Remember When Pizza Rat Stole Our Hearts?
Remember what life was like on September 21, 2015? Chances are you don't, but we bet Pizza Rat does. According to Weather Underground, it was a warm day with a slight summer breeze when Pizza Rat rose to fame as the most resourceful, albeit disgusting, rodent to ever grace the steps of any NYC subway station. Comedian Matt Little found true gold when he spotted and filmed said rat attempting to carry an entire slice of pizza down the stairs (via YouTube). Little can be heard advising the rat, "Live your best life," and we couldn't agree more.
To say the video went viral is a massive understatement. Everyone from Gawker to CNN picked up the story, and the Washington Post even used the video's overtaking of the internet as an example for how such stories go viral (the most viral of all videos, if you will). It appears as if, for a short time, there was even an online quiz dedicated to helping lowly individuals like ourselves determine if we are worthy of Pizza Rat status. "He appears poised to complete the descent and return to his squalid rat hole with his unnecessarily large prize — an inspiring demonstration of the grit and determination one needs to make it in New York City," observed an Intelligencer article.
We still love you, Pizza Rat
Social media went wild. "Obsessed with #PizzaRat," Andy Cohen tweeted succinctly, but others were more elaborate in portraying their adoration of this sewer-dwelling influencer. Some saw insight into the rat's representation of all things New York, giving birth to the Pizza Rat "Believe In Your Dreams" meme. Some didn't see past how revolting this whole scenario really is, like one user who tweeted, "so excited my ex-boyfriend has at last found internet fame." Others saw comparisons to Master Splinter, per Know Your Meme, bringing home dinner for his four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
And so, for a short time, the Big Apple rallied alongside this determined and relatable little rat, out there like the rest of us trying to snag a slice and make a name for himself in the busy streets of Manhattan. A rat that, if anything, found humbleness with fame, explaining to us lesser pizza minions on his very own Twitter account, "Wasn't trying to make a statement, humans. Just trying to get some damn pizza down some subway stairs." Pizza Rat, as one Instagrammer wrote, we truly were "#Blessed" to know you.