# Koopa Troopa Dance > Koopa Troopa Dance is a late-2022 TikTok trend featuring arm-swinging turtle enemies from New Super Mario Bros. Wii dancing in dark scenarios like funerals and custody battles. The Koopa Troopa Dance is a TikTok meme from late 2022 built around the arm-swinging dance that Koopa Troopas perform in *New Super Mario Bros. Wii*. After a clip of two Koopas dancing on a rotating platform went viral in October 2022, TikTok users began creating skits placing the turtle enemies in dark or serious situations where they're compelled to dance when the music hits. The trend spread rapidly, with creators acting out scenarios like custody battles, funerals, and deathbed scenes, all interrupted by the signature arm shimmy. ## Origin The dance mechanic itself dates back to *New Super Mario Bros.* on the Nintendo DS, but it was the Wii sequel, released on November 12, 2009, that made it iconic[6]. The game sold over 30 million copies worldwide, meaning millions of players watched Koopa Troopas break into their signature shimmy during stages[2]. Goombas did a little hop, but the Koopas committed to a full arm-swing facing the player, making their dance the most memorable[7]. On October 28, 2022, TikTok user @koopatroopa_official uploaded a zoomed-in clip of two green-shelled Koopa Troopas walking on a rotating hill in World 1-6[5]. The video, set to the game's overworld music (labeled "Bah Bah 2" on TikTok), showed the Koopas losing their progress on the platform every time they stopped to dance[1]. Within two weeks, the clip had roughly 18.5 million views and 3.5 million likes[5]. On November 3, 2022, TikToker @kedmerwin duetted the video, filming himself and a friend mimicking the Koopa dance in real life. That duet picked up around 212,000 plays and became the first known example of a user physically performing the dance as a joke[5]. - **Platform:** *New Super Mario Bros. Wii* (game mechanic, 2009), TikTok (meme format) - **Creator:** @koopatroopa_official (original TikTok clip), @frankiejustchillin (popularized the dark scenario format) - **Date:** 2022 ## Overview In *New Super Mario Bros. Wii*, certain enemies react to the background music during gameplay. When the overworld theme plays its vocal "bah" sounds, Koopa Troopas stop walking, face the camera, and do a brief arm-swinging dance before resuming their patrol[3]. This happens regardless of what's going on in the game. Mario could be mid-stomp and the Koopas would still pause for their little shimmy[8]. The meme takes this involuntary dance and reframes it as a curse. TikTok creators act out Koopa Troopas in painful, dramatic, or tragic situations, only to break into the arm-swinging dance the moment the "bah bah" beat drops. The humor comes from the contrast between the grim scenario and the cheerful, childlike dance that the Koopa simply cannot resist[1]. ## How It Spread The meme shifted from cute gameplay clip to dark comedy within days. On November 9, 2022, TikToker @notsoepic0 posted a video captioned "A koopa at his wife's funeral." He starts by grieving, then abruptly breaks into the arm-swing dance when the "bah bah" moment hits. It earned roughly 915,900 plays and 177,200 likes in five days[5]. The next day, November 10, @frankiejustchillin uploaded what became the trend's defining video. Captioned "koopa fighting for custody of his child in court," it shows him passionately pleading his case before the music forces him into the dance mid-argument[3]. The video exploded to 10.9 million views and 2.6 million likes within three days[5], and is widely credited as the post that established the "Koopas in dark situations" format[8]. From there, the trend snowballed. On November 12, TikToker @sof_artfactory posted an animated version showing a family of Koopas at a funeral, earning 4.5 million views in a single day[5]. Duet chains grew as users added new characters to existing videos. @wtfaleisa contributed to a growing string of duets on @frankiejustchillin's custody video on November 13, picking up 377,500 plays[5]. That same day, Twitter user @256GBMemes reposted the custody video, gaining 577,400 views and 37,700 likes on the platform[5]. By December 2022, roughly 40,000 TikTok videos had used the original sound[1]. Scenarios ranged from mildly absurd to genuinely bleak. Users posted Koopas cleaning up murder scenes, fighting in World War II, processing miscarriages, receiving college rejection letters, and being told they had three days to live[8][2]. One popular angle compared the Koopa to Sisyphus, doomed to dance through an existence of futile repetition[1]. Twitter user @Derpy_Horse4 took the concept outside *Mario* entirely, adding the stage music to *Five Nights at Freddy's 3* and making Springtrap do the dance[3]. The meme also crossed into fan animation. Creators drew original Koopa Troopa scenes with the same dark premise, expanding the format beyond live-action TikToks[7]. @frankiejustchillin followed up with "A koopa watching his son and ex wife get demolished by an italian plumber riding a small dinosaur," which was more niche but still reached his nearly 500,000 followers[8]. ## How to Use The format follows a simple structure: 1. **Set up a serious or tragic situation** using a text overlay caption (e.g., "A koopa at his child's graduation but he wasn't invited"). 2. **Play the "Bah Bah 2" TikTok audio**, which is the overworld theme from *New Super Mario Bros. Wii*. 3. **Act out the scenario** with visible emotion. Grief, anger, or distress all work. 4. **When the "bah bah" vocal hit drops**, stop everything and perform the Koopa arm-swing dance. Face the camera, arms swinging side to side, with a blank or involuntary expression. 5. **Resume the serious scenario** after the beat passes, as if nothing happened. ## Cultural Impact The Koopa Troopa Dance brought renewed attention to a 13-year-old Wii game in a way Nintendo almost certainly didn't anticipate. Game Rant noted that the dancing enemy mechanic never made it into 3D *Mario* titles, and speculated that the meme's popularity could push Nintendo to include it in future releases[8]. The trend also highlighted TikTok's ability to revive dormant game content. *New Super Mario Bros. Wii* had no active marketing or new releases at the time, yet the Koopa dance pushed it back into the cultural conversation[3]. Multiple gaming news outlets covered the phenomenon, including Game Rant, SVG, NintendoSoup, and Automaton West, all trying to explain to non-TikTok audiences why turtle enemies from a 2009 Wii game were suddenly everywhere[7][4]. The meme's dark humor angle set it apart from typical gaming trends. SVG described it as "quite a dark meme" where even the lightest versions carried an undercurrent of existential dread, warning readers with sensitive dispositions to avoid searching "Bah Bah" on TikTok[4]. ## Fun Facts - The enemy-dancing-to-music mechanic was first introduced in *New Super Mario Bros.* on the Nintendo DS, not the Wii version. The Wii game just made it more prominent with its multiplayer stages[3]. - *New Super Mario Bros. Wii* sold 30.32 million copies worldwide, making it the fourth-best-selling Wii game as of March 2021[6]. - The TikTok audio is labeled "Bah Bah 2" because fans refer to the vocal hit in the overworld theme as a "bah." The "2" likely distinguishes it from an earlier, less popular upload of the same sound[8]. - @frankiejustchillin had nearly 500,000 followers and 68.2 million total account likes at the time of the trend, making him well-positioned to amplify the format[8]. - TwistedSifter described the meme as something that "should tell us something about society today, if we're brave enough to look a little closer"[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the Koopa Troopa Dance? The Koopa Troopa Dance is a TikTok meme based on the arm-swinging dance that Koopa Troopa enemies perform in *New Super Mario Bros. Wii* when the background music hits certain beats[3]. ### Where did the Koopa Troopa Dance come from? The dance originates from a game mechanic in *New Super Mario Bros. Wii* (2009), but the meme started on October 28, 2022, when TikTok user @koopatroopa_official posted a viral clip of two Koopas dancing on a rotating platform[5]. ### What does the Koopa Troopa Dance mean? The meme frames the dance as involuntary. Koopa Troopas are "cursed" to dance when the music hits, no matter what tragic or serious situation they're in. It's dark humor about being unable to escape an obligation even in the worst moments[1]. ### How do you use the Koopa Troopa Dance meme? Create a TikTok using the "Bah Bah 2" audio, caption it with a dark or absurd scenario for a Koopa, act out the scene with emotion, then break into the arm-swing dance when the beat drops[8]. ### Is the Koopa Troopa Dance still popular? The trend peaked in November-December 2022 with around 40,000 videos using the sound[1]. While no longer a dominant trend, the format still gets occasional use and the videos remain widely shared. ### Who started the Koopa Troopa Dance trend on TikTok? @koopatroopa_official posted the original clip on October 28, 2022, but @frankiejustchillin's "custody battle" video on November 10 is what turned it into a full trend[5]. ### What game is the Koopa Troopa Dance from? The dance comes from *New Super Mario Bros. Wii*, released November 12, 2009, for the Nintendo Wii. Similar enemy dancing appeared in other *New Super Mario Bros.* titles as well[6]. ### Why do Koopa Troopas dance in the game? The game synchronizes enemy behavior with the background music. During certain vocal "bah" sounds in the overworld theme, Goombas hop and Koopa Troopas stop to swing their arms at the camera[7]. ### Why is the Koopa Troopa Dance meme considered dark? TikTok creators place Koopas in scenarios involving death, divorce, war, and terminal illness, then force them to dance. SVG described it as "quite a dark meme" with few "light" versions[4]. ### What was the most popular Koopa Troopa Dance TikTok? @frankiejustchillin's "koopa fighting for custody of his child in court" video, posted November 10, 2022, reached 10.9 million views and 2.6 million likes in three days[5]. ## References 1. [The Koopa Troopa Video That’s Taking TikTok By Storm » TwistedSifter]() 2. [The Dark Reason The Koopa Troopa Dance Is Going Viral On Tik Tok]() 3. [The Koopa Troopa Dance from New Super Mario Bros. Wii is now a TikTok meme - AUTOMATON WEST]() 4. [Koopa Troopa Dance - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Glossary of video game terms]() 6. [New Super Mario Bros. Wii]() 7. [Random: Koopa Troopa Dance From New Super Mario Bros. Wii Becomes A Tiktok Meme – NintendoSoup]() 8. [TikTok Koopa Trend Explained]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/koopa-troopa-dance Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library