The Niche Community on TikTok (NicheTok) has a new meme called the "Chicken Stars" meme. It focuses on a scene from the 2023 animated film Leo and a funny line in one of the movie's songs.

"Chicken Stars" became a meme only a few days ago, but some on TikTok are already saying that it's over. Others are saying that it was never funny to begin with and is forced.

Both opinions are akin to the discourse surrounding the TikTok Niche Community, that's followed other memes like "I'm a Dude Man" and "Purple Plate," just to name a few.

So, what is the "Chicken Stars" meme anyway? Who started it, and why is it being criticized online? Let's explain.

What Is The 'Chicken Stars' Scene In The Movie 'Leo'?

The animated film Leo was released two years ago, in 2023, on Netflix. It stars actor Adam Sandler as a lizard class pet named Leo, who wants to escape the classroom, according to its synopsis on IMDb.

Leo is a unique children's movie because it is a musical. There are several original songs that are performed by the characters. One called "Last Year" contains the line about eating "chicken stars."

The line is sung by the character Cole. The lyrics are, "I'm gonna go out swingin'! Toy soldiers, Dipping Dots, fun-sized bars, slip-and-slides … chicken stars, until they tell me to stop!"

He's shown picking up a so-called "chicken star" and biting it in the scene. A "chicken star" is just a star-shaped chicken nugget.

Where Did The 'Chicken Stars' Meme Come From?

It's unclear why, but a TikToker named @animalcompany88 decided to use the "Chicken Stars" scene in a meme at the end of last month, September 2025.

In the original video, the text caption stated that the scene was a "new niche meme," indicating that it was fresh and ready to be used by other meme creators.

The TikToker deleted the original video after it went more viral this week. On their account in one photo slideshow, they wrote, "Never be surprised if I delete all my vids and make a new style of videos."

Since then, their account has been posting non-viral Meowl memes and documentation of their original, since-deleted "Chicken Stars" video, despite saying that they'd pivot to new things in videos to come.

@animalcompany88

♬ original sound – Spencer

What Is The 'TikTok Niche Community?'

A new group of meme creators called the "Niche Community" has seemingly taken over TikTok meme trends this year despite criticisms from other users on the app.

Several trends like the "Niche Fruits," "Totr" and "My Mother Ate Fries" were kickstarted by the group. However, as each became popularized, members of the Niche Community decided to abandon their work for greener, nicher pastures.

The group's insistence on creating and discovering "niche" memes stems from the "JuggTok" instinct to switch from the Broken Heart Emoji to the Dead Rose Emoji back in February 2025, because the former had "gone mainstream."

But the Niche Community has experienced a wave of criticism in recent months from others who believe that the memes they create and spread are not funny to begin with.

"Why is it a competition to see who can be the most niche corniest dork," was the caption of one recent TikTok, calling out people who use the "Kirk Franklin Eating an Apple" format.

@.benji70 #chickenstars ♬ Chicken Stars – nich.memes.lol

What Are Some More 'Chicken Stars' Memes?

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7557499881586298125

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7557848349316009238

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7557619964593671437

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7557736265353907478

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7557993420627725586

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7557771109140122902

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For the full history of Chicken Stars, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.