Strawberry Elephant was created in early July 2007 as part of an online Photoshop contest about “how to hide an elephant.” The image shows an elephant blended with a strawberry texture and leaves, and that original contest entry is what later turned into the meme people know today. Over a decade later, it resurfaced and went viral in 2020 and again around 2023, especially in meme and “brainrot” circles online.