First, there was Pizza Rat.
Then, there was Shower Rat.
Now, a new challenger has stepped into the ring. Say hello to Egg Roll Squirrel, the adorable obese squirrel that loves to eat egg rolls!
Egg Roll Squirrel knows what's up. Egg Roll Squirrel laughs in the face of your New Year's dieting.
This video of the pint-sized New York native went viral this week after it was shared by What Is New York, a group whose Twitter and Facebook pages are "dedicated to everything that is New York". People just couldn't get enough of the heroically chubby rodent chowing down on some authentic New York cuisine.
Just like his sexy cousin before him, the portly little fella's size has made him a hit on social media.
It's important to remember that squirrels do put on a lot of chub in winter months as protection against cold weather – you may remember when an unusually mild winter a few years ago led to quite a few of the plus-size critters going viral. Of course, although seasonal fat stores and an extra-thick winter coat may be partly to blame, it's fair to say a steady diet of Chinese take-out probably isn't doing this little guy any favors either.
But one aspect of the video concerned people far more than the squirrel's weight.
It turns out, squirrels love egg rolls as much as we do.
And a few people were reminded of the other furry residents they've seen scarfing down some tasty treats.
While for others, the video encapsulated the Big Apple.
But for many people, Egg Roll Squirrel represents something deeper. They looked at this little rodent taking on an egg roll nearly as big as his own body and they saw ... hope.
They saw ... joy.
And most importantly of all, they saw ... themselves.
Iconic.
For more rodents causing mayhem and mischief, click here to learn how one tiny baby squirrel caused a police incident in Germany, or here to watch a safety-conscious rat start a fire drill in a condo in Washington DC. Or if you're just here for the cuteness factor, maybe you'd like to check out the real-life pokémon that is the Siberian flying squirrel - but be warned: they're more adorable than you can possibly imagine.
