Tentaquil originated in 2010 on 4chan's Pokémon board, /vp/, when a user posted a sprite of a blue, bug-eyed creature that didn't resemble any existing Pokémon. The community quickly embraced the bizarre design, dubbing it 'Tentaquil' and creating a massive wave of fan art, fake Pokédex entries, and lore that treated it as a legitimate legendary. Unlike many other forced memes, Tentaquil gained genuine staying power as a symbol of the board's creative and chaotic spirit. It represents the 'Fakemon' subculture and remains a nostalgic nod to the early 2010s era of internet gaming communities.