All There Is to Know About the Nihilist Penguin Meme

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Learn why this lonely penguin went viral in early 2026

Co-authored by Amy Bobinger, BA

Last Updated: January 30, 2026 Fact Checked

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Trend Overview

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What does it mean to “Be The Penguin?”

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Story Behind the Penguin Meme

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Origin & Spread

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Controversy

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Video

If you’ve been seeing penguins all over your FYP, you’re not alone—the “Be The Damn Penguin” trend (also known as the Nihilist Penguin) is one of the first to dominate in 2026, and it’s absolutely taken over. Even the White House has gotten in on the meme. Wondering what it’s all about? We’ve got you covered! We’re breaking down the meme, including what it means, the story behind the penguin, and how it turned into a meme.

What is the “Be The Damn Penguin” trend?

The “Be The Damn Penguin” trend refers to a penguin that wanders away from its colony in Werner Herzog’s 2007 documentary Encounters at the End of the World. The memes often use the penguin as inspiration to stop following the crowd, but because the penguin likely died, critics question whether the meme is insensitive.

Section 1 of 5:

“Be The Damn Penguin” Trend: Overview

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The trend is based on a meme of a penguin wandering away from its colony. While the other penguins are heading to the sea or their nests, this penguin dashes away towards the wilderness. The clip, which was first posted to TikTok by @natur_gamler in January 2026, is often called “Nihilist Penguin,” “Lonely Penguin,” or “Penguin walking toward mountain.” It’s typically used to encourage viewers to forge their own path in life—or to “Be The Penguin,” as it were.
- The penguin was heading towards certain death, which adds a layer of controversy to the trend. Its usage for political purposes deepened its controversial association.
- The penguin meme, which became popular in January 2026, is often paired with Andreas Gartner’s pipe organ cover of the song “L’Amour Toujours” by Gigi D’Agostino.
- The penguin clip was taken from the 2007 Werner Herzog documentary Encounters at the End of the Earth.

Section 2 of 5:

What does it mean to “Be The Penguin?”

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To “Be The Penguin” means to bravely follow your dreams. “Being the Penguin” means breaking away from the crowd and taking risks to fulfill your dreams, being a free thinker, and remaining brave even when you don’t know what’s ahead of you. It’s usually meant to be motivational, like this video from YouTuber @real_benjammin, captioned “A Penguin Can’t Be Your Motivation,” featuring a clip of someone lifting, followed by “The penguin in question,” with the Nihilist Penguin clip narrated by Herzog.
- It also sometimes represents frustration with society, embodying the desire to walk away from it all.
- Some people use the “Be The Penguin” meme more literally, combining it with video and photographs taken in the mountains, like this Instagram post from @muzakirrrrr captioned “Me & my boys after watching that damn penguin,” or this TikTok from @andrewcm9 that simply says “Be the damn penguin.”

Section 3 of 5:

Story Behind the Penguin Meme

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The meme is inspired by a 2007 documentary about Antarctica. Near the end of Herzog’s documentary Encounters at the End of the Earth, a group of penguins is heading to the sea to hunt for food, while others remain with the colony. As Herzog narrates, “These penguins are all heading to the open water to the right, but one of them caught our eye, the one in the center. He would neither go towards the feeding grounds at the edge of the ice nor return to the colony. Shortly afterwards, he saw him heading towards the mountains, some 70 kilometers away.”^{[1]
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- Herzog adds, “Dr. Inley explained that even if he caught [the penguin] and brought him back to the colony, he would immediately head right back for the mountains. But why?”
- He later posits that penguins that wander away from the colony may be “disoriented or deranged.”
- You can watch the entire documentary on YouTube—the penguin clip is at about the 1h 13m mark.

Section 4 of 5:

Origin & Spread of the “Be The Penguin” Meme

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The first Nihilist Penguin meme was posted on January 15, 2026. The Herzog documentary was released in 2007, and clips of the penguin have circulated online since 2010. But they never really gained traction until January 15, 2026, when TikToker @nature_gamler posted the clip in question, accompanied by the song “L’Amour Toujours.” It spread quickly, racking up over 400K likes in less than two weeks.
- On January 17, TikToker @demon__clips0 posted a version of the video captioned “The penguin is still going,” adding the iconic “But why…” text that’s become a hallmark of the meme trend.
- Other users began posting their own variations, like this TikTok from @am__2499 that ends with clips of characters going into battle or dangerous situations, including Iron Man, WALL-E, Ragnar from Vikings, and Rick from The Walking Dead.
- Like any good TikTok meme, variations became increasingly unhinged, like this video from @katesjamboree where she applies a makeup look inspired by an icy mountainscape, complete with a tiny penguin on her forehead.

Section 5 of 5:

Why is the Nihilist Penguin meme controversial?

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The meme’s deeper connotations and political associations have drawn criticism. The penguin in the original video clip almost certainly died as a result of leaving its colony. Some people feel that it’s insensitive to use a creature’s destruction as motivational inspiration. Additionally, some uses of the meme have raised eyebrows:
- On January 20, 2026, an Instagram post from @westernshift paired the Nihilist Penguin clip with this caption: “‘I know of no better life purpose than to perish in attempting the great and the impossible’ - Friedrich Nietzsche. Save Europe,” along with hashtags like #immigration and #remigration.
  - Why it’s controversial: The anti-immigration stance in this and other posts raises concerns that the meme is being appropriated as a white supremacist dog whistle.
- On January 23, 2026, the official @WhiteHouse account on Twitter/X posted a version of the Nihilist Penguin meme captioned “Embrace the penguin.” The post shows Donald Trump walking alongside a penguin that is holding an American flag. The pair head into mountains marked with Greenland’s flag—a reference to President Trump’s attempt to procure Greenland for the US.
  - Why it’s controversial: Trump’s political stance on Greenland was controversial from the start. But politics aside, it’s worth noting that penguins primarily live in the Southern Hemisphere and are not found in Greenland.
- The same day, the Department of Homeland Security posted the Nihilist Penguin to its Twitter/X account @DHSgov, captioned, “Americans have always known ‘why,’” along with images of the President and US military.
  - Why it’s controversial: In this case, the meme feels a lot like propaganda, and any time a meme is borrowed for political purposes, it makes it a little less fun.