First Thailand, now the world – Trash Dove is everywhere. We asked the creator, Syd Weiler, about the sticker that is all over Facebook comment threads

If you spend any time in the comments section of big Facebook pages, you may have seen a purple bird headbanging in the comments.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The headbanging Trash Dove, as seen on Facebook. Photograph: Syd Weiler

Meet the Trash Dove, a little cartoon bird that has begun taking over Facebook. It comes from a sticker set made by the artist Syd Weiler, an Adobe Creative resident. It was initially created for the iOS10 sticker store, and was released on Facebook at the end of January.

Syd Weiler’s Trash Dove Facebook messenger stickers. Photograph: Facebook

There’s a Trash Dove for every situation: detective Trash Dove, bread enthusiast Trash Dove, business Trash Dove ...

People on Facebook use stickers the same way they use emojis, either on Messenger or in comments on posts. As noted by meme database Know Your Meme, Trash Dove exploded in popularity after it was featured alongside a dancing cat on a Thai Facebook page with millions of followers:

The bird was all over Thailand’s internet, with its rise to memedom covered by a number of news outlets. It featured in more videos:

And merged with other memes, such as #Saltbae:

Shauna Lynn (@shaunaparmesan) All of Thailand currently. @SydWeiler #trashdoves pic.twitter.com/N5m8NT6BlN

Now, the hype is catching on elsewhere. Big Facebook sites are full of Trash Doves:

Comments on news outlets, meme pages or any big Facebook page are absolutely full of them.

Screenshot of a Trash Dove in the wild. Photograph: Facebook

And it’s even seeping into real life, with some quick turnaround Trash Dove cosplay:

Weiler, who regularly draws live for her audience on her Twitch channel, designed the doves while sketching some pigeons on her summer travels. She told the Guardian: “Pigeons are such strange birds, they have very beautiful mottled, shimmery feathers, but they waddle around and bob their heads and beg for crumbs. They’re like beautiful doves, except they eat trash.”

The pack has been available on the Apple app store since September. But on Thursday, she woke up to a slew of notifications, plus her face plastered on the websites of various news outlets in Thailand.

“I didn’t really understand it, but it seemed like a lot of people were really loving my work, and that’s a great feeling as an artist.”

Internet fame can often be a double-edged sword – viral attention seems like a great thing to have, but comes with pitfalls. While Weiler acknowledged the good parts, she also noted the darker side of the attention.

“I’m a quiet homebody – I like to sit at my desk and draw, and play video games. Overnight, I was flooded with attention, and that has only sped up for five days now,” she said. “The fan art and nice comments have been the highlight for me, but I’m amazed at how mean people can be to someone they’ve never met, because of something silly online. I didn’t ask for or sign up for any of this, but many people are blaming me, and I’ve even received some threats.”

As a result, Weiler said she has learned a lot about internet security and the importance of two-step verification on her account. “Everyone always talks about ‘going viral’ as a great thing, but I don’t think I’d wish it on another artist. It’s better to spend time building a dedicated viewer base that will support you for you.”

On a more positive note, Weiler is looking ahead to future projects, specifically one involving raccoons:



syd weiler 🙃 (@SydWeiler) started working on a new sticker pack because I don't have enough other stuff to do! 'Trash Pandas' or 'Trash Bandits'? (they're raccoons!) pic.twitter.com/I4SONTVO4l

So, there you have it. If you see a purple bird headbanging in the comments of a Facebook post – now you know why.

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