In early 2014, Redditor CarlPeligro made a brief comment on a photo of a raccoon: "Raccoons = trash pandas."
The description stuck and the term "trash panda" has permeated across Reddit, Imgur, and Instagram alike, resulting in the creation of a subreddit devoted entirely to "trash pandas." But now the meme has really hit the mainstream.
In "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," Chris Pratt's character Peter Quill calls Rocket a "trash panda" after he protests being called a raccoon. When asked if "trash panda" is better or worse, Quill laughs and says, "it's so much worse."
This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in.For those unaware of this loveable raccoon nickname, you're in for a real treat. Let's dive into the weird world of "trash pandas."
A lot of submitted posts on /r/trashpandas are original photos.
This one was captioned: "Trash panda I found in the garbage bin at work...I let him out."
The term "trash panda" was likely derived from the name Red Panda.
Despite their name, Red Pandas are not related to panda bears. They actually belong to their own taxonomic category called Ailuridae.
"Trash Pandas" makes sense because raccoons share the black and white coloring of panda bears, but are similar in size and shape to a red panda. They also love trash.
This gif was tagged #trashpanda on Imgur.
This photoshopped pic is titled: "Hot Topic employee proposes to lower middle class trashpanda. Love knows no bounds."
Redditor CrapPaintJob created the altered photo, but user greyhound4 added the title for /r/trashpandas.
The "Trash Pandas" subreddit is almost two years old.
"Thank you human for this offering!"
But new Redditors discover it everyday.
"Trash Panda in their natural habitat."
A college student posted this one: "Trash Panda on the monorail."
Custom artwork has even started cropping up.
Redditor /u/breakb0t drew this original design.
This baby "trash panda" was adopted by a Redditor's neighbor.
Redditor /u/2Guard added background info in the comment section. "Maybe interesting to know: My neighbors got this little guy from a forest ranger who found him all alone in the woods. She nurtures wild animals and kept him for a few months."
Some "trash pandas" come in groups.
Remember the dead Toronto raccoon who went viral?
If not, read this explainer from BuzzFeed. The gist is, a raccoon was found dead and lots of Canadians began memorializing it right on the sidewalk.
A week after the raccoon was removed, this tombstone was placed in the same spot — calling the raccoon a trash panda.
It reads: "RIP In Peace Trash Panda."
Clearly, "Trash Pandas" have moved beyond Reddit and into the real world. These custom Coke bottles were posted on Instagram:
And most recently, in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." Watch the scene below with Peter Quill and Rocket:
The subscriber count for /r/trashpandas is 32,000 and counting.
If this slide show wasn't enough, you can find more "trash pandas" on Reddit.
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