The 'Put a Bird on It' meme originated from the sketch comedy series Portlandia, specifically in a 2011 episode featuring characters Bryce and Marshall. In the sketch, the duo visits a boutique and asserts that adding a simple bird silhouette to mundane items like toast or handbags instantly transforms them into high-value art. The phrase quickly became a viral shorthand for mocking the ubiquitous, often pretentious 'indie' aesthetic of the early 2010s. Today, the meme is widely used to poke fun at unnecessary gentrification, superficial design trends, or any attempt to make something mediocre seem trendy through minimal effort.