Bobr Kurwa, also referred to as the Kurwa Bobr meme, refer to Polish videos in which people freak out at the sight of a beaver. “Bobr” means “beaver” in Polish while “kurwa” is their version of “f*ck.” Starting in the 2010s, it became a trend in Poland for young men to go out and make hysterical videos of beavers.
The meme spread to TikTok around 2023, where it got even weirder.
Meme basics:
- Meme Creator: Marcin Kalinowski
- Meme Type: Video
- First Appearance: April 12, 2014
- Origin Source: YouTube
- Used to Convey: Excitement about beavers
- Peak Popularity: March 2024
What is the Bobr Kurwa meme?
It started as a YouTube trend in the mid-2010s in which young Polish individuals, typically men, would find a beaver out in the wild or around town and start following it with a camera, shouting and often harassing it as it ambled toward its destination. Many of these excitable YouTubers ended up getting attacked in the process.
The men in these videos often shout some variety of “bobr kurwa,” which translates to “oh f*ck, a beaver.” They may also bellow something like “kurwa bobr” or use the word “bobrze,” which also means “beaver.”
Why are they doing this?
There doesn’t seem to be anything to the meme other than the silliness inherent in getting so worked up over an equally silly animal. Beavers are weird little guys, and as it turns out, also fairly aggressive if you bother them. Those teeth can cut through plenty more than wood.
Part of the reason for this trend likely has to do with the population explosion of the Eurasian beaver in the region. Europeans nearly hunted the species to extinction in the 19th century, but conservation efforts managed to save it from disappearing entirely. The population increase led to sightings of these large rodents in human cities.
Origins and spread
The earliest example of a Polish YouTube video that follows a beaver around is by Krowi, published on Oct. 5, 2012. However, the man filming is not shouting, laughing hysterically, or bothering the beaver like the trend demands. A more likely source of the meme could be Marcin Kalinowski, who posted a more appropriate beaver video on April 12, 2014.
Both videos feature the words “bobr” and “kurwa,” but in Kalinowski’s, he pets and grabs the animal while laughing and ends up getting bit. The video’s title translates to “Beaver in the city.”
Over the years, many more YouTube videos appeared along the same theme. Other Slavic nations got in on the trend, as shown in a 2018 compilation video with over a million views.
The Bobr Kurwa meme on TikTok
Starting in 2023, Bobr Kurwa videos made it to TikTok where they went viral among Slavic and English language speakers. One particularly popular entry, with 5.4 million views by user @mxtteo.ws, shows him picking up a wombat and declaring “bobr kurwa” to its baffled little face.
@mxtteo.ws #bober #w #dontflop #meme #fyp #foryoupage #fyp #fypシ #foryoupage @speti_wer_sonst @user06564063427 @Nico_11 @BMW 🤙💥 ♬ Originalton – mxtteo.ws
This video from Oct. 2, 2023, inspired musical remixes, one of which has now been featured in hundreds of additional videos. The trend gets more strange and abstract as it spreads, including more non-beaver animals and strange AI-generated footage.
@genuginternetfuerheut Bober Kurwa 😮💨🦫 #bober ♬ Originalton – GenugInternetFürHeute
@stepasha26rus бобер#bober ♬ Originalton – GenugInternetFürHeute
Bobr Kurwa meme examples
@sharko.clips “BOBER CURWA “😭#bober #bobercurwa #curwa ♬ original sound – M•C•S
@danilovzz Bober kurwa #fyp ♬ original sound – Danilovzz
More animal memes:
- November 15 brings us the Beaver Moon and its many Beaver Moon memes
- Honse: The horse meme with chunky proportions
- The rise of the Hampter
- 60 of the funniest cat memes on the internet
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