Russian memes about a round bird with a wild head of hair named "Skebob" are leaking across TikTok FYPs everywhere, and some people are a little confused.

The Skebob meme has been floating around in Russia for a while as "СКЕБОБ," but now, thanks to AI, it's becoming a major phenomenon on North American TikTok.

So, where exactly did the Skebob meme come from, and why is it going viral right now? Here's what you need to know.

What Is The 'Skebob' Meme?

Skebob, or СКЕБОБ as he's known in Russia, is a gourd sculpture of a bird by artist Jenn Norpchen. She posted a photo of the sculpture on her Pinterest page in December 2017, where she describes it as a "crow."

A selection of other pieces of gourd art can be seen on her Pinterest page, but Skebob appears to be the standout piece as far as the internet is concerned.

It's not really confirmed when the bird earned the nickname "Skebob," but the earliest known meme to attribute the name to the sculpture was posted as the album cover for Russian SoundCloud artist Erosion's 2024 song "4Foam plaster Klubnyak 2008." The image macro, which simply shows the bird under the word "СКЕБОБ," started to spread over the next few months.

How Is 'Skebob' Used In Memes?

In May 2025, a few Skebob memes started going viral on TikTok, including one that starts with a fake text from rapper Kanye West talking badly about Skebob, followed by a compilation of Skebob memes.

In June, the Skebob meme grew to new heights when TikTokers started using AI to bring the bird to life.

These memes take the image of Skebob and use AI to thrust him into different scenarios. Some viral examples include a video of Skebob running on top of a train, a video of him firing a tank and a video of him screaming and getting a cake dropped on his head.

Pretty much anything goes, and the more absurd, the better.

What Are Some More 'Skebob' Memes?

---

For the full history of Skebob / СКЕБОБ, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.