About

Penguin Walking Toward Mountain or Nihilist Penguin, also known as Lonely Penguin, Wandering Penguin, Nietzschean Penguin or Werner Herzog’s Deranged Penguin, refers to a viral video originally from the 2007 Antarctica nature documentary Encounters at the End of the World by filmmaker Werner Herzog, which features a lone penguin disoriented and heading toward the interior of the Antarctic continent to its certain death. The clip initially garnered attention online as early as 2010, spreading over the following years.

Then, in early 2026, the clip of the bird became a prevalent meme and source for edits on TikTok and Instagram, typically paired with a pipe organ cover of Gigi D'Agostino’s Eurodance song "L'Amour Toujours," specifically a performance of it by German organist Andreas Gärtner. The combination of the somber, religious-sounding music and the penguin’s stoic march into oblivion is commonly used in memes with text captions to express feelings of existential dread and giving up, or the urge to abandon society.

As the meme continued to spread in late January 2026, the official White House and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) social media accounts then shared versions of the penguin meme featuring U.S. President Donald Trump and other political elements. The posts drew controversy online and also garnered media coverage, primarily the version with Trump that was a reference to his administration's push to acquire Greenland at the time.

Origin

Encounters at the End of the World Penguin Footage

The clip of the solitary Adélie penguin walking away from its colony and the ocean, heading toward the distant mountains, originates from the documentary Encounters at the End of the World, released on September 1st, 2007, and directed by acclaimed German filmmaker Werner Herzog.

In the scene, which takes place roughly an hour and 13 minutes into the film, Herzog narrates a segment about penguin insanity. He asks a silent ecologist if penguins ever experience mental instability. The documentary then shows a penguin that refuses to enter the water, instead turning toward the center of the continent (a 5,000-KM or 3,107-mile march to certain death). Herzog’s narration famously states:

"But he would not … he is heading towards the mountains. But why? … He will head towards the interior of the vast continent, with 5,000 kilometers ahead of him, and he’s heading towards certain death."

The full documentary was uploaded to the Antarctic Digital Heritage YouTube^[5] channel on November 2nd, 2020, receiving over 350,000 views, 7,900 likes and 440 comments in five years.

"L'Amour Toujours" Organ Cover Song

The song typically used in the Lonely Penguin memes that emerged online in early 2026 is the high-energy Eurodance track "L'Amour Toujours" (I'll Fly With You) by Italian DJ Gigi D'Agostino, originally released on August 21st,1999. It is a high-energy Eurodance track.

However, the more specific version used in the memes comes from a cover of "L'Amour Toujours" by organist Andreas Gärtner. On January 17th, 2023, the YouTube^[6] channel Cornelia Schünemann uploaded a video of Gärtner playing the club anthem on a massive church organ in Hamburg, Germany. The juxtaposition of the instrument and the rave classic notably went viral on its own before the penguin meme, amassing over 1.8 million views, 72,000 likes and 5,260 comments in three years.

Early Usage in the 2010s

The "Deranged Penguin" or "Nihilist Penguin" clip initially circulated online for years during the 2010s as a standalone "sad" or "existential" video, often shared on Reddit to discuss the harsh realities of nature.

The earliest known usage of the moment from Encounters at the End of the World being dubbed the "Deranged Penguin" comes from a YouTube^[7] upload by user krisandmaxi on November 3rd, 2008, which garnered over 652,000 views, 5,600 likes and 580 comments in 17 years.

The "Deranged Penguin" video was then shared to the subreddit /r/Frisson^[8] on August 10th, 2013, though it did not receive significant engagement.

On August 21st, 2015, YouTuber^[4] Seppe uploaded the isolated clip of the penguin from Encounters at the End of the World under the title "Nihilist Penguin," receiving over 1.9 million views, 60,000 likes and 3,420 comments in roughly 10 years.

It was also posted to the /r/natureismetal^[9] subreddit by Redditor joetravers on May 26th, 2016, titled "Werner Herzog narrates the tale of a penguin who abandons reason and marches towards oblivion," garnering over 60 upvotes and 10 comments in roughly 10 years.

Spread

2026 Resurgence and Meme Trend

While the clip of the penguin from Encounters at the End of the World was shared to TikTok^[10] as early as late 2024, it did not go viral and become a meme until mid-January 2026.

The earliest known meme using the clip in 2026 on TikTok comes from an edit by TikToker^[11] natur_gamler uploaded on January 16th, 2026, which received over 192,200 likes and 910 comments in six days. The edit notably includes Werner Herzog's narration and the organ cover of the song "L'Amour Toujours," making it the first known example combining the two elements of the 2026 meme trend.

The meme continued to spread on TikTok in mid-to-late January 2026 as other users on the platform edited the penguin clip and made memes referencing the "Lonely Penguin."

For instance, on January 17th, TikToker^[12] mobi.lek posted another example that also used the organ music, garnering over 1.5 million likes and 6,000 comments in five days.

That same day, TikToker^[13] demon__clips0 uploaded an AI video edit and meme, notably featuring the "But Why?" text that also became associated with the penguin memes, receiving over 153,000 likes and 1,030 comments in five days.

The Lonely Penguin memes then spread to other sites and social media platforms leading into late January 2026, such as Instagram, Reddit and Facebook.

For example, on January 20th, 2026, Instagram^[1] user 4lexfilm posted an edit that featured the penguin clip and footage of themselves traveling around the world, accumulating over 84,600 likes in two days.

Later that day, the Instagram^[2] account westernshift used the footage in an anti-immigration post about "saving Europe" alongside a quote from German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, garnering over 16,500 likes in a similar timeframe.

Also on January 20th, Instagram^[3] user trinchera_dialectica shared a similar edit using the documentary clip with a Nietzsche quote in Spanish, receiving nearly 39,000 likes in two days.

That same day, the Facebook^[14] page History Cool Kids uploaded a caption meme using a still from the documentary with a quote from Werner Herzog about the scene, garnering over 350 likes, 100 comments and 60 shares in two days.

On January 21st, 2026, amid the meme's rise to prevalence online, Redditor Tommxp made a post to the /r/GenZ^[15] subreddit inquiring about the "lonely penguin meme" and asking for an explanation. The post received roughly 30 upvotes and 20 comments, with Redditor ExcitableSarcasm answering with the top-voted reply:

It's about seeking something greater than yourself I guess. Like how Alexander the Great despite all his conquests kept searching for Oceanus at the end of the world.

The penguin meme is also frequently used in comment sections of various posts on sites like Instagram and TikTok, usually as a reaction image or GIF.

For example, on January 21st, Instagram user gif_name_ posted an edit including a compilation of comments being left on Instagram that featured the AI-generated version of the penguin meme, garnering over 290,000 views in 18 hours.

On January 22nd, 2026, Redditor superblaubeere27 posted a Trolley Problem meme about the penguin to the /r/dankmemes^[16] subreddit, garnering nearly 1,000 upvotes and 20 comments in 24 hours.

"Be The Penguin" / "Be That Penguin" Trend

Amid the Nihilist Penguin meme's rise online, another trend emerged referencing it in which social media users shared motivational videos and images of themselves doing bold or adventurous things with text captions such as "Be That Penguin," "Be The Penguin," "Be That Damn Penguin" or "Be The Damn Penguin," among other variations.

For instance, on January 19th, 2026, TikTok^[17] user richinnature.tv posted a clip of a man walking on a tall snowy mountain with the camera panning the landscape and the caption, "Be that penguin." The post received over 390,000 likes and 620 comments in a week.

On January 21st, TikToker^[18] andrewcm9 uploaded a video of someone on top of a mountain in the Scottish Highlands with the caption, "Be the damn penguin," garnering over 3.3 million likes and 4,200 comments in five days.

Donald Trump, White House and DHS Penguin Memes

On January 23rd, 2026, the official White House Twitter / X^[19] and Instagram^[20] accounts shared a Nihilist Penguin meme that depicted an AI-generated photo of a penguin holding an American flag next to U.S. President Donald Trump with Greenland's flag planted in the background near mountains with the caption, "Embrace the penguin." The post referenced the Trump administration's push to acquire Greenland that was prominent at the time of the meme's circulation.

The Twitter post garnered over 60.9 million views and 225,000 likes in three days, and the Instagram post garnered over 432,000 likes in two days.

The posts quickly sparked controversy online in late January 2026, as well as media coverage. Many social media users notably mocked the post and pointed out the fact that penguins live almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere and not in the northern hemisphere, where Greenland is located.^[21]

Later on January 23rd, the official DHS Twitter^[22] account (DHSgov) also shared a version of the meme with the caption, "Americans have always known 'why,'" receiving over 5.1 million views, 41,000 likes and 2,300 replies in three days.

Various Examples

Templates

Search Interest

External References