A party parrot mystery has been solved. Thank you, internet.

Sometimes, when you least expect it, the internet will solve a mystery for you. 

Last year, I spent weeks looking for the creator of the original party parrot, a dancing emoji with a cult following. I went deep on Google. I spoke to the Disciples of Sirocco, a group of Redditors who helped fuel the bird’s popularity; the creator of a party parrot website; and fans who made oddball variations on the original. No one knew who made Party Parrot #1.

Then, just this week, I got an email from a Florida man claiming to be the person I had been looking for. What’s more, he says he made the original emoji in December 2009 and uploaded it to Something Awful, a website popular in the 2000s for its comedic blog posts and forums. He had no idea his work had turned into a meme until he read my story on Tuesday.  Read more…

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