Now, there’s been some pretty wild TikTok drama to keep us collectively entertained on this cursed app. Swinging Mormon mums, the beef on beekeeperTok, and couch guy are just some cultural phenomena you may have come across. But no hyper-online discourse has been more compelling to me than that of the “frog army”, AKA a million frogs that some guy allegedly raised and then released into the wild, causing mayhem both in person and online. Or did he??? Buckle up kids, because this is a wild ride.
It all started with this TikTok video:
@thinfrog frog army let’s go 🐸😈
TikTok user @thinfrog collected handfuls of frog spawn to take home and place in his own backyard pond. @thingfrog claimed he was “saving” the eggs from dried up ponds, despite the fact frogs lay their spawn in shallow pools on purpose.
Initially, people thought it was pretty funny — classic TikTok shenanigans, amiright? But two months later, when @thinfrog’s eggs became tadpoles, scientists and biology enthusiasts started to worry.
@thinfrog 1.4M FROGS!!!😳 can’t wait how this goes out😈🐸wait till the end!
TikToker @froggiebiologist made several videos warning against the “frog army”, explaining it was irresponsible and could hurt the local ecosystem — especially since it’s not clear whether the frogs @thinfrog was “saving” were invasive or not.
Plus, that many frogs in such a small space? It’s ripe for disease spreading and frog cannibalism. And that’s without considering how this would impact native wildlife who would effectively have their ecosystem balance destroyed.
But alas, in extreme supervillain areas, @thinfrog ignored scientists’ concerns and continued to breed the frog army while his fans applauded him. Seriously. It led to accusations of an “ego trip” and “ecological terrorism”, but the frog army persevered.
Why did @thinfrog ignore all scientific advice? Who knows. But the general disrespect for local, native populations and the “I’m SAVING them” attitude has some real coloniser energy. On brand for the British.
@froggiebiologist #greenscreenvideo @thinfrog #frogs #frogarmy #savethefrogs #frogtok #frogspawn #frogtiktok #froggy #frogman
And then it happened. The experiment was succesful and the frog army was unleashed into the world. In videos reminiscent of biblical plagues, frogs could be seen swarming through @thinfrog’s garden.
@thinfrog no more going in the garden this year and the neighbors because the gardens took over by my giant frog army😈😂
Videos began popping up on TikTok of other people finding hundreds of frogs in their yards, at their doors, in their homes. Speculation grew that these were the result of the frog army.
@bigmackdaddyg Bro where the fuck did these come from #fyp
Anyway, the frog plague started to concern the frog army’s fans. Comments became less celebratory and more “holy shit is this biological warfare” as the real life consequences of releasing millions of probably-invasive frogs hit home.
“Bro’s gonna need a lawyer,” one commenter said.
“Does this count as bioterrorism?” asked another.
“We bouta be in a documentary,” wrote a third.
@thinfrog said his neighbourhood was covered in frogs and he couldn’t go outside lest he accidentally squish one. He expressed regret at breeding all the frogs — because only now that he was affected by his experiment, suddenly he could see maybe it was A Bad Idea. Problems are only problems if they affect me!
Naturally, @thinfrog copped a fkn roasting online for allegedly ruining an entire ecosystem.
@cowboyfcknboots ngl his confidence inspired me #frog #frogspawn #frogarmy #fyp
@froggiebiologist #greenscreenvideo @thinfrog What now? #frogs #frogarmy #frogspawn #frogtok #frogtiktok #frogman #amphibianwar #frogarmy
You’d think this ends here, right? But actually, the plot thickens because it turns out the whole thing might be a hoax. Let’s fkn hope so!
TikTok user @greenerbee revealed she’s recognise some of @thinfrog’s footage from a YouTube video that was uploaded four years ago.
https://www.tiktok.com/@greenerbee/video/7108136947738103045?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Her scoop led others to doubt the legitimacy of @thinfrog’s videos, which upon rewatch do recycle a lot of footage. Another user pointed out that @thinfrog also borrowed footage from a YouTube video titled “Lots of Frogs” that was posted nine years ago.
@woolfswife
Aaaaannddd, if you go back and rewatch videos of frogs hopping into other yards — one of them is located in Dallas, which is certainly not in the UK and therefore not related to the @thinfrog drama.
SO. The question is, did @thinfrog actually breed a frog army, or did they trick TikTok into a six-week hoax for the ages? Keep checking here for updates on what happens next in this ribbeting saga.
