Lila’s TikTok follower count hovered at 42 when she stumbled on the “Sloth Shimmy” trend. The video showed a guy in a banana costume moonwalking while balanced on a stability ball. “This is gonna blow up,” Lila whispered to her best friend, Marco, who was mid-bite into a double cheeseburger.
“You’re gonna need more than a banana costume,” Marco said, grease dripping down his chin. “Try adding a penguin. Everyone loves penguins.”
Two hours later, Lila stood in her bedroom, wearing a thrift-store raccoon outfit and juggling three tennis balls while attempting the Sloth Shimmy. The stability ball rolled into her closet. The tennis balls hit her face. Her dog, Biscuit, began howling.
“This is not a trend,” Lila yelled, as the ball knocked over a lamp. “This is a disaster!”
But then—something happened. Her chaos got 10k views. A teen in Ohio started doing the “Raccoon Rumble.” A YouTuber in Japan filmed himself doing the “Tennis Ball Tango.” Lila’s follower count hit 10,000.
“We’re famous,” Marco said, now wearing a hat made of duct tape.
Lila stared at her screen. The Sloth Shimmy had gone viral. But her version? A chaotic mix of raccoon, tennis balls, and Biscuit’s backup vocals.
“Maybe,” she said, “we’re the original trend.”
The next day, the Sloth Shimmy was replaced by the “Biscuit Boogie.” Lila’s follower count hit 1 million.
“I think we’re gonna need a penguin,” Marco said.
