“Shrimps Is Bugs”: How Viral Tattoo Crawled Into Popular Culture

Tattoos are a big commitment, and their permanence makes it tricky if you suddenly change your mind. The meme with the viral “shrimps is bugs” line comes from a similar tale of a man who decided to rethink the previous tattoo design. His story made the rounds online and went viral, inspiring others to share their tattoo stories.

A close-up photo of a person's leg featuring a minimalist tattoo of an open hand with an eye in the palm, above a bold text that reads "shrimps is bugs." The tattoo combines simple linework with a humorous phrase, suggesting a playful, lighthearted tone.

Image credits: Lewbular

When you call out for recommendations, you’ll be amused by the suggestions you’ll get from the online community. Some tips may be constructive, while others are just downright hilarious. One thing is sure, however: they’ll be hard to ignore.

In this memeography, Bored Panda follows the ink, explores the origins of the viral meme, and joins the catchphrase debate: Are shrimps really bugs?

The Origins of the “Shrimp is Bugs” Meme

The line first appeared in May 2024 on the /r/TattooDesigns subreddit post in which Redditor Lewbular asked other Redditors for cover-up suggestions for an original tattoo that read, “shrimps is bugs.”

The tattoo above his knee had an original design in a plain font. The user posted a photo of the design, and his callout received 17,000 upvotes and 2,100 comments.

Image credits: Lewbular

The viral post was uploaded in May 2023, and other Redditors immediately jumped in with their suggestions, saying the tattoo was funny and shouldn’t be covered up. For instance, commenter PlateHopeful790 asked, “Why should you cover up the truth?” His comment brought 3,400 upvotes.

A Reddit comment from the user "PlateHopeful790" reads, "Why should you cover up the truth?" The comment has 3.4K upvotes and is responding humorously to a post about covering up a tattoo that says "shrimps is bugs," implying the commenter finds the tattoo's message to be a funny or philosophical truth.

Image credits: PlateHopeful790

Another commenter, bordermellancollie09, recommended getting a tattoo around the original design to show approval for and agreement with the viral line. That comment received 3,000 upvotes.

A Reddit comment from the user "bordermelancollie09" reads, "Honestly I would just add more tattoos around it so it looks more natural. It'll blend in with the rest of them. I f***ing love this tattoo. Shrimps is bugs." The comment has 3K upvotes and suggests embracing the "shrimps is bugs" tattoo by incorporating more tattoos around it, expressing affection for the humorous nature of the tattoo.

Image credits: bordermellancollie09

“Shrimps Is Bugs” Meme Spreading Online

The post also inspired many creators to make cover-up suggestions and get tattoos that use the phrase. Many of them shared their thoughts about the tattoo design and their ink stories on the /r/ShrimpsIsBugs subreddit, which was formed on May 17, 2024, and had over 30,000 members as of September 2024.

The recommendations and suggestions came in fast. Finally, Lewbular replied to the comments about his tattoo design, saying: “Alright fine I’ll keep it.” His post, made on May 20, 2024, has gained 2,600 upvotes.

A Reddit post from the user "Lewbular" in the r/ShrimpsIsBugs subreddit reads, "....holy s***. Alright fine I’ll keep it." The post has 2.6K upvotes and 76 comments, indicating a humorous reaction to previous discussions about possibly removing or covering up the "shrimps is bugs" tattoo. The user seems to have changed their mind and decided to keep the tattoo after community feedback.

Image credits: Lewbular

Redditors started reimagining their own “shrimp is bugs” tattoos. Some shared photos of their tattoo designs, building on the original catchphrase. Others posted random but also comedic shrimp tattoo designs.

For instance, Redditor TyrannosaurusWreckd posted a more elaborate design with the same catchphrase and an intricate and colored shrimp illustration. This render has gained 4,700 upvotes.

A detailed tattoo of a shrimp in the center of the image with two scroll banners above and below it. The top banner reads "Shrimps," and the bottom banner reads "is bugs," both in a cursive script. The tattoo artist used fine linework to depict the shrimp and scrolls, giving it a classic, old-school tattoo style while maintaining the humor of the "shrimps is bugs" phrase.

Image credits: TyrannosaurusWreckd

Redditor FI1upper also shared in May that he had fallen victim to someone drunk and wielding a tattoo machine.

He posted a picture of a tattoo featuring a mishmash of random designs along with the viral catchphrase. His post received 2,600 likes.

A tattoo featuring the phrase "shrimps is bugs" in small, bold, and minimalistic text across a person's leg. Surrounding this tattoo are other simple line tattoos, including a Game Boy, a mushroom, and a slice of pizza wearing sunglasses. The tattoos appear playful and quirky, contributing to the humorous tone of the "shrimps is bugs" phrase.

Image credits: Fl1pper_

A year ago, user regmilk also posted his leg tattoo using a tweaked version of the catchphrase. His version showed a shrimp pole dancing and was captioned “sexy shrimp.” His post got 1,700 upvotes.

A colorful and humorous tattoo featuring a shrimp dressed in fishnet stockings and heels, pole dancing. The shrimp's head is tilted back, with swirls suggesting movement or smoke around its antennae. Above the shrimp is the bold text "SHRIMPS IS BUGS." The background includes sparkling star designs to add a glamorous, playful effect, and the overall tone is lighthearted and comedic.

Image credits: regmilk

“Shrimp Is Bugs” Meme Compilation

It’s no secret that shrimps and insects share some creepy-crawly similarities, but leave it to the memes to turn this scientific tidbit into comedy gold.

“Eating Tasty Wet Bugs”

Image credits: DogeDoRight

The Look of Disbelief

A "Shrimps is bugs" meme featuring a fisheye close-up of a man with a wide smile, leaning forward with hands clasped, giving an exaggerated, humorous expression. The text at the top of the image reads, "How I look at people when they say 'shrimp is bugs.'" The meme playfully captures the confused or amused reaction someone might have when hearing the quirky statement. Image credits: @the_dapper_shrimp

Roaches vs Shrimps

Image credits: mrtoddw

“Allergic to Shellfish??”

A sign on a table with the text, "Allergic to shellfish?? Don't eat bugs!" The sign humorously implies that shellfish and bugs are similar, likely playing on the idea that shellfish, such as shrimp, are biologically related to insects, aligning with the "shrimps is bugs" meme concept. The setting appears to be outdoors, with grass visible in the background. Image credits: wastemug

Spot the Difference

Image credits: DreamLocomotive

“Shrimps is Bugs” Cake

A Facebook post from the user "Tori Parrow" shows a birthday cake with white frosting, decorated with two shrimp figures and the text "Shrimps is Bugs" written in blue icing. The caption above the image reads, "My beautiful bday cake this year <33," expressing their love for the humorous cake. The cake ties into the "Shrimps is bugs" meme theme in a playful and celebratory way. Image credits: @_radical_raptor_

Chat Meme

Image credits: @_shrimpdicc_

Halloween Shrimps

A Halloween-themed meme showing a carved pumpkin with the design of a shrimp and the text "SHRIMPS IS BUGS" glowing from within. The shrimp design is stylized, and the lettering is bold, illuminated by a light inside the pumpkin. The image has a warm, orange glow, and the caption above reads "Happy Halloween," humorously combining the "shrimps is bugs" meme with Halloween traditions. Image credits: SensitiveDeer

“Is This a Bugs?”

A "Shrimps is bugs" meme using the popular "Is this a pigeon?" anime template. In the image, a character with glasses is holding out his hand and looking at a shrimp instead of a butterfly. The caption at the bottom reads, "Is this a bugs?" humorously playing on the idea that shrimp are being equated with bugs in a literal and comedic way, aligning with the "shrimps is bugs" meme concept.

Image credits: KadrianReildel

Cover-Up

Image credits: TyrannosaurusWreckd

Baby Shrimp

A humorous "Shrimps is bugs" meme featuring a baby dressed in a shrimp costume lying on a couch with floral pillows. The costume is pink and beige, resembling a shrimp's body, with antennae sticking out from the baby's hat. The text above the image reads "Shrimps is babies," playfully altering the "shrimps is bugs" meme to add a cute and whimsical twist. Image credits: unknown

Shrimp Logic

Image credits: unknown

“Shrimp Is Cats?”

Image credits: dirtygutterpunk

Shrimp Worshipper

Image credits: @the_dapper_shrimp

The Proof Shrimps Are Bugs

Image credits: unknown

Falling Out of Love with Your Ink? Here’s How to Fix

If, like Redditor Lewbular, you find yourself falling out of love with your ink, there are things you can do to fix a tattoo. Dana Strung threw in some good recommendations in a feature for Hub Pages in 2022 (1).

Strung suggests hiding your unwanted tattoo with specialized makeup for special occasions, like during weddings or job interviews or trying laser removal procedures. The latter might be painful and costly, but the good thing is that today’s advanced technologies work wonders if you’ve changed your mind about your original design.

Another creative fix is the one the online community offers in response to Lewbular post: reinventing your tattoo. A good retouch by a professional artist can breathe life into old ink and give it a whole new personality.

Whatever method you choose for a cover-up should be given as much thought as the original decision to get one — you don’t want to turn a small mistake into an even bigger one.

A less popular option for old ink is to leave it untouched and make it part of your history — whether matching designs with an old flame, a reminder of your teenage angst, or a hilarious drunken night, embracing it is a route that few dare to take.

Are Shrimps Bugs?

On TikTok, the “shrimps is bugs” debate went beyond ink. Creators dug deeper into the discussion of whether shrimp are indeed bugs.

For instance, creator and biologist @brian_1368 uploaded a video on September 8, 2023, on his “Explain things” channel to tackle the shrimp-bug conundrum. His post has received 96,300 views and 10,700 likes.

@brain_1368
#Shrimp #SeafoodScience #AquaticLife #MarineBiology #NatureFacts #ScienceMystery .
♬ original sound – Explain things

Another take on TikTok came from @thevictoriabugzoo account, which posted a video on December 12, 2023, that leaned toward considering shrimps as bugs. The video has logged 78,700 likes with 875,900 views.

@thevictoriabugzoo
Okay we know true bugs are Hemiptera but you know, shrimp is bug too #shrimpisbugs #bugsoftiktok🐜🐌🐛 #bugs #victoriabugzootok #victoriabugzoo #bugzoo
♬ A Moment Apart – ODESZA – hannah_harpist

However, science says that shrimps are crustaceans (creatures with an exoskeleton or outer protective covering) and belong to a different group within the phylum Arthropoda.

According to the University of Hawaiʻi, unlike bugs, shrimps don’t have wings and have a different body structure than insects (2). While shrimps and lobsters may resemble some aspects of insects, their classification differentiates them from the insect category.

Conversely, bugs belong to the class Insecta and are characterized by having a chitinous exoskeleton (or a softer cover) and three distinct body parts (head, thorax, and abdomen).

In essence, if shrimp or lobster are some of your favorite seafood, that doesn’t mean you’re eating bugs — it just means you have a refined taste for marine crustaceans.

Why Are Shrimp Called Roaches of the Sea?

While we have established that shrimps aren’t bugs because of their biological makeup, it’s indisputable that they still share startling similarities with roaches.

According to LibreTexts, both have exoskeletons that protect them from injuries. They are cold-blooded and known as scavengers or opportunistic feeders. They also have very sensitive antennae (3).

Many people confuse shrimp with insects and dismissively refer to them as sea roaches. However, biologists strongly disagree, highlighting the significant differences that set these creatures apart.

References

Dana Strung. “What To Do With A Bad Tattoo: Cover It? Remove It? Why Not Reinvent It?” Hubpages, June 7, 2022. | https://discover.hubpages.com/style/What-To-Do-With-a-Bad-Tattoo
“Phylum Arthropoda.” University of Hawaiʻi, Exploring Our Fluid Earth. | https://manoa.hawaii.edu/exploringourfluidearth/biological/invertebrates/phylum-arthropoda
“Subphyla of Arthropoda.” LibreTexts, Biology. | https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/General_Biology_(Boundless)/28%3A_Invertebrates/28.04%3A_Superphylum_Ecdysozoa/28.4D%3A_Subphyla_of_Arthropoda

“Shrimps Is Bugs”: How Viral Tattoo Crawled Into Popular Culture

The Origins of the “Shrimp is Bugs” Meme

“Shrimps Is Bugs” Meme Spreading Online