first viral character of the genre was Tralalero Tralala, a
three-"legged" shark in Nike sneakers.[5][15] Tralalero Tralala is described as athletic,
being able to run at superhuman speeds and having high jump lengths.[16]
Bombardiro Crocodilo
Bombardiro Crocodilo, a bomber with the head of a
crocodile
Bombardiro Crocodilo is a hybrid creature with the head of a crocodile and the
body of a World War II-era twin-engine bomber.[1][5][17] Closely related to it is a goose
with fighter jet wings named Bombombini Gusini.[6]
Tung Tung Tung Sahur
Tung Tung Tung Sahur, an anthropomorphic wooden
object who holds a baseball bat
Tung Tung Tung Sahur is an anthropomorphic wooden object closely resembling
a mugdar who holds a baseball bat.[18][unreliable source?] Although considered part
of Italian brainrot, it has Indonesian origin.[15] The 'Tung Tung Tung' in its name is
a onomatopoeia of how Indonesians traditionally beat bedug drums to
commence suhur, the pre-dawn meal that Muslims eat before fasting
during Ramadan.[18] The word "tung" also means rumbling
in Sundanese[19] @noxaasht originally made the character in February 2025, and it
has become its own meme outside the context of Italian brainrot.[20][21] In May 2025,
Indonesian production house Dee Company [id] expressed interest in making a film
based on it.[22]
Ballerina Cappuccina
Ballerina Cappuccina (or Cappuccina Ballerina) is a female ballerina wearing
a tutu and pointe shoes with a cappuccino mug as a head. The original meme
featured her pirouetting gracefully. She is married to a ninja named Cappuccino
Assassino,[15] who kidnapped her prior to their marriage, and also has a sister
named Espressona Signora.[23]
Other characters
This is not a comprehensive list; many other characters have been created.
Chimpanzini Bananini, a "chimpanzee" with a banana for
a body
Chimpanzini Bananini – an ape with a banana as a body, who has been
described as "indestructible" and considered one of the genre's "main
characters".[24]
Lirili Larila – a bipedal cactus-elephant hybrid wearing sandals who has the
ability to control time.[2][16][25]
Trippi Troppi – often depicted as a cat with a shrimp's body, though some
videos use the name to describe an obese bear with the head of a fish.[10][24] The
latter design has been nicknamed the "King of the Sea", having gained its
massive weight from eating everything it sees underwater.[24]
Reception
Fans created an online encyclopedia dedicated to documenting various Italian
brainrot characters.[8] The likenesses of some Italian brainrot characters have been
used to sell toys and NFTs.[10] Italian brainrot also inspired a variety of volatile meme
coins, such as "Italianrot", which was launched in March 2025.[26][27] Italian brainrot
gained notoriety in many regions such as the United States, South Korea,
and Germany.[13] Various brands have replicated the memes for use in marketing
content on social media.[8][13] Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán released a
TikTok video where a 3D model of Tung Tung Tung Sahur is seen dancing in a
government meeting.[19] In Italy, several newsstands began selling "Skifidol Italian
Brainrot Trading Card Games", inspired by the memes and commercialized for a
younger audience.[28] The release led to a noticeable rise in Gen Alpha consumers,
with L'Espresso comparing the surge to the popularity of Garbage Pail Kids cards
during their Italian debut.[29]
Polish radio channel Polskie Radio noted that the meme is popular
among Generation Alpha "because it's stupid, funny and veeeery [sic] addictive".
[25]
Polskie Radio highlighted how the meme has been adapted into other media, such
as Roblox games, musical remixes, and quizzes.[25] Radio France
Internationale would call the usage of pseudo-Italian names amongst characters "a
bit problematic".[30] Daily German newspaper Die Tageszeitung called Italian brainrot
a "creative approach to technology, language, and pop culture".[31]
Criticism
Tralalero Tralala and Bombardiro Crocodilo memes have been accused of
being Islamophobic, as lyrics of Tralalero Tralala videos mock Allah in Italian,
[a]
although some Italian users have pointed out that blasphemy is often used as a
filler word in Italian, and that the videos had no Islamophobic intent.[33] On the other
hand, Bombardiro Crocodilo has been criticized for making light of the Gaza
genocide, since some videos using his Italian narration describe the character
bombing children in Gaza and the rest of Palestine.[5][33] This has caused concerns
regarding topics such as casual cruelty and desensitization.[9] The full narration of
Bombardiro is as follows:
Original script (Italian)
Bombardiro Crocodilo, un fottuto alligatore volante, che vola e bombarda i bambini a
Gaza e in Palestina. Non crede in Allah, e ama le bombe. Si nutre dello spirito di tua
madre. E se hai tradotto tutto questo, allora sei uno stronzo. Non rompere la battuta,
prostituta.[34]
Translation
Bombardiro Crocodilo is a fucking flying alligator who drops bombs on children in
Gaza and Palestine. He doesn't believe in Allah and loves bombs. He feeds on your
mother's spirit, and if you've translated everything up to this point, you're a whore.
Don't ruin the joke, prostitute.[31][34]
See also
Comedy portal
Shitposting
YouTube Poop
AI slop
References
1. "Апогей брейнрота: Бомбардиро Крокодило и другие боевые ИИ-животные
захватили соцсети" [Brainrot's Apogee: Bombardiro Crocodilo and Other AI-
Battle Animals Take Over Social Media]. Afisha (in Russian). 27 March
2025. Archived from the original on 29 April 2025. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
2. ""Итальянский брейнрот": что это за мемы и почему они так
популярны" ["Italian Brainrot": What Are These Memes and Why Are They So
Popular]. Vechernyaya Moskva (in Russian). 16 April 2025. Retrieved 20
April 2025.
3. "Italian brainrot has taken over social media". Cybernews. 28 March
2025. Archived from the original on 18 April 2025. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
4. White, Robert (18 April 2025). "Is 'Italian brainrot' the stupidest internet trend
yet?". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 April 2025. Retrieved 29
April 2025.
5. Gupta, Alisha Haridasani (30 April 2025). "Meet Ballerina Cappuccina and the
Italian Brain Rot Crew". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the
original on 2 May 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
6. "Кто такие Бомбардиро Крокодило и Тралалело Тралала и почему TikTok
сошел по ним с ума". Gazeta.ru. 21 April 2025. Archived from the original on 2
May 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
7. "'Brain rot' named Oxford Word of the Year 2024". corp.oup.com. Oxford: Oxford
University Press. 2 December 2024. Archived from the original on 2 December
2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
8. "Italian brainrot on TikTok: Ballerina Cappuccina explained". nss g-
club. Archived from the original on 2 May 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
9. Darla, Alice (4 June 2025). "Italian Brainrot: Why Gen Alpha Is Obsessed with
Gibberish Sharks and Cappuccino Ballerinas". Neon Music. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
10. Zhan, Jennifer (29 May 2025). "The Italian Brain Rot
