Let's Hope the Laughing Baby Meme Isn't as Overused as TikTok Brainrot Characters

Every generation has a collection of memes that seem nonsensical and have origins that no one can really place. For the TikTok generation, new memes and mascots like brainrot characters are churned out quickly, and the laughing baby meme is another one that has users scratching their heads while also using it for their posts. But what does it mean, and where did it come from?

The meme is a quick video of a baby laughing, covering its mouth out of embarrassment for itself or for others, and then saying something. However, there is music playing, so you can't make out what the baby is actually saying. It seems to make little sense, but it's a meme that plenty of TikTok users are sharing, so chances are, you have seen it in your FYP or you will in the near future.

The meme is in black and white and starts off with a wide shot of a baby sitting and playing with something. The baby, said to be a boy by some users on TikTok, is wearing a white onesie and looks to be about 6 or 7 months old. Is that important? Not really. But the meme itself is so odd that all of the details sort of matter. Since the video is obviously AI, the baby also looks creepy.

As the camera zooms in on the baby, he looks up, then looks away briefly before smiling and holding a fist to his mouth, almost like he is about to read you with an insult. He then speaks, with his tongue darting out a few times. But, because of the polyphonic music playing in the background, it's unclear what he is saying.

One point of the baby laughing meme, though, seems to be to poke fun at someone or even make fun of yourself by writing on the screen or in the caption what the baby symbolizes for you. In one TikTok, text on the screen says, "Me checking my folder when my teacher is asking if I did the assignment that was due last week, knowing I haven't looked at it since."

Another way to use the meme is to point to someone trying to buddy up to you in a situation where they might want something you have. There are several videos with the laughing baby meme and mention of a friend or family member suddenly getting friendly with you once they hear or see that you have a snack, for example.

According to KnowYourMeme, the laughing baby meme originated when a user on a Chinese social media platform, Xiucai, posted a video of himself doing the exact same movements. Then, users on Instagram, including an account under the name of daily_upl, shared an altered version with the baby in place of the Chinese content creator.

The same account has other versions of the same AI baby doing other random acts, like dancing with long flowing hair, ripping off a onesie to show muscled abs, and dancing with drool coming out of his mouth. While there is footage on TikTok of someone that users claim is the man who shared the original video of himself singing and doing the same hand motions as the laughing baby emoji, it's still unclear how or why the baby was created in response to that.