An infamous quote going viral on TikTok proves Vine never really died

An 8-year-old Vine meme is recirculating on TikTok. It’s both wholesome and hilarious. 

If you’re wondering why everyone on your FYP is asking, “What the dog doin’?,” there’s actually a perfectly logical explanation. A viral 2014 Vine video featuring the phrase is making the rounds on the internet again. Here’s everything you need to know to keep up with the evolving meme. 

What does “What the Dog Doin’?” mean on TikTok

The phrase harks back to near-ancient internet history: 2014. On Apr. 14, 2014, the Vine user @tonybakercomedy shared a (since-deleted) Vine called “When You Pull Out Mints In Public.” 

The video features a man whipping out of a tin of mints. Several passersby stop and ask him for one. The camera then cuts to people’s hands reaching into the mint tin, only for a dog’s paw to show up, too. 

One of the men asks, “What the dog doin’?” to hilarious effect. 

“What the Dog Doin’?” meme resurfaces in 2019

On Feb. 1, 2019, the Twitter user @stacksbreadup re-shared the video saying, “I’ve been looking for this video for years.”

This created renewed interest in the meme, which eventually became popular on TikTok. 

TikToker @.telemachus re-shared the Vine video with his own narration, borrowing the effect of Shakespearean language. 

“In the name of thy lord, what unprecedented action is this domesticated canine, commonly referred to as a dog?” he said

In a video featuring the dog Beans, his pet owner said, “They always ask, ‘What the dog doin’? but never, ‘How the dog doin’?” 

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