Meaning
What does Wet Koala mean?
The term “Wet Koala” refers to an image of a wet koala bear in the tree which was later taken by someone and was photoshopped to make it look angry and rabid.
The hoax was later discovered, because the picture made it look like a real koala bear was attacking somebody.
The angry version became a meme for a few months but later it slowly disappeared then reappeared due to its linear context/usage.
Because it looks like it’s a picture from a horror movie it was used as a jump scare, but nowadays the original picture is used to show the disasters in Australia.
Origin
What's the origin of Wet Koala?
The original “Wet Koala” picture first appeared in 2012, then a few days later somebody photoshopped it to make it look angry.
The original picture only became know after the hoax about the modification of the picture was revealed.
Spread & Usage
How did Wet Koala spread?
“Wet Koala” is a well-known image on the internet and even with the hoax surrounding it, it is still known by a lot of people, thanks to the social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and chatting programs like discord.
You can find it as reaction gif’s or picture on most major image sharing sites like 9gag, but nowadays the original picture has been used to promote awareness of the wildfires in Australia.
External resources
- Huffpost – Wet Koala Photoshop: Hoax Picture Of Scary Marsupial Goes Viral
- Urban Dictionary – Wet Koala