WOne of Tim’s eighth graders inquired about his “favorite Italian brain rot animal,” leading to some confusion. “My hearing isn’t the best, so I probably had to ask her to repeat it four or five times,” he reflects.

Tim (not his actual name) was aware of the phrase “brain corruption.” According to Oxford University Press’s Words of the Year for 2024, but he was puzzled by the Italian reference.

After instructing the students to continue their work, he opened his laptop and turned to Google.

He learned that “Italian Brain Corruption” involves a series of absurd, AI-generated animal characters with ridiculous Italian names (like Bombomini Gusini and Trippi Troppi), often showcased in TikTok videos with rapid, nonsensical Italian narration.

Essentially, it’s a meme popular among the emerging Generation Alpha (born 2010-2025) and the younger Gen Z (mostly born 1997-2012). For older individuals—whether they are heavily engaged online or consider themselves meme enthusiasts—it might seem perplexing, as Tim discovered while browsing.

As he shared his findings, he appeared horrified. “This one is Chimpanzee Banana: it’s a hybrid of a chimpanzee and a banana. Bombardiro Crocodilo is a crocodile that resembles a bomber plane. There are also characters that are just cappuccinos with legs…”

That’s right, Ballerina Cappuccina: female ballet dancers are fused with coffee cups and often depicted in a relationship with Cappuccino Assassin (you can understand that).

“There’s a backstory to all these characters—lore,” Tim adds, pondering. “Some are even at war with each other, and there are songs about them.”

The kids in his class are intensely fascinated by it, unlike any trend Tim has seen before. “Once one person mentions it, the whole class starts buzzing. They’re obsessed with this Italian brain corruption.”

If you’re reading this and finding your own mind bewildered, it’s understandable. If you were born in a year that starts with a “1,” “Italian brain corruption” might not resonate with you.

However, its widespread popularity among the younger crowd is worth trying to understand, at least as a reflection of the evolution of online culture.

The first character to gain traction was Shark Sport Nike sneakers (three per fin); Torara Rotorarara. Shortly after, the voice of a male character first appeared, marking the start of Italian expressions on TikTok in early January.

New characters quickly proliferated on TikTok. Don Caldwell, Editor-in-Chief of Know Your Meme, identified Brr Brr Patapim as an example, describing it as a “material monkey that is also a tree.”

Notably, there’s also brain rot in Indonesia. Tung Tung Tung Sahur (“This features a stick figure on a bat, telling people to wake up for food during Ramadan”) and Boneca Ambalabu (“A frog with a tire and human legs”) are examples.

Both are accompanied by AI-generated voices that, much like their Italian counterparts, aim to confuse rather than clarify.

“Audio is just as crucial, if not more so than visuals,” Caldwell explains. “They really amp it up, like Tra-la-.lero! tra-la-laLA!—that quintessential Italian sound.”

Is this offensive to Italians? “It seems like Italians are in on the joke,” Caldwell suggests. “I don’t think it is.”

The attraction of Italian (and Indonesian) brain corruption isn’t about being derogatory or harmful—it’s simply absurd.

Caldwell, who has been engaged with memes for 15 years, admits he doesn’t track every fleeting online trend. “But I genuinely enjoy this,” he remarks. “In my view, it’s the better side of memes.”

The simplicity and speed of creating these videos using tools like ChatGPT have contributed to the meme’s popularity. Users can prompt their AI to visualize something like Bombardiro Crocodilo in their preferred settings. “No prior video editing skills are necessary, nor do you have to use your own voice,” Caldwell notes.

For adults apprehensive of AI advancements, the Italian brain corruption can feel like a harmless indulgence. “It’s a non-threatening application of AI that doesn’t induce existential dread.”

Naturally, young people don’t view it in such a serious light. They spend more time online from an earlier age, significantly influencing digital culture. “You’ve got a super online kid today,” Caldwell remarks. “They grew up around iPads and TikTok, creating content and dictating the biggest cultural trends of the moment.”

Before Italian brain rot, there was the Skibidi Toilet meme, which spread virally from YouTube in 2023, captivating the younger generation of Gen Z, with millions of views.

Tim recalls discussing it in class: “The kids adore it. The term ‘Skibidi’ is now embedded in Gen Z and Gen Alpha vernacular.”

However, its meaning isn’t straightforward and is steeped in ironic ambiguity. “It can signify something good, something bad, or something bizarre… When they refer to it as ‘Skibidi,’ it’s a positive thing, and they’re laughing at it simultaneously.”

Both Skibidi Toilets and Italian brain corruption resist clear definitions, stimulating youthful imaginations with surreal imagery and crude humor while leaving adults scratching their heads with their more subdued humor.

“AI Art” isn’t just a shortcut for older users primarily active on Facebook, Caldwell states. Ebies example (please check). It increasingly cultivates its own lexicon, customs, and meanings that often elude many adults.

It’s intriguing to hear people declare that past memes were superior. Examine the originality of templates such as distracted boyfriends and layered visual jokes demonstrating endless possibilities for meaning-making. However, Caldwell—a millennial himself—suggests that Italian brain corruption represents another evolution in human creativity. “AI produces images, and text-to-speech gives voice, but the humor originates from the real person behind the screen.”

Tim is skeptical, noting that when he sets creative writing tasks for his class, many leap straight into their favorite Italian brain-rotting creatures. “I worry that the AI generation lacks moments for spontaneous imagination, as AI does so much for them. I tell them, ‘This must be entirely our creation. I don’t want chimpanzees bananini.'”

Nevertheless, he has started incorporating the students’ enthusiasm for Italian brain corruption into his lesson plans. In a multiple-choice quiz, one of the options is Tung Tung Tung Sahur.

He now confidently addresses his eighth graders. “My favorite is Blueberrinni Octopussini,” he shares. “It’s an octopus blended with blueberries.”