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TikTok Is Playing 'Smash or Pass' With Disney Filters

Watch out, Mufasa.

Steph Panecasio Former Editor
Steph Panecasio was an Editor based in Sydney, Australia. She knows a lot about the intersection of death, technology and culture. She's a fantasy geek who covers science, digital trends, video games, subcultures and more. Outside work, you'll most likely find her rewatching Lord of the Rings or listening to D&D podcasts.
Steph Panecasio
3 min read
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Sarah Tew/CNET

In the early 2010s the internet was rife with "Which character are you?" quizzes. Millennials all over the world flocked to Buzzfeed and similar sites to find out whether they were Slytherin or Gryffindor, or which character from The Office they were. 

It was everywhere. The premise was simple: either a random generator would assign a character to you through chance, or you'd go through the rigmarole of answering personality quiz questions that inevitably you could cheat to get the character you wanted. The filters overwhelmed Instagram and every second Insta Story featured one of them.

But now, the humble character generator has been given new life on TikTok -- just not for what the creators may have intended. 

Smash or Pass

The game Smash or Pass isn't a new concept by any means. Played originally at parties and sleepovers, a player would be given a name -- maybe a celebrity, or a notable figure of some kind -- and they'd have to decide whether to hypothetically Smash (sleep with) or Pass (need I say more?). 

But after a trending sound on TikTok made light of the Smash or Pass game, it has resurfaced in a video trend where TikTok creators use character generators and play with those options. 

The most popular filter used? Disney. Yes, the one with princes, princesses and assorted wildlife. We aren't yucking anyone's yum here -- some of the characters could get it. 

It's resulted in a number of wild and ultimately hilarious videos that really, we should have seen coming. Putting a bunch of people on an app with character generators? Someone was always going to make it horny. 

The best part is everyone is responding above board. Whenever a child or younger character comes up, it's an immediate pass. There's no untoward behavior, this is all in the name of good fun. If anything, it's a chance for users to look back on their own childhoods and remember the characters that first taught them what it was like to have a crush. 

Some creators have even gone so far as to try and rig the generator to get the exact character they want. User @nakatomipizza has spent the better part of the last month trying to get the character Kronk, from The Emperor's New Groove. An entirely justifiable mission, as Kronk is easily one of the best Disney characters, in this reporter's humble opinion. 

But try as she might, @Nakatomipizza was eluded by the character. It even spawned a full on movement called Kronkgate, where other users would tag her whenever the character surfaced on one of their generators. 

She's still waiting, but fortunately there are plenty of other characters to hypothetically smash (under the right circumstances).

The irony of the entire trend is that we've now come full circle. Buzzfeed itself is cashing in on the TikTok trend, truly making this a generational cycle of smashes and passes. The Buzzfeed quiz "Smash Or Pass These Disney/Pixar Characters And We'll Tell You What % Kinky You Are" now exists, and it's almost entirely down to the ridiculousness that is TikTok.

You're welcome.