A Guide to Kids Culture for Out-of-Touch Adults: Why Are K-Pop’s ‘Demon Hunters’ so Popular?
The last week of summer 2025 was marked by a lot of number-related slang, a blockbuster movie you may not have heard of, and a viral video that united the world to say, “Give this guy that hat !”
What is KPop Demon Hunters ?
“KPop Demon Hunters” is a Sony animated film that began streaming on Netflix in late June. It quickly became the most-watched original animated film on the platform, and by August, it had reached Netflix’s all-time highest viewership, surpassing 236 million. “KPop Demon Hunters ” is so popular that Netflix rushed to release a sing-along version in theaters. It premiered on 1,700 screens on August 23, and despite a significant portion of viewers having already seen the film, it took the number one spot at the box office, grossing nearly $20 million. All without us even knowing.
The film itself is a musical in which the K-Pop girl group Huntr/x fight demons at night, filling stadiums… at night. Critics have been almost unanimous in their praise for K-Pop Demon Hunters : its catchy songs, quality animation, positive message, and energetic pace.
What is 2016 nostalgia (and why)?
There are over a million videos on TikTok tagged with “ #2016 .” Some are certainly from that distant era, but most are nostalgic videos that aim to recreate the unique atmosphere and look of nine years ago. Remember? Everyone was excited for the presidential election, everyone had fidget spinners, and we were all listening to Adele’s good old “Hello”? Oh yeah, and it all looked like this:
The 2016 aesthetic is achieved via a TikTok filter, but its popularity requires further explanation. 2016 was only nine years ago.
“Steve, didn’t nine years ago feel the same as three years ago?” you ask. Maybe for you. And for you, it’s pretty much the same as it did then. But if you’re 18, 2016 was half a lifetime ago. Nostalgia for 2016 isn’t so much about the difference in style or culture between then and now; it’s more about personal nostalgia, when young people remember who they were “then” rather than what the world was like. In any case, nostalgia cycles are getting shorter and shorter, in a shrinking recursive cycle. I can only imagine that soon it will all catch up, and everyone will start to feel nostalgic for the real thing.
What is Mason 67 Kid?
There is a new type of man, and his name is Mason.
Last week, I defined a favorite Generation Alpha slang term, “6-7,” noting that it means nothing, but that it refers to a certain type of person who says it. Internet cultural commentators have identified this person, stereotyped him, and dubbed him Mason 67.
Mason Kid 67 is a white, Generation Alpha guy from the suburbs who plays baseball, has a fuzzy ice cream haircut, and says “6-7” a lot. His sunglasses are Pit Vipers. He wears Yeezy slides. His polyester ice cream shorts are from Dick’s Sporting Goods .
The name comes from this video, which first identified the trend:
Others quickly picked up on it. Here’s one from Masons:
And the AI-Mason:
There are a million more Masons according to the hashtag .
This is the first stereotype I’ve seen about Generation Alpha, the under-15s, and it will be interesting to see if it sticks. In a way, it’s just a “white kid,” and it doesn’t really mean anything. Neither do 6-7.
What does “41” mean?
While we’re on the topic of number slang that only Generation Alpha uses, have you heard of the number “41”? The number 41 is basically the answer to all those 6-7 characters. Its origins come from Blizzi Boi’s “41 Song (Yung Smiley Saks! Remix)”, which you can listen to here:
In this (terrible) song, Blizzy Boy raps about being 41 years old and having 41 goals, or maybe 41 gold. It’s a bad song, and Blizzy Boy should be smarter at his age, but apparently kids like it because they’ve started saying “41” a lot. Like 6-7, it’s the number you should say in response to any question that asks for a number. “What time is it? 41!” So far, 41 is only half as popular as “6-7,” but there are probably enough kids looking for a new number to say that it will overtake the original.
In the future, 59 will most likely gain popularity, and maybe even 12.
What does “sliced” mean?
In youth slang, the word “chopped” is not the past tense of “chop.” It means “ugly” and is often applied to a person or clothing, but “chopped” can refer to anything that is unattractive, as well as anything that is unattractive, such as an awkward situation.
(For more Gen Z and Alpha slang, check out my Dictionary of Teen Slang. )
Viral Video of the Week: Polish CEO Snatches Cap from Young Fan at US Open
We bet you’ve seen this week’s viral video, and if you haven’t, it’s a clip of the crowd at the US Open that captured the moment tennis player Kamil Majchrzak tried to give his hat to a young fan, only to have it snatched from the young fan’s hands by Poland’s CEO Piotr Szczerek.
This clip has gone viral because it has all the ingredients for a perfect 2025 meme:
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The guy looks like a tennis version of Mason 67.
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Everyone already suspects that CEOs can steal candy from a child, and here is the proof.
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The feeling of self-righteousness is a powerful emotion.
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You just knew it would ruin this CEO’s life, and it did! ( Here’s his apology. )
It’s also typical of internet culture in 2025: I couldn’t find the original clip anywhere. Instead, I found thousands of viral reaction posts, video commentary, and frame-by-frame dissections, all trying to get attention, and all of them completely unnecessary. We all had the same reaction . What can you say about that? No one needs to dissect this video, because we can see it all for ourselves . Content-about-content is a plague on the earth, a cycle as recursive as nostalgia for 2016, where an entire culture turns into a snake devouring its own tail.