Jerma985 in adventurer costume holding a chest next to a blue cartoon ghost knight and the Grotto Beasts logo

Grotto Beasts

2021fictional franchisesemi-active

Published November 4, 2026

Grotto Beasts is a fictional children's cartoon and trading card franchise invented by Twitch streamer Jerma985 during a March 2021 sketch parodying Pokémon booster pack unboxings. He staged an archaeological dig in the Nevada desert and opened cards for a 90s show that never existed, and within a day fans produced a fake 1997 website, character theme music, and a dedicated subreddit filling in the lore.

twitch streamer memes collaborative fiction memes nostalgia memes fan art memes card game memes

Overview

Jerma's sketch worked because he stayed in character through the entire archaeological dig, acting shocked when a box of '1997 collectible monster card packs' turned out to be for a franchise nobody could possibly remember1. Cards displayed the Twitter handles of their real-life illustrators like @Hollulu and @BellymouthArt, hidden in plain sight as the giveaway clue4. Standout designs include the cowboy cat Meowdy and the vegetable kangaroo Veggiroo, which gave fans concrete material for inventing their own characters1.

The joke works by pretending Grotto Beasts was a real but forgotten 90s cartoon and card game that aired for less than one full season. Participants produce art, fake episode credits, and theme music for individual monsters as if they were reconstructing half-remembered childhood details8. Nostalgia pastiche organizes the aesthetic, which is why the lore stays coherent even with dozens of artists contributing.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitch (source) / YouTube and Reddit (spread)
Creator
Jerma985
Date
2021

On March 6, 2021, Jerma985 streamed 'The Wonders of Archaeology' on Twitch, filming on location in the Nevada desert with an excavator, a production crew, and a paleontologist from the Nevada Science Center1. After digging up a wooden chest said to be left behind by his grandfather, Jerma opened a box of booster packs for the fictional Grotto Beasts franchise and acted as though he had never heard of it2.

The cards themselves were prepared in advance by artists like @Hollulu and @melscribbles, with their Twitter handles visibly stamped on the art to tip off anyone paying attention1. Jerma coined non-existent characters such as 'Chromanova' on stream as he opened each pack4.

How It Spread

A fan community formed within hours of the broadcast. The /r/GrottoBeasts subreddit opened the same day as the stream and quickly filled with fake character art and fabricated episode screenshots8. On March 7, YouTuber Skye uploaded a tightened edit of the Twitch VOD so viewers who missed the original broadcast could watch the bit end to end3.

That same day, Skandall released an 'encounter' music track for Meowdy as if it were lifted from the video game soundtrack6, and Tagaichigai assembled a mock credits sequence styled like a 90s television sign-off7. A fan site at grottobeasts.net appeared backdated to 1997, listing a fake company history and character bios5.

Kotaku wrote up the trend soon after, calling Jerma's dedication a new high bar for commitment to a joke and noting that chat already knew the gag was staged1. Fan art spread on Twitter under searches for the franchise name, and the subreddit is still active as a hub for new character submissions8.

Timeline

2021-03-06

Jerma985 streams 'The Wonders of Archaeology' on Twitch and unboxes fake Grotto Beasts cards in the Nevada desert.

2021-03-06

The /r/GrottoBeasts subreddit is created the same day as the stream.

2021-03-07

YouTuber Skye uploads a condensed edit of the Twitch VOD to YouTube.

2021-03-07

Skandall publishes an 'encounter' music video for the fake character Meowdy.

2021-03-07

Tagaichigai uploads a mock 90s-style credits sequence for the fictional show.

2021-03-09

Kotaku covers the sketch and its fan community.

How to Use This Meme

Fans continue the joke by producing new Grotto Beasts characters, card art, and theme music under the premise that the franchise aired in the 90s. A common approach is designing a cryptid-style monster, then writing fake lore for it including type matchups, moveset, and episode appearances8. Submissions work best when they look like scanned memorabilia or hazy VHS captures instead of clean modern illustrations.

Frequently Asked Questions