00:00Russian memes featuring a pair of pantsless Spongebob's have become the
00:07latest niche obsession on TikTok. Internet users outside of Russia have
00:10finally caught on to the Tocha heart emoji meme, but they remain as confused
00:14as their Russian counterparts as to what the meme actually means. Still, the memes
00:17continue to delight brain rot enthusiasts who have begun pitting Tocha up against
00:21Pui, a similarly nonsensical minion potato hybrid creature. Here's our best
00:25attempt at deciphering the meme and it's spread online this month. Tocha
00:28sometimes spelled Toter or Tocha features two naked Spongebob's grinning as
00:31they walk side by side. The image first hit TikTok in early September 2025 when a
00:35TikToker posted a meme montage ending with the two Spongebob's and the caption
00:39Tocha heart emoji. The clip reached two million plays in two weeks.
00:42Chronically online users instantly recognized the genre of meme as brain rot
00:46and how it's mostly nonsensical, endlessly repeatable, and yet strangely hypnotic.
00:50Like Italian brain rot animals or German brain rot, Tocha shows that absurdist
00:53humor is great at transcending language. The Spongebob's often appear opposite
00:56another Russian favorite, Pui, a potato minion hybrid whose squat, rounded
01:00body resembles the 2010s mobile game mascot Pui. On September 3rd, TikToker
01:03at Kuznichala uploaded a clip chanting both Tocha and Pui to highlight the meme's absurdity.
01:08Pui, Pui, Pui, Tocha, Tocha Pui, Pui, Tocha.
01:16By September 6th, creators had started remixing the visuals. TikToker at Nukemost unveiled a 3D
01:21animation of the pantsless Tocha bobs, racking up two million plays and 120,000 likes in a week.
01:26By September 13th, TikTokers had begun using Tocha to flex about their niche meme knowledge,
01:30as seen in a video by at Julian Welsh 7 where American musician Kirk Franklin eats a green apple,
01:35alongside text that reads,
01:37How I feel being on Tocha while my class isn't even on W speed.
01:40As niche memes like Tocha keep popping up, it's clear that absurdist humor will keep finding new ways
01:45to transcend borders and confuse everyone equally. Like this video and give us a follow for more
01:51about memes and internet culture.
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