The Morphing meme template is inspired by the iconic cover art of K.A. Applegate’s 'Animorphs' book series, which debuted in the mid-1990s. Each cover featured a multi-stage photographic sequence of a character gradually transforming into an animal. In the late 2010s, internet culture revitalized these nostalgic visuals to represent humorous or drastic changes in personality, physical appearance, or behavior. It is commonly used to mock sudden mood shifts, the effects of substances, or how someone 'evolves' into a specific subculture. The meme's popularity relies on the often-absurd intermediate frames, which produce hilariously cursed human-animal hybrids.