If you’ve been scrolling TikTok recently, you may have seen videos captioned with “The Rabbit Got Me” — often accompanied by strange, whimsical, or even unsettling visuals. But what does it really mean? Here’s a simple guide to understanding this viral phrase, its origins, and why it’s trending.
Step 1: Understand the Phrase
At its core, “The Rabbit Got Me” is a phrase used to describe feeling overwhelmed, trapped, or mentally hijacked — often in a surreal or absurd way. It’s less about a literal rabbit and more about the sensation of being pulled into something bizarre or uncontrollable.
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On TikTok, it’s often paired with fast, glitchy edits, distorted sounds, or unexpected jumps to create a sense of chaos.
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Think of it as a digital metaphor for losing control of your attention or emotions.
Step 2: Recognize the Style of Videos
The TikToks featuring this phrase tend to share some common characteristics:
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Quick, jarring cuts or edits that feel slightly disorienting.
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Strange, whimsical visuals, sometimes including rabbits, distorted characters, or looping animations.
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Audio loops or manipulated sounds that add to the sense of being “caught” or overwhelmed.
Creators often use these elements to give viewers the feeling that they, too, are being “gotten” by the rabbit.
Step 3: Know the Origins
The trend likely originated from creepy or absurd internet meme culture, where phrases like this are used to evoke a mix of humor and unease.
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Early iterations included animated or stylized rabbits appearing suddenly in videos.
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Over time, it became a catchphrase for chaotic, overwhelming content, where viewers feel like they’ve fallen into a surreal scenario.
Step 4: Why It Resonates
“The Rabbit Got Me” resonates because it reflects a shared online experience:
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Relatable chaos: Many people feel swept away by TikTok’s endless, fast-moving feed.
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Absurd humor: The randomness of the phrase and videos adds a layer of comedic absurdity.
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Interactive engagement: Users often remix or recreate the style, adding their own twist on being “caught” by the rabbit.
Step 5: How to Use It Safely
If you want to join the trend:
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Use the phrase as a caption for whimsical or chaotic content.
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Pair it with funny, surreal, or slightly disorienting visuals to match the meme’s tone.
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Avoid creating content that’s genuinely frightening or harmful; the trend is meant to be playful, not traumatizing.
Step 6: The Broader Meaning
Beyond TikTok, “The Rabbit Got Me” can be seen as a metaphor for feeling lost or overwhelmed — a playful way to express confusion, absurdity, or the sensation of being carried away by life (or the internet).
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Like a rabbit hole, it represents being pulled into something unexpected and hard to escape.
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The trend highlights how digital culture creates shared inside jokes through short, viral content.
Final Thoughts
“The Rabbit Got Me” is TikTok’s latest way to capture the feeling of losing control — in a fun, chaotic, and sometimes surreal way. It’s part humor, part absurdism, and part social commentary on how fast, overwhelming, and strange life online can feel.
