Hipster Ariel first surfaced in February 2011 after a Tumblr user photoshopped a pair of thick-rimmed black glasses onto the Disney princess. The meme captures Ariel as an elitist trendsetter who claims to have discovered everything 'before it was cool,' often using aquatic puns to mock mainstream culture. As one of the earliest examples of the 'hipster' parody trope online, it quickly spread across social media platforms like Reddit and Instagram. It remains a staple format for highlighting ironic snobbery or the fleeting nature of internet trends.