The Great Giraffe Challenge
The OG viral riddle from 2013
The Lore
How Giraffes Took Over Facebook
In late October 2013, a simple riddle turned millions of Facebook profiles into a virtual zoo. Here is how it all went down.
Victims of the Challenge
Oct 28, 2013
Day 2 of being a giraffe... I still don't know what I open first at 3AM
Updated profile picture
Timeline of Events
New Zealand vlogger Andrew Strugnell posts a YouTube video and creates a dedicated Facebook page with the riddle challenge.
The challenge spreads through private messages on Facebook. Friends message each other to avoid spoiling the answer publicly. Thousands start changing their profile pics.
Millions of profiles turn into giraffes overnight. Entire friend lists are nothing but giraffe pictures. It becomes impossible to tell who anyone is.
ABC News, UPI, Chicago Tribune, and other major outlets cover the phenomenon. Headlines read "Why is everyone a giraffe on Facebook?"
Rumors spread that the challenge is a virus or hacking scheme. Snopes investigates and confirms it's completely harmless - just a riddle and an honor code.
The Great Giraffe Challenge goes down as one of the most iconic and wholesome viral memes of the early 2010s. Featured in "best memes of 2013" lists, internet culture archives, and remembered as the week Facebook turned into a safari. A pure moment of harmless collective chaos that the internet never forgot.
3M+
Profiles changed
3
Days as a giraffe
1
Riddle to rule them all
Origin: Created by New Zealand vlogger Andrew Strugnell, who posted a YouTube video explaining the challenge and set up a dedicated Facebook page. The challenge spread entirely through private messages to keep the answer secret, turning Facebook into a giraffe sanctuary for about a week. Major outlets including ABC News, UPI, and the Chicago Tribune covered the trend. Snopes stepped in to confirm it was not a virus or hack — just pure, harmless internet chaos.
The Great Giraffe Challenge
The Riddle
It's 3:00 am, the doorbell rings and you wake up. Unexpected visitors, It's your parents and they are there for breakfast. You have strawberry jam, honey, wine, bread and cheese.
What is the first thing you open?
Please enter your answer below
Giraffe PFP Generator
Upload your X profile pic and go giraffe
Choose your giraffe style:
Spread the Challenge
Post this on X and challenge your followers. Copy the text or tweet it directly:
I've changed my profile to a giraffe. I tried to answer a riddle and got it wrong. Try the great giraffe challenge! 🦒 $TGGC
How it works
- 1. Read the riddle and submit your answer
- 2. If you get it wrong, upload your current X profile picture
- 3. Choose a giraffe style and generate your new PFP
- 4. Download and set it as your X profile pic for 3 days
- 5. Share the challenge with your followers