dogwifhat

2018Profile picture trend / memecoin mascotactive

Published March 10, 2026 · Updated March 17, 2026

Also known as: WIF · Dog Wif Hat · $WIF

Dogwifhat is an internet meme based on a photograph of a Shiba Inu dog named Achi wearing a pink woven beanie. The image went viral in late 2019 when Fortnite and Rocket League players adopted it as a profile picture trend on Twitter, spawning the hashtags #dogwifhat and #dogwifhatgang. In December 2023, the meme crossed into crypto culture when a Solana-based memecoin called WIF launched around the image, eventually reaching a market cap above $3 billion in early 2024.

shiba inu memescryptocurrency origin memesprofile picture memesgaming

Overview

Dogwifhat refers to a photograph of a Shiba Inu wearing a pink woven beanie that took off as a Twitter avatar trend in late 20195. The image picked up its name from a November 2019 tweet reply where user @Vapurly commented "Dogwifhat" under a Fortnite player's profile picture2. Edits of the image typically leave the dog's face intact while swapping logos, brand imagery, or other memes onto the beanie itself4.

The photo's clean, forward-facing composition gave editors an obvious visual hook, a pink hat that could carry any logo or image4. eSports organizations, Fortnite pros, and Rocket League players pushed the image further with the hashtags #dogwifhat and #dogwifhatgang3. The trend was concentrated on Twitter, where profile picture swaps drove most of the visibility1.

Origin & Background

Platform
Instagram (source photo), Twitter (viral spread)
Key People
bangdddd, Issa, @Vapurly
Date
2018 (original photo), 2019 (meme spread)

On November 17, 2018, Instagram user bangdddd posted four photographs of their Shiba Inu dog Achi wearing a pink woven beanie4. The post picked up over 6,900 likes over the following years but didn't immediately go viral.

The meme identity formed about a year later. On November 6, 2019, professional Fortnite player Issa changed his Twitter profile picture to the third photo from bangdddd's set2. Twitter user @Vapurly commented on it with the word "Dogwifhat," coining the name that would stick4. On November 20, Fortnite streamer Vraxito also swapped his profile picture to the image4. That same day, Fortnite player Aqua tweeted "everyone join the dogwifhat gang," pulling in over 80 retweets and 2,400 likes2.

How It Spread

The profile picture trend spread rapidly through the competitive gaming scene on Twitter between late November and December 2019. Fortnite and Rocket League players were the early adopters, with dozens of users swapping their avatars to the beanie dog4.

On December 6, 2019, Rocket League player Spoodah set the image as his profile picture and announced the start of a "dog wif hat movement"4. By late December, a wave of Rocket League players including @nxtsabo, @difeze, @nayzerrl, and others had joined in4. On December 23, Rocket League player CR1MS1C posted a Woman Yelling at a Cat meme joking about how many people in the community had adopted the image4. Starting December 24, CR1MS1C began creating custom edits, applying eSports logos, memes, and other images onto the beanie4.

The trend hit critical mass around Christmas 2019. Twitter users started making "how many retweets" posts, daring major eSports organizations to adopt the image4. Starting December 26, organizations including Rogue, G2 Esports, and Cloud9 all changed their profile pictures to custom dogwifhat edits4. On December 27, YouTuber KEEMSTAR joined in4. The hashtags #dogwifhat and #dogwifhatgang trended as more organizations and personalities piled on6.

How to Use This Meme

The Dogwifhat format typically leaves the Shiba Inu's face untouched and edits a logo, other meme, or brand image into the pink beanie itself4. People commonly shared the result as a Twitter profile picture, often tagged with #dogwifhat or #dogwifhatgang3.

Frequently Asked Questions