Thumbs Up Hedgehog
TL;DR · Origin "Ddabong-dochi" is a photograph of a hedgehog held up in someone's palm, front paws extended upward so that it appears to be giving a thumbs-up. It is not a composite but a …
Origin
"Ddabong-dochi" is a photograph of a hedgehog held up in someone's palm, front paws extended upward so that it appears to be giving a thumbs-up. It is not a composite but a real pet hedgehog: the African pygmy hedgehog of @mr.pokee, the Instagram account that became famous for photographing its hedgehog on travels around the world. The account has run since 2015 and drew followers in the millions; after Pokee, its original star, died of a blood infection, another hedgehog of the same species took over and the account continued.
How the image spread in Korea is unusual: the caption mattered more than the photo. It circulated attached to a chain-letter style text — "Congratulations. You have received the luck of Ddabong-dochi. Leave a comment saying 'Thank you, Ddabong-dochi' and you and everyone in your family will be healthy and everything you set out to do will go well." Ddabong itself comes from Brazilian Portuguese tá bom ("that's good"), fixed in Korean along with the thumbs-up gesture by an orange juice commercial in the 1980s.
Spread
It took off in Korean communities in the summer of 2019. On August 10, 2019, Animal Planet Korea covered the photo and its lucky text, reporting a wave of comments across forums and social media. Unlike traditional chain letters, which threaten misfortune if you fail to pass them on, the hedgehog version has no penalty and asks only for one comment — which is why it spread without the usual resistance.
The text kept being rewritten as it traveled. Versions appeared with different wishes attached to the same photo, and with the occasion specified — exams, job applications, surgery — so the meme circulated in slightly different sentences depending on the community. Years later it survives by being summoned into the comments of new posts.
How it's used
Its home is wishing someone well, or thanking luck that has already arrived. The premise is that this is light goodwill, not a serious invocation.
- As an encouraging comment under a post about an exam, interview, or operation
- Recipients join in by replying "Thank you, Ddabong-dochi"
- Swapping the object — "Ddabong-[name]" — to thank an athlete who played well or a stock that went up
- Whenever a single image can stand in for a word of encouragement
Sources
- Instagram, @mr.pokee — the travelling-hedgehog account the source photo comes from
- Animal Planet Korea, August 10, 2019, "'Thank you Ddabong-dochi!' — You have received the luck of Ddabong-dochi" — the timing of its Korean run and the original wording of the lucky text
- Namuwiki, "Hedgehog" — the note that the photo is of a four-toed hedgehog posted by a travelling influencer
- The Outline, "Instagram pets don't live forever, but their content can" — Pokee's death and how the account carried on
