What is the Yippee Autism Creature Meme?

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Explore the popular autism creature’s roots and how it’s been received

Co-authored by Luke Smith, MFA

Last Updated: March 8, 2026 Fact Checked

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What is it?

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Where did it come from?

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Is it problematic?

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How to Use

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Similar Memes

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Video

The Yippee Creature, aka TBH or the Autism Creature, is one of the internet’s latest beloved characters. On top of that, it’s been adopted by some in the autism community as a relatable mascot for many autism-related experiences. We’ll explain everything you need to know about what the Yippee Creature is, where it came from, if it’s problematic, and how to use it yourself online.

The Yippee Creature Explained

The Yippee Creature is a meme featuring a crudely drawn, four-legged, large-eyed creature. It’s sometimes called “TBH” or “Autism Creature,” and internet users with autism say they find its blank expression relatable, so they’ve started using it to discuss and describe their experiences with autism online.

Section 1 of 5:

What is the Yippee creature?

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The yippee creature is a fictional meme animal. The animal is a simple drawing of a four-legged creature with a big head and large, shiny eyes. What does it mean? Well, nothing in particular, really. Mostly, it’s just a funny-looking little thing that people like to look at and share. It’s got a certain touch of whimsy. Sometimes, though, it’s used to express enthusiasm or excitement that you don’t show on your face.^{[1]
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- The creature got its “yippee” name after YouTuber teresa menjivar posted a video of the creature quoting a popular meme about a German child saying “Yippee!” in reaction to his cola.
- It’s also sometimes called TBH or TBH creature, because an early version appeared alongside the acronym, which means “to be honest.”
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The yippee creature is also known as the autism creature. Over time, the meme was embraced by some in the autism community who saw it as an accurate representation of how they show emotion. Many autistic people may not express emotions visibly, or in the same way others do, even when they’re experiencing intense feelings.^{[2]
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Research source} So the creature’s mysterious poker face or blank stare, oddly paired with the enthusiastic “yippee” tagline, became emblematic, and now some say it’s a “spokesperson” or mascot for autism.^{[3]
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- There’s been some discourse online about whether or not this is problematic, as some in the autism community don’t like being associated with the drawing (more on that in the discourse section below).

Section 2 of 5:

Where did the Yippee Creature come from?

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@acmeiku posted an image to their Twitter account on January 1, 2021, featuring the creature with the text, “I’m playing Identity V, fancy a game?” (in reference to mobile game ads that were common at the time). The drawing was an iteration of a drawing they shared later, which featured the creature with hair and standing next to the acronym “tbh” (to be honest). The original post gathered only 180 likes, but was enough to be shared by other users and spread across the platform.^{[4]
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The creature was embraced and spread by Tumblr users. A whole year after the yippee creature made its Twitter debut, Tumblr users got hold of it and started spreading it like wildfire, captivated by its odd sense of whimsy. On Tumblr, the creature became associated with autism, since users who are autistic related to its wide-eyed gaze, which they said represents how some autistic people feel and express emotions.^{[5]
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- One now-deleted founding post was made by user girlbito, saying, “So obsessed w that thing it’s the spokesperson for autism,” and user rennegan shared the post with an image of the creature attached.

Section 3 of 5:

Is the Yippee Creature problematic?

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Some users have concerns about the meme’s association with autism. Users on Reddit, for example, explain that they don’t feel represented by or relate to the creature in ways other people might, and so they don’t appreciate it being called things like “spokesperson for autistic people” or “autistic mascot.” Of course, everyone’s experience is different and valuable, but many point out that the drawing isn’t intended to be offensive, and most of the autism-related jokes are made by people who have autism themselves.
- Some say they prefer other autism symbols, like the infinity loop, which are more serious and inclusive.

Section 4 of 5:

Using the Yippee Creature

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Use the Yippee Creature to post about autism-related experiences. Often, people include an image of the Yippee Creature when they’re discussing their experiences as people with autism, since it’s been described as the “unofficial mascot of autism.” If you have a funny, awkward, or just amusing story about a time your autism or other mental experience influenced you or got you into an interesting situation, share it with an image of TBH to communicate that!
- Example: “I went nonverbal in front of the cashier and this is what I looked like.”
- Example: “Me when someone asks me about my favorite character.”
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Make your own remixes of the yippee creature. The Yippee Creature is what’s known as a “paper-doll” meme, meaning that it’s a fun image template that people like to edit and manipulate into fun new memes and images, like putting clothes on a paper doll. It doesn’t have to “mean” anything—it just has to be fun! For example, check out these amusing remixes:
- Example: The Yippee Creature fostering an Among Us baby.
- Example: TBH burns it all down.
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Use the Yippee Creature to express intense emotions you don’t show. Sometimes, when we’re overloaded with emotion, we go blank and start to look like the Yippee Creature. This is one common use of the meme: to describe an intense reaction that actually looks not-at-all intense.
- Example: “When I got so excited to see the movie that I just looked like this the rest of the day.”
- Example: “My friend told me she’s breaking up with her BF and I just looked like this.”

Section 5 of 5:

Similar Memes

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Among Us Among Us is an online multiplayer game featuring small spaceman characters trying to find the alien imposter in their midst.^{[6]
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Research source} Released in 2018, the game gained massive popularity, and the characters became cultural icons and memes, largely thanks to their simple, blobby design. Much like the Yippee Creature, internet users enjoyed remixing and depicting the Among Us characters in different situations.^{[7]
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- Users often make comics and drawings of the Yippee Creature and the Among Us characters interacting.
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Autism Be Damned This is a meme phrase started by a 2020 Facebook post where a father expressed pride for his son, saying, “Autism be damned my boy can work a grill.” Ever since, it’s been a fun, positive way for people with autism to share their own skills and achievements on social media, or to show love for their favorite characters that show traits of autism.^{[8]
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