What ON EARTH is a ‘Skibidi Toilet’? Understanding Gen Alpha’s Weirdest Obsession
Hi! I’m Monica, a senior Communication and FIlm major at Fairfield University and IAFM intern to the lovely Chris & Paola. This month, for my Children as Media Consumers class, I was assigned to research a children’s television show or media outlet for one of my senior final project, and I decided to go big. Like, toilet-headed-human-singing-absurdly-into-the-camera big. I chose Skibidi Toilet, the viral YouTube series that’s supposedly “rotting kids’ brains,” and I was fully prepared to hate it. Instead? I was fascinated. No, I’m not a parent (not even close), BUT I believe that my research might be beneficial to all you parents out there that might know what I’m talking about…
From ‘Skibidi Toilet’ on YouTube.
If your kid is marching around the house shouting "Skibidi dop dop yes yes" while watching shaky, chaotic videos on loop, they’re probably under the spell of Skibidi Toilet. This internet fever dream, created by a Georgian animator who goes by DaFuq?!Boom!, started as a series of bizarre YouTube Shorts in 2023. It stars toilets with human heads battling humanoid figures with cameras and speakers for heads. It’s giving: absurd, unhinged, and weirdly catchy. But there's more to it than meets the eye (or ear).
Why Is This So Popular?
One word: chaos. Another word: community. Skibidi Toilet is like a meme that turned into a full-blown universe. Kids aren’t just watching it—they’re quoting it, remixing it, drawing fan art, and roleplaying characters on the playground. It’s become a secret club where the password is knowing what a "G-Toilet" is.
It also helps that adults don’t get it. That makes it even better for kids. It’s their thing, their language, their world. YouTube and TikTok are flooded with edits, theories, and re-creations made by kids themselves. They’re not just along for the ride; they’re driving it—in a pixelated tank shaped like a toilet.
So... Is It Actually Bad?
It depends who you ask. Some parents see it and panic. Others just want to know why their child keeps pretending the Alexa is a Skibidi enemy. The truth is, it’s not inherently bad—just very loud and very weird. Kids love repetition, chaos, and inside jokes. Skibidi Toilet is basically that in video form.
Yes, if your kid is watching it for five hours straight, it might be time to intervene. But as someone who used to binge SpongeBob and repeat the "CHOCOLATE!!!" episode until my mom lost her mind, I can confirm this is a generational tradition. One person’s brain rot is another’s core memory.
It’s also worth remembering that every generation had its "controversial" kids' content. Gen X grew up with Beavis and Butt-Head, which was blamed for all kinds of delinquency. Millennials had South Park and Ren & Stimpy, shows that were loud, crude, and wildly inappropriate (but also genius). Even Barney the Dinosaur had critics who called it brain-numbing. The truth is, kids' media has always pushed buttons, just with different characters and catchphrases.
How You Can Deal With It (Without Losing It)
Instead of banning it or rolling your eyes into another dimension, try this: sit down and ask your kid what the heck is going on. Ask them why it’s funny, who the characters are, and what they think will happen next. Odds are, you’ll get a passionate, slightly confusing response—but it might spark a real conversation about media, imagination, or at the very least, what not to name your next bathroom renovation.
Bottom Line: It’s Weird, But It’s Not the End of the World
Every generation has its “what are kids watching these days?!” moment. Gen X had Beavis and Butt-Head and MTV. Millennials had South Park, Ren & Stimpy, and Invader Zim. Gen Z (me) had Annoying Orange and Spongebob . Now Gen Alpha has Skibidi Toilet.
So next time your child starts Skibidi-dancing in the cereal aisle, don’t panic. You don’t need to understand it—just know that to them, it makes perfect sense. And who knows? The next media phenomenon might involve singing refrigerators or disco-dancing spatulas. You might miss the toilets when they’re gone. Probably not though LOL.
