Have you stumbled across online accounts talking about ‘OWA OWA’? Have you overheard talk about an old chihuahua on TikTok? Have you heard someone say ‘OWA OWA’ out loud?

Well then you have probably accidentally run into some ‘pudgywoke’ fans!

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then let me give you the run-down.

Pudgywoke is a user and creator on the social media platform, TikTok. The account focuses on Pudgy, an old black and white chihuahua that instead of barking makes a noise that people coined as ‘OWA OWA’. Pudgy’s owner Malachy James runs the account and is featured alongside as the one to ask audience questions to his dog so he can answer the way he knows best: by giving a good ol’ ‘OWA OWA’.

The profile currently has videos that date back to December 5, 2020. Over the course of four months, the account has garnered a total of 11.7 million followers. 

The account’s most viral video to date has been a December 26 TikTok that has gotten a total of 67.1 million views with 16.3 million likes and 265.9 thousand shares. 

The account continues to attract an average of 5 million views per video.

So what’s the big deal? Why do so many people like these videos of this old dog so much?

It’s simple: it feels like an ongoing joke that’s easy to follow along.

In the current internet culture that we’re in, everything that can be quoted, recreated and shared becomes something of an ongoing joke for people, especially if it’s harmless fun. 

Gen Z has been the most prominent demographic involved in the popularizing of this TikTok account and it makes sense.

If you say ‘OWA OWA’ out loud or share one of the videos with the little chihuahua in it, everybody understands and thinks it’s funny.

Quoting or reenacting jokes and memes has become an innate thing for most young people that are on social media. Think of how many references to memes or even Vine videos from the early 2010s there are on the web. 

Everything about internet humor has become about being able to easily digest and share content, making this simple content an easy hit for many.

Seeing a little chihuahua make a funny noise and attacking his owner’s earbud microphone is something that anybody can laugh at since it’s a fun little joke.

It seems like this little dog has become a unifying force for many who are on the social media app.

I’m not sure if pudgywoke will prevail and remain a big part of internet meme culture but all I know for sure is one thing. Little man can really give a good OWA OWA.

Featured Image by Lucero Lopez