AS has become a popular creative trend on TikTok, with people using the term to make all sorts of videos.
TikTok is often unpredictable, with trends randomly picking up steam within a short time frame. However, one recent trend has caused users to get creative. AS is popular on TikTok, but what does AS mean? What is the significance of this acronym, and why do people use it so often? We’ll try to answer all the questions in the following article.
What does AS mean on TikTok?
The Adult swim or AS marks the beginning of a TikTok trend called ‘AS,’ which stands for Adult Swim. Users create their own short videos, or ‘bumps,’ to post on social media.
The content is a nod to the initial Adult Swim opening and closing credits, which were typically very straightforward. They would sometimes show objects like an old car or people swimming in a lake.
Users of TikTok are continuing to show their inventiveness by writing out [AS] in different ways, such as using cashew nuts.
Forbes reports that the hashtag “#adultswim” has been used on social media 1.1 billion times, resulting in 82.7 million derivations! This enables fans of Adult Swim to create their own versions of the TV show intro/outro bumps, using a song called Time Moves Slow by BadBadNotGood. These videos all feature a distinctive ‘[as]’ logo. The #adultswimbump hashtag is trending worldwide with more than 1.1 billion users on social media!
A creative user blended Adult Swim nostalgia with modern TikTok trends by embedding the ‘[as]’ logo in a video featuring a pasta dish on TikTok.
What Exactly is Adult Swim?
Adult Swim is a late-night extension of Cartoon Network that primarily focuses on airing animated series and other pieces of content that would have required censorship had it been put on what was largely considered a children’s channel.
After it debuted in 2001, gradually becoming more popular, Nielsen gave it its own rating report in 2005 due to the show’s different target demographic.
Adult Swim’s programming is famous for its foul language, racy content, unusual or overly simplistic art style, and sometimes, graphic violence.
Adult Swim has aired famous shows such as Adventuretime and Black Jesus, as well as its own original programming which includes The Boondocks, Rick and Morty, and Black Dynamite.
The History of Adult Swim or AS
The channel’s early videos were mostly of people in pools – like a lifeguard yelling “All kids out of the pool!” or old folks swimming around. However, this was later changed to be more imaginative and sometimes ridiculous, like one clip for April Fools with cats. For the majority of its airtime, it included an iconic AS logo that was either stylized as [adult swim] or just [as].
Which Song is Used in the TikTok Adult Swim Trend?
Adult Swim viewers have increased recently, all thanks to TikTok users. These users create short videos set to music, the most popular being a remix of “Time Moves Slow” by BADBADNOTGOOD. This sound was originally created by user VANO 3000 (@supvano), who also made an [adult swim]-branded bumper. The type of music playing during these bumps sounds very similar to what is generally played during Adult Swim’s regular bumpers.
Is Adult Swim Aware of the TikTok Trend?
The programming block is using TikTok to let users know that they are seen and valued.
This latest video reads a message that says: “We’ve been talking to you like this for a long time”.
They further went on to add: “It’s nice to see you talking back to us. Let’s keep it going”.
The Relationship between TikTok and AS
The trend became increasingly popular, with creators going above and beyond to produce bumps that are styled creatively yet randomly, similar to those seen on Adult Swim today. Some have managed to perfectly blend Adult Swim nostalgia with modern TikTok trends; for example, a video featuring the infamous TikTok feta cheese and tomato pasta has the [as] logo embedded in it. “This is my favorite,” one user commented. “It made me feel like I’m watching [AS] at 1 am but it’s really TikTok at 7 pm.”
Right now, TikTok users are trying to outdo each other by filming the most Adult Swim-like bumper. And it’s not just any viewers–those longing for the 2000s/2010s nostalgia are having a blast watching them. If you didn’t know, Adult Swim is still running today and airs bumps every night (you can find some great compilations on YouTube). In fact, the channel has even posted its own take on the trend in an attempt to egg creators on.
Perhaps we will see some of the most famous TikTok trends migrate to television one day.
