The 'Beto Is a Furry' meme emerged as a satirical conspiracy theory during Beto O'Rourke's political campaigns between 2018 and 2020. It primarily gained traction on social media platforms like Twitter and 4chan, where users shared photoshopped images and ironic 'evidence' suggesting the politician was a secret member of the furry community. While the claim started as a baseless prank intended to disrupt political discourse, it quickly evolved into a popular piece of internet lore. Today, the meme is used as a classic example of surreal political shitposting, where the absurdity of the accusation itself is the primary source of humor.