I Think It Can Digging In The Ground For Tubers

2019Copypasta / catchphrasesemi-active

Also known as: Digging In The Ground For Tubers · Tubers Copypasta

"I Think It Can Digging In The Ground For Tubers" is a Tumblr-born copypasta meme originating from an August 2019 post by user worm-suggestion, who paired an image of an echidna with an absurd block of text ending in the grammatically broken phrase "I think it can digging in the ground for tubers." The post's strange sincerity and mangled grammar struck a chord with Tumblr users, racking up over 149,000 notes and spawning a copypasta format where the quote gets applied to images of various characters and creatures.

Overview

The meme centers on a specific block of text posted alongside a photo of an echidna. The full quote reads: "It looks funny, right? You think it looks funny. I do too. But it lives its whole life. So you have to take it seriously eventually, right? And be respectful and shit. I think it can digging in the ground for tubers."1 The humor comes from the text's strange internal logic, which starts with a philosophical appeal to take a funny-looking animal seriously, then collapses into the grammatically broken closing line. That final sentence, with its oddly specific mention of "tubers" and the broken verb construction "it can digging," is what made the post stick in people's heads.

On August 5, 2019, Tumblr user worm-suggestion reblogged an image of an echidna originally posted by Tumblr user Crownshrine3. Rather than adding a typical reblog comment, worm-suggestion attached the now-iconic block of absurd text. The post asked readers to consider that the echidna "lives its whole life" and deserves respect, before ending with the broken grammar punchline about digging for tubers1. The combination of pseudo-earnest tone and complete nonsense hit perfectly for Tumblr's audience. The post accumulated over 149,000 notes within roughly two years of its creation3.

Origin & Background

Platform
Tumblr
Key People
worm-suggestion, Crownshrine
Date
2019

On August 5, 2019, Tumblr user worm-suggestion reblogged an image of an echidna originally posted by Tumblr user Crownshrine3. Rather than adding a typical reblog comment, worm-suggestion attached the now-iconic block of absurd text. The post asked readers to consider that the echidna "lives its whole life" and deserves respect, before ending with the broken grammar punchline about digging for tubers1. The combination of pseudo-earnest tone and complete nonsense hit perfectly for Tumblr's audience. The post accumulated over 149,000 notes within roughly two years of its creation3.

How It Spread

The phrase broke out of its original context and became a copypasta, applied to images of characters and creatures that have nothing to do with echidnas or tubers. Users would paste the full text block alongside pictures of fictional characters, animals, or anything that "looks funny" as a deadpan bit.

On July 26, 2021, voice actor Gianni Matragrano posted a dramatic voiced-over reading of the meme to YouTube, which pulled in over 600,000 views within five months3. The vocal performance gave the copypasta a second life, turning the already absurd text into something even funnier when delivered with complete sincerity.

The meme spread to Twitter that same year. On October 19, 2021, Twitter user @RANK10YGO posted the quote alongside an image of MogMole from Yu-Gi-Oh, picking up over 500 likes in two months3. On November 28, 2021, Twitter user @ilikerobloxyeah paired the copypasta with a picture of Ditto from Pokémon in response to a prompt reading "Tweet like Pokémon were real"3.

Fan artists also picked it up. On October 26, 2021, Tumblr user slabime posted Don't Starve fan art showing the character Wilson encountering an echidna and reciting the famous lines2. Slabime described the original post as having been "on my mind for WEEKS," tagging the art with the full catchphrase2.

How to Use This Meme

The format is straightforward. Find an image of any creature or character that looks a little odd or goofy, then paste the full copypasta text alongside it:

"It looks funny, right? You think it looks funny. I do too. But it lives its whole life. So you have to take it seriously eventually, right? And be respectful and shit. I think it can digging in the ground for tubers."

The joke works best when the subject of the image is clearly not an echidna and has no connection to tubers or digging. The more absurd the pairing, the better. Some users just quote the final line ("I think it can digging in the ground for tubers") as a standalone reaction, typically in response to images of funny-looking animals or characters.

Fun Facts

The original echidna image was not posted by worm-suggestion. It was a reblog from Tumblr user Crownshrine, with worm-suggestion adding only the text3.

Echidnas actually do dig in the ground for food, making the broken-grammar punchline accidentally accurate. They use their snouts and claws to root for insects and, yes, sometimes tubers3.

Slabime's fan art post described the original meme as having occupied their thoughts "for WEEKS" before they finally drew it2.

The copypasta's appeal comes partly from its strange shift in register, going from philosophical ("it lives its whole life") to vulgar ("be respectful and shit") to broken English in the span of three sentences1.

Derivatives & Variations

Gianni Matragrano voice-over

— A dramatic vocal reading of the copypasta posted to YouTube on July 26, 2021, which gained over 600,000 views and introduced the meme to audiences beyond Tumblr[3].

Don't Starve fan art

— Tumblr user slabime created Wilson doodles where the character encounters an echidna and delivers the meme's lines, blending the copypasta into game fandom art[2].

Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh edits

— Twitter users applied the copypasta to franchise creatures like Ditto and MogMole, fitting the text's "funny-looking animal" setup to fictional monsters[3].

Frequently Asked Questions

I Think It Can Digging In The Ground For Tubers

2019Copypasta / catchphrasesemi-active

Also known as: Digging In The Ground For Tubers · Tubers Copypasta

"I Think It Can Digging In The Ground For Tubers" is a Tumblr-born copypasta meme originating from an August 2019 post by user worm-suggestion, who paired an image of an echidna with an absurd block of text ending in the grammatically broken phrase "I think it can digging in the ground for tubers." The post's strange sincerity and mangled grammar struck a chord with Tumblr users, racking up over 149,000 notes and spawning a copypasta format where the quote gets applied to images of various characters and creatures.

Overview

The meme centers on a specific block of text posted alongside a photo of an echidna. The full quote reads: "It looks funny, right? You think it looks funny. I do too. But it lives its whole life. So you have to take it seriously eventually, right? And be respectful and shit. I think it can digging in the ground for tubers."1 The humor comes from the text's strange internal logic, which starts with a philosophical appeal to take a funny-looking animal seriously, then collapses into the grammatically broken closing line. That final sentence, with its oddly specific mention of "tubers" and the broken verb construction "it can digging," is what made the post stick in people's heads.

On August 5, 2019, Tumblr user worm-suggestion reblogged an image of an echidna originally posted by Tumblr user Crownshrine3. Rather than adding a typical reblog comment, worm-suggestion attached the now-iconic block of absurd text. The post asked readers to consider that the echidna "lives its whole life" and deserves respect, before ending with the broken grammar punchline about digging for tubers1. The combination of pseudo-earnest tone and complete nonsense hit perfectly for Tumblr's audience. The post accumulated over 149,000 notes within roughly two years of its creation3.

Origin & Background

Platform
Tumblr
Key People
worm-suggestion, Crownshrine
Date
2019

On August 5, 2019, Tumblr user worm-suggestion reblogged an image of an echidna originally posted by Tumblr user Crownshrine3. Rather than adding a typical reblog comment, worm-suggestion attached the now-iconic block of absurd text. The post asked readers to consider that the echidna "lives its whole life" and deserves respect, before ending with the broken grammar punchline about digging for tubers1. The combination of pseudo-earnest tone and complete nonsense hit perfectly for Tumblr's audience. The post accumulated over 149,000 notes within roughly two years of its creation3.

How It Spread

The phrase broke out of its original context and became a copypasta, applied to images of characters and creatures that have nothing to do with echidnas or tubers. Users would paste the full text block alongside pictures of fictional characters, animals, or anything that "looks funny" as a deadpan bit.

On July 26, 2021, voice actor Gianni Matragrano posted a dramatic voiced-over reading of the meme to YouTube, which pulled in over 600,000 views within five months3. The vocal performance gave the copypasta a second life, turning the already absurd text into something even funnier when delivered with complete sincerity.

The meme spread to Twitter that same year. On October 19, 2021, Twitter user @RANK10YGO posted the quote alongside an image of MogMole from Yu-Gi-Oh, picking up over 500 likes in two months3. On November 28, 2021, Twitter user @ilikerobloxyeah paired the copypasta with a picture of Ditto from Pokémon in response to a prompt reading "Tweet like Pokémon were real"3.

Fan artists also picked it up. On October 26, 2021, Tumblr user slabime posted Don't Starve fan art showing the character Wilson encountering an echidna and reciting the famous lines2. Slabime described the original post as having been "on my mind for WEEKS," tagging the art with the full catchphrase2.

How to Use This Meme

The format is straightforward. Find an image of any creature or character that looks a little odd or goofy, then paste the full copypasta text alongside it:

"It looks funny, right? You think it looks funny. I do too. But it lives its whole life. So you have to take it seriously eventually, right? And be respectful and shit. I think it can digging in the ground for tubers."

The joke works best when the subject of the image is clearly not an echidna and has no connection to tubers or digging. The more absurd the pairing, the better. Some users just quote the final line ("I think it can digging in the ground for tubers") as a standalone reaction, typically in response to images of funny-looking animals or characters.

Fun Facts

The original echidna image was not posted by worm-suggestion. It was a reblog from Tumblr user Crownshrine, with worm-suggestion adding only the text3.

Echidnas actually do dig in the ground for food, making the broken-grammar punchline accidentally accurate. They use their snouts and claws to root for insects and, yes, sometimes tubers3.

Slabime's fan art post described the original meme as having occupied their thoughts "for WEEKS" before they finally drew it2.

The copypasta's appeal comes partly from its strange shift in register, going from philosophical ("it lives its whole life") to vulgar ("be respectful and shit") to broken English in the span of three sentences1.

Derivatives & Variations

Gianni Matragrano voice-over

— A dramatic vocal reading of the copypasta posted to YouTube on July 26, 2021, which gained over 600,000 views and introduced the meme to audiences beyond Tumblr[3].

Don't Starve fan art

— Tumblr user slabime created Wilson doodles where the character encounters an echidna and delivers the meme's lines, blending the copypasta into game fandom art[2].

Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh edits

— Twitter users applied the copypasta to franchise creatures like Ditto and MogMole, fitting the text's "funny-looking animal" setup to fictional monsters[3].

Frequently Asked Questions