Dancing Toothless Meme EXPLAINED: Meaning, Origin, And The Rise of Dragon’s Moves
Dancing Toothless Meme: What happens when an animated dragon you adore suddenly, awkwardly, and joyfully begins to dance in full motion along to a Pokémon song? Internet magic. In December 2023, a hilariously odd clip of Toothless — the beloved dragon from DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon — went viral.
The clips itself included the dragon’s dance to the catchy and very ordinary tempo of “Driftveil City” from Pokémon Black & White, and the video rapidly became a genre in itself on TikTok, YouTube, and all other meme pages around the world. This was not just another moment in time, however.
The Dancing Toothless meme amalgamated some nostalgic tendencies, absurdist humor, and remixability in terms of green-screening to encapsulate a very joyful chaotic post-internet culture. Let’s take a look at where it all began and why the internet lost their minds to the movements of this animated dragon.
#1 What Is the Dancing Toothless Meme?
Dancing Toothless Meme (or Toothless Meme) shows a 2D, elongated, bug-eyed version of Toothless (from How to Train Your Dragon) dancing energetically to “Driftveil City” from Pokémon Black & White.
The clip has also become a popular green‑screen format that individuals can make countless video edits with on TikTok and Youtube.
#2 What Are Origins Of Dancing Toothless Meme?
Precursor – Dancing Lizard (2018–2019):
A 3D animated lizard dancing to “Driftveil City” was seen across YouTube and X. One version by “it’s me jb” from April 22, 2019, had over 1.4 million views in four.
Toothless Takes the Stage (Dec 9, 2023):
Animator Cas van de Pol posted The Ultimate “How to Train Your Dragon” Recap Cartoon. Around 1:30, Hiccup snaps and Toothless busts a move to the Pokémon tune – an obvious reference to the original lizard meme. This video amassed over 4 million views in two weeks
Fast Edits:
That same day, a YouTuber took the dance as a single clip, it got 30K views in two weeks; another creator posted a one hour loop and it got 300K views.
#3 How It Became a Viral Sensation
TikTok Takeoff:
On 13 December 2023, @uwaa.w combined Toothless with the original lizard dance, achieving 2.6 million views in 2 weeks.
On 22 December 2023, @igreenscreenthings created a green-screen variation [3.4 million] in 5 days!
Creators like @i0hades0i and @scream_soda67 took a green-screen and isolated Toothless into absurd environments, each received 1.3 million+ views.
Mainstream Reach:
Even mainstream brands noticed the trend; when League of Legends UK traced a version and did not credit, Cas van de Pol jokingly asked “who do I invoice for this?” [multiple online mentions]
#4 How Did Music and Animation Style Boost the Toothless Dancing Meme?
Nostalgic Music:
“Driftveil City” became a part of the identity of the meme, reminiscent of the original lizard video in which it featured.
Cartoonish Charm:
Although the film portrayed Toothless in a cool way, this Toothless is dancing with over-the-top, wobbly limbs, giant eyes, and a silly grin – contributing a level of absurdity that fans were here for.
#5 FAQs
1. Who created the dance?
Cas van de Pol’s fan animation from December 2023.
2. What song is it?
“Driftveil City” from Pokémon: Black & White
3. Is it official DreamWorks content?
No—it’s a fan‐made parody with no ties to DreamWorks.
4. Where can I find the green screen?
It’s widely available on TikTok by searching “Dancing Toothless green screen” or following creators like @igreenscreenthings
#6 Conclusion
A short, silly dragon dance went viral and became a meme phenomenon in late 2023. That’s part of the magic—timing. A beloved character, a familiar soundtrack, comically absurd animation style, and a meme-friendly format.
We didn’t realize how long we had been living in a dystopia of hilarious absurdity and joyous irreverence until Dancing Toothless came along and gave us a revelatory breath of fresh air that begs for audience participation through dance along.
