Miltons Dancing Rat Trend
Also known as: Rat Dance Meme · iShowSpeed's Dancing Rat Trend
Milton's Dancing Rat Trend is a TikTok dance craze built around a crude 3D-animated rat wearing rain boots, set to the track "Chess Type Beat" by Joyful. The original animation was posted by TikToker @ratomilton on January 1, 2025, and blew up after streamer iShowSpeed recreated the rat's goofy moves in a video that pulled over 174 million plays1. The trend turned a simple low-res animation into one of early 2025's biggest participatory dance memes.
TL;DR
Milton's Dancing Rat Trend is a TikTok dance craze built around a crude 3D-animated rat wearing rain boots, set to the track "Chess Type Beat" by Joyful.
Overview
Origin & Background
How It Spread
How to Use This Meme
The standard format is straightforward:
Learn the rat's specific dance moves from the original @ratomilton animation. The choreography involves a distinctive set of arm and body movements synced to the beat drops in "Chess Type Beat" by Joyful.
Record yourself performing the moves. Many creators film in a wide shot to match the rat's full-body framing.
Optionally use the TikTok dancing rat filter, which overlays the 3D rat next to you so it looks like you're dancing together.
Post with the original "Chess Type Beat" sound on TikTok.
Cultural Impact
Fun Facts
The rat wears rain boots in the original animation, a small detail that fans latched onto as part of the character's charm.
@ratomilton had been posting dancing rat content before the viral hit, but earlier videos got significantly fewer views until the "Chess Type Beat" pairing clicked.
iShowSpeed's recreation video gained 19 million likes in its first two weeks alone.
The original @ratomilton video hit 55 million plays and 7.3 million likes within its first month.
Derivatives & Variations
Dancing Rat Filter Videos:
TikToker @thereallightskinmonte created a filter version on January 27, 2025, placing the animated rat beside real dancers as a duet partner. It hit 28 million plays in three days[2].
Group Dance Versions:
Multiple dance crews, including South Korean group @chilllit_seoul, turned the solo dance into coordinated group performances[2].
Celebrity/Influencer Recreations:
Weather personality Nick Kosir, Japanese group PSYCHIC FEVER, and TikToker Brinti D'Angelo each put their own spin on the format[1].
Frequently Asked Questions
References (3)
- 1
- 2Milton's Dancing Rat Trend - Know Your Memeencyclopedia
- 3List of American Greed episodesencyclopedia