US EditionItalian Brainrot: the AI Memes only Kids Know
GLOBAL, AUG 10 – Italian Brainrot's AI characters inspire viral rap videos with over 116 million views and fuel a global merchandise market reaching Tokyo shops, embraced mainly by Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
- On August 7, 2025, a Tokyo, Japan, shop began selling small bags of Italian Brainrot merchandise, including Frulli Frulla figures.
- This year, shouty Italian voiceovers began spreading on TikTok, embraced by Gen Z and Gen Alpha members, alongside bizarre AI characters like a shark in sneakers and a ballerina with a mug head.
- Generating hundreds of millions of views, YouTube videos include 'Brainrot Rap' with 116 million and 'Learn to Draw 5 Crazy Italian Brainrot Animals' with 320 million.
- Critics warned that the generation gap will persist as Oriza Sativa, Jakarta-based clinical psychologist, said many parents are not tech-savvy enough to spot dangers in adult content.
- Building on its popularity, Mementum Lab, the Paris-based collective, says a multi-level marketing economy has emerged targeting Italian Brainrot's audience via ads and merchandise.
16 Articles
16 Articles
A shark in basketball, a ballerina with a milk coffee head: the planetary phenomenon started in January on the social network TikTok, carried by the enthusiasm of the younger generations.
Tokyo, Japan. In a shop of trinkets in Tokyo, there is an exhibitor dedicated to strident and often absurd characters: the Italian Brainrots, protagonists of videos shared millions of times on the internet by teenagers. All of them generated by artificial intelligence.Among these strange viral stars are a shark with huge sneakers, a gorilla with the body of a peeled banana or a “Ballerina Cappuccina” with a cup of coffee per head.While the Itali…
In a shop of trinkets in Tokyo, a display is dedicated to Cree and often absurd characters: the Italian Brainrots, hero of videos shared billions of times online by teenagers. All generated by artificial intelligence. ...
In a shop of trinkets in Tokyo, a display is dedicated to horrendous and often absurd characters: the "Italian Brainrots".
New Strait Times
Italian Brainrot: The AI memes only kids know
TOKYO: In a Japanese shop selling pocket-money trinkets, there is a rack of toys, stickers and keyrings based on a global crew of AI-generated characters that almost every child knows about – and very few adults. © New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
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