# Possums
Possums are the beady-eyed marsupials that became one of 2018's breakout animal memes, powered by photos of the creatures baring teeth, screaming into microphones, and looking generally chaotic. Twitter and Facebook meme accounts turned their outsider reputation into viral formats like Interview Possum and 'hey i'm down here.'
## Origin
Online fandom for possums predates the meme era. The National Opossum Society had run opossum.com starting October 12th, 1998, offering care guides and general education about the marsupial[4].
The format most people mean by 'possum memes' formed in early 2018. Twitter account @own___ass, dedicated to possum posts, launched on January 6th, 2018, mixing original jokes with follower submissions[4]. About a month later, on February 2nd, Facebook page Olivia's O'meme Outlet posted the Interview Possum image of Sand Mountain Sam captioned 'Pineapple is stored on the pizza,' the shot Daily Dot later credited as the wave's breakout post[1].
- **Platform:** Twitter / Facebook (viral spread)
- **Creator:** Unknown
- **Date:** 2018
## Overview
Possum memes lean on the animal's ugly-cute contradiction. Common posts feature bared teeth, gaping mouths or dazed expressions, captioned with first-person thoughts that treat the possum like a chaotic goblin with strong opinions about pineapple pizza, personal grievances or its own diet[1]. Fans of the format frame the animal as a misunderstood tick-eater whose bad reputation misses the point[1].
The 'Interview Possum' template is the format's signature joke. It shows a reporter's microphone held up to Sand Mountain Sam, an Alabama Groundhog Day weather-predicting possum, with a caption imagining whatever opinion the animal is yelling into the mic[1]. Other posts run cute-baby-possum photos with tiny-voice captions, or use shots of possums screaming, hissing or eating things they shouldn't.
## How to Use
Typical possum posts take a photo of a possum in an unflattering pose (bared teeth, wide eyes, mid-hiss) and pair it with a first-person caption written in the animal's imagined voice. The Interview Possum variant frames Sand Mountain Sam as a spokesperson yelling opinions into a reporter's mic, with the joke usually being what unhinged take the possum is defending[1]. Cute-baby-possum photos get the softer treatment, with tiny-voice captions.
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Possums?
Possums are marsupials that became a late-2010s meme built on photos of the animals baring teeth, hissing or looking chaotic, with captions written in the animal's imagined voice[1].
### Where did Possums come from?
The Twitter account @own___ass launched as a dedicated possum-meme feed on January 6th, 2018, and Olivia's O'meme Outlet's Interview Possum post that February cemented the format[4][1].
### What does Possums mean?
In meme use, 'possum' stands for a misunderstood, trash-eating outsider with strong opinions; Urban Dictionary also logs 'Possums!' as a shortened form of 'Awesome Possum,' used as an exclamation of joy[5].
### How do you use Possums?
Common uses include captioning a wild-eyed or tooth-baring possum with unhinged first-person opinions, or writing whatever the 'Interview Possum' is yelling into the reporter's mic, a format built around Sand Mountain Sam[1].
### Is Possums still popular?
The peak was 2018, when @own___ass, Olivia's O'meme Outlet and Daily Dot coverage drove the wave[1]; the format is still recognized as a fixture of late-2010s animal meme culture.
## References
1. [https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/possum-memes/]()
2. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDc6EtZCDJE]()
3. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkofwx2liHM]()
4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/possums]()
5. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Possums]()
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Source: https://meme.com/memes/possums
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