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Why Are People Calling Patrick Star 'Subaru' On TikTok? The Viral 'SpongeBob' Memes Explained
SpongeBob SquarePants memes are taking over TikTok right now, but for some reason, they're all calling the character Patrick Star "Subaru."
The new nickname is derived from a comment made to the SpongeBob Fandom site back in 2021, but it only started going viral recently after being posted to Reddit and X / Twitter.
So, what exactly is the comment that inspired the meme and why is it going viral right now? Here's what you need to know about the "I Call Patrick Subaru" meme.
@cookieslayer_227 What kind of best friend is he? #spongebob #patrick #subaru #patricksubaru #fyp #xyzbca #nichereference #rezero ♬ son original – NODDI
What Is The 'I Call Patrick Subaru' Meme?
In March 2021, SpongeBob Fandom user Kmh1481 took to the comments section for the episode "Gone" to express their frustration over Patrick participating in "No SpongeBob Day" in the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "National No SpongeBob Day."
However, in their comment, they strangely refer to Patrick as Subaru in a way that seems to assume that everyone knows the user calls him Subaru.
This prompted fellow user Idoodle247 to ask, "Who's Subaru?" resulting in the viral answer, "I call Patrick Subaru."
A screenshot of the comment exchange started spreading on social media in mid-February 2025, making its way to TikTok in early March and inspiring further memes in recent days.
How Is 'I Call Patrick Subaru' Used In Memes?
The screenshot of the comment exchange went viral on Reddit, X and TikTok in March 2025 thanks to the randomness of the comment and the lack of context as to why the user calls Patrick "Subaru."
The screenshot gained over 5 million views on TikTok in just a few days, sparking a wave of memes that refer to Patrick as Subaru.
These memes typically show Patrick doing something stupid, or something that could be interpreted as cruel towards SpongeBob, alongside captions that hate on Subaru for either faking dumb or acting poorly towards his supposed best friend.
The memes look to echo the original comment made by Kmh1481 in which they show disappointment in Subaru for treating SpongeBob in an unkind way.
@gorrilladave bullying bro ong #spongebob #patrick #fyp #subaru ♬ son original – NODDI
@nevergooner Why does Subaru have a bottle on his head 💔✌️#Subaru #fyp #viral #brainrot #2025 #Meme #shitpost #patrickstar #spongebob #mainstream ♬ yelda by yhapojj CYBER SPEED – cyberundergr0und
For the full history of I Call Patrick Subaru, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
