# Giant Lizard Climbing Supermarket Shelves > Giant Lizard Climbing Supermarket Shelves is a viral 2021 video of a six-foot Asian water monitor storming a Thai 7-Eleven and scaling shelves as shoppers fled in terror, captured by customer Narumpa Tangsin. Giant Lizard Climbing Supermarket Shelves is a viral video from April 2021 showing a six-foot Asian water monitor lizard storming a 7-Eleven in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, and scaling the store's shelves while terrified shoppers watched. The footage, filmed by customer Narumpa Tangsin, spread across Twitter with tens of millions of views in under 48 hours, boosted by its coincidental timing with the release of *Godzilla vs. Kong*. ## Origin On April 6, 2021, Facebook user Jejene Narumpa posted the earliest known version of the video, which was shot by Narumpa Tangsin at a 7-Eleven on the outskirts of Bangkok in Nakhon Pathom province[4]. The post picked up 8,600 shares, 3,000 reactions, and 2,000 comments within its first week[4]. Tangsin explained that she had only stopped in to buy a drink but found the giant lizard blocking the drinks aisle[2]. "They're dangerous animals, especially when they're angry, so I stayed back and recorded it on my phone," she said. "I guess that shops have everything, even for lizards"[3]. A store employee told the Daily Mail that the monitor lizard occupied the shop for a full hour before police arrived with reptile handlers[2]. The handlers dragged the animal out and ushered it into nearby undergrowth, though they didn't actually catch it. "I've never seen a monitor lizard that big in my life, so it was a surprise for one to come in the shop," the employee said[2]. The lizard had emerged from a nearby canal and was believed to be struggling to find food after months of dry weather with little rain[1]. - **Platform:** Facebook (original post), Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** Narumpa Tangsin (videographer), Jejene Narumpa (original Facebook poster) - **Date:** 2021 ## Overview The video captures a massive monitor lizard inside a brightly lit 7-Eleven convenience store, clawing at a chilled drinks cabinet before turning its attention to the product shelves[2]. As the reptile hauls itself upward, rows of neatly stacked cartons and bottles crash to the floor while customers scream and laugh in the background[1]. The lizard eventually reaches the top shelf, where it settles near an ice machine, flicking its tongue as if surveying its conquered territory[6]. Asian water monitors are the second-largest lizard species in the world, behind only Komodo dragons, and can grow to nearly six feet in length[1]. They're common in Thailand's urban canals and ponds, but one raiding a convenience store was unusual enough to send staffers diving behind the counter[2]. ## How It Spread The video exploded across social media on April 7, 2021, one day after the original Facebook post. The Daily Mail published the first major news report, naming Tangsin as the person behind the camera[2]. That same day, Twitter user @torben_kassler posted the clip with the caption "Me when someone shows up in the supermarket without a mask," earning 9.1 million views, 57,000 likes, and 19,000 retweets within a week[4]. Also on April 7, Twitter user @danajiru shared the footage and surpassed even those numbers, pulling in over 10 million views, 360,000 likes, and 25,000 retweets in less than two days[4]. A third viral tweet from @amandawtwong shared a photo of Tangsin posing for a selfie with the lizard in the background, writing "I like that the lady who made the video also took a selfie with the giant lizard." That post earned 109,000 likes and 10,000 retweets in under 48 hours[4]. On YouTube, the account Viral Press published the video and racked up over 300,000 views in two days[4]. On Reddit, user flyart posted it to r/WTF, where it hit 52,000 upvotes (94% upvoted) with 2,300 comments[4]. The timing was perfect. *Godzilla vs. Kong* had hit U.S. theaters and HBO Max just a week earlier, and social media users ran with the comparison[5]. "Godzilla is real guys," wrote one commenter[5]. "Is he doing a promo for the movie Godzilla vs Kong?" asked another[6]. Major outlets including NBC News, The Washington Post, The Independent, Complex, Newsweek, and The Daily Dot all covered the story[1][3][6]. ## How to Use The Giant Lizard Climbing Supermarket Shelves video is typically deployed in two ways: **As a reaction video:** Share the clip or a still frame to express chaotic energy, unhinged behavior in public spaces, or the feeling of being completely unbothered while causing destruction. The lizard sprawled comfortably on top of the shelves it just wrecked is the money shot. **As a captioned meme:** Add a "Me when..." caption to the video or a screenshot. The original viral tweet format ("Me when someone shows up in the supermarket without a mask") set the template. Common setups include any situation where someone barges into a space where they clearly don't belong, causes havoc, and then acts completely relaxed about it. The selfie image of Tangsin posing with the lizard in the background also works as a standalone reaction image for "this is fine" or "casual chaos" situations. ## Cultural Impact The video's timing alongside the *Godzilla vs. Kong* theatrical release gave it an extra boost, with dozens of Godzilla-themed captions and remixes[5]. NBC News featured the footage on its website[1], while Newsweek ran a story with the headline "Gigantic Lizard Climbs Supermarket Shelves in Horrifying Video"[6]. The incident also drew attention to the reality of urban wildlife encounters in Southeast Asia. The Independent noted that water monitors are commonplace in Thailand, and in 2020 a disturbing case in southern Thailand involved the lizards and a deceased infant, though investigators couldn't determine the sequence of events[5]. Newsweek pointed out similar incidents, including a crocodile monitor lizard appearing in a California man's backyard in 2017 and a giant water monitor spotted traversing Bangkok's sewage system beneath a sidewalk grate in 2015[6]. ## Fun Facts - The lizard tried to open a chilled drinks cabinet before giving up and climbing the shelves instead[2]. - Despite spending an hour rampaging through the store, the lizard didn't manage to steal any food[2]. - The unusually large creature was driven indoors by months of drought that depleted its normal food sources of fish, snakes, frogs, and human food scraps[3]. - Monitor lizards have a "mildly venomous" bite that can also carry harmful bacteria[4]. - Tangsin took a selfie with the lizard in the background, which itself went viral as a separate image[4]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Giant Lizard Climbing Supermarket Shelves? It's a viral video from April 2021 showing a six-foot Asian water monitor lizard climbing the shelves of a 7-Eleven in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, knocking products everywhere while customers screamed and laughed[1]. ### Where did Giant Lizard Climbing Supermarket Shelves come from? Customer Narumpa Tangsin filmed the incident on April 6, 2021, and Jejene Narumpa posted it to Facebook the same day[4]. It went globally viral when it hit Twitter on April 7[4]. ### What does Giant Lizard Climbing Supermarket Shelves mean? As a meme, it's used to represent chaotic, unhinged behavior in spaces where it doesn't belong, or someone causing destruction and being completely relaxed about it[4]. ### How do you use Giant Lizard Climbing Supermarket Shelves? Share the video or a screenshot with a "Me when..." caption describing a situation where you barged in somewhere uninvited and caused chaos. The original viral format was "Me when someone shows up in the supermarket without a mask"[4]. ### Is Giant Lizard Climbing Supermarket Shelves still popular? The meme's main viral window was the first week of April 2021, when it collected tens of millions of views across Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit[4]. It hasn't seen significant reuse since. ### Why did the lizard enter the 7-Eleven? The lizard crawled out of a nearby canal and was likely searching for food after months of dry weather had depleted its usual prey of fish, frogs, and food scraps[1][3]. ### How big was the lizard? The Asian water monitor was approximately six feet long[2]. The species is the second-largest lizard in the world, behind only Komodo dragons[1]. ### How long was the lizard in the store? A shop employee said the monitor was inside for about an hour before police and reptile handlers arrived[2]. ### Did the lizard get any food? No. Despite tearing through the store and knocking products off shelves, the lizard left empty-handed when handlers ushered it into nearby undergrowth[2]. ### Why did the meme blow up so fast? The timing was a major factor. *Godzilla vs. Kong* had just been released in U.S. theaters and on HBO Max, giving social media users a ready-made joke framework[5][6]. ## References 1. [Video Shows Giant Lizard Storming 7-Eleven in Search of Food]() 2. [Giant lizard climbs store shelves in Thailand 7-Eleven]() 3. [Shoppers stunned as 6ft lizard climbs shelves in supermarket after emerging from canal - The Mirror]() 4. [Giant Lizard Climbing Supermarket Shelves - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Video of giant lizard terrorising store in Thailand goes viral | The Independent]() 6. [Moment 6ft-long monitor lizard climbs up supermarket shelves as it raids store for food | Daily Mail Online]() 7. [Gigantic Lizard Climbs Supermarket Shelves in Horrifying Video - Newsweek]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/giant-lizard-climbing-supermarket-shelves Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library