The world has its problems, but these baby animals could make it better.

Pesto, who on social media is being referred to as “the fat penguin” and Moo Deng, “the pygmy hippo,” have been breaking headlines for their silly antics. The adorable animals have been popping up everywhere on social media. Even Saturday Night Live on Saturday, September 28, 2024, made a skit about Moo Deng.

Pesto the penguin hatched on January 30, 2024, in the Melbourne Aquarium in Australia. He is part of the King Penguin species which only grows up to around 28-30 inches tall and weighs 21-40 pounds, which finish growing after six years. Pesto defies the average measurements set for king penguins, coming in at around 51.8 pounds and 36 inches tall, not only abnormally large for a king penguin but humongous for one that has not even fully developed yet.

According to USA Today, Pesto eats 25 fish a day, double what an adult king penguin eats. Pesto has grown in other ways as well: on social media he has millions of views, likes, and comments under his #pesto search. Katy Perry and Olivia Rodrigo have even posted Pesto on their Instagram stories only bringing in more viewers to this animal’s cuteness.

Moo Deng, on the other hand, is known for her small stature compared to the rest of the Hippopotamidae family. Classified as a pygmy hippo, Moo Deng was born on July 10th, 2024, at Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo. “Moo Deng” translates to “bouncy pork” in English. This tiny Hippo’s popularity is due to the compelling antics she puts on for the zookeepers where she lives.

After her birth, zookeepers started to post online videos of her sleeping, eating, and, most importantly, terrorizing the workers by attempting to bite or appear to try to scream at them. Her crazy personality has had most viewers glued to their screens, with one X user, @mrmatthouse, writing on September 11 that “Moo Deng is a lifestyle icon and I need all of y’all to get onboard.”

Many other memes have been created in which photos of Moo Deng are superimposed in random places such as a basketball court or an ice hockey rink. Companies such as Sephora Thailand have posted pictures on how to “get blush like Moo Deng” with a line of products to help get Moo Deng Rosey cheeks.

Zoe Simon’s day is always made better when she sees videos of these animals.

“It genuinely brightens my day to see videos of them, like videos or edits of them, fan art too of them together has been so cute as well,” Zoe, a junior day student, said.

Sophomore day student Meredith Cross believes that not only are the animals popular but they also help create a positive space on social media.

“I honestly think they have become a big hit, and I think it is then really fun to see people make videos and captions of them,” she said. “Maybe this is good, maybe we need more cute baby animals to make people feel better about themselves.”

Most people can agree that baby animals are cute, but there is actual data confirming the impact animals can have on human stress and anxiety.

In a News in Health 2018 article “The Power of Pets” explained, “Interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone) and lower blood pressure. Other studies have found that animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support, and boost your mood.”

Meredith also thinks that animals are usually posted with positive quotes, giving Moo Deng and Pesto even more success among viewers.

“They see a good image and video and they make it more likely for them to believe what they see,” she said. “It is better to see more positive images when saying positive things and that is important to their success.”

All over Instagram and TikTok there are specialized videos, posts, and accounts that focus solely on cuteness and positivity. At Williston, we have our very own Almost Friday Instagram account, used as a form of comedy in the stressful environment Williston often is. Posts consists of funny photos of students and teachers with the caption “Almost Friday.” Though small tidbits, of the daily life at Williston students often get enjoyment out of this account.

In times where tragedy seems like the only thing portrayed on our phones, it is nice to take a break and focus on the good, the funny, and the positive things that fill the world.

Zoe believes that overall, animals are nice to consume in a world where social media often portrays tragedy.

“It is very consumable, so it demonstrates that people can enjoy things regardless of differences even if it is not the most meaningful thing in the world, it is nice to bond over this cute, meaningless thing,” she said.