The 'Dumb Ways To Die' meme originated from a 2012 public service announcement campaign by Metro Trains in Melbourne, Australia, designed to promote rail safety through dark humor and a catchy folk song. Featuring a cast of colorful, bean-shaped characters who perish in absurdly preventable ways—like poking a grizzly bear or selling both kidneys on the internet—the video became a global viral sensation. It eventually transitioned from a safety campaign into a massive internet franchise including mobile games and TikTok trends. In meme culture, it is used to highlight moments of extreme lack of common sense, epic fails, or ironically dangerous situations, often accompanied by the iconic jingle that reminds everyone to be safe around trains.