What does AS mean on TikTok? The story behind the Adult Swim trend

16 May 2022, 13:10

TikTok app photo Illustrations — TikTok has been littered with users taking part in the AS trend. Picture: Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images

By Jenny Mensah

The social media platform has seen users add the term "AS" in their videos, but what does it stand for and why are people using it? Find out here.

If you're a fan of TikTok, then you may have noticed recently that the social media platform is full of creative videos of all kinds which use the term 'AS'.

TikTok can be confusing at times, with trends seeming to take hold in a matter of hours, but this one has left a few users really flexing their creative muscles.

'AS' is featured as a hashtag and it also features in the videos themselves, but what is the meaning of 'AS' anyway? What does 'AS' stand for and why on earth are people using it in the first place?

Find out the answers to this question and more.

What does AS mean on TikTok?

'AS' stands for Adult Swim and it is a TikTok trend that's been taking social media by storm. It involves users creating their own bumpers or bumps, which are followed by [adult swim] or [AS].

The content pays homage to the original Adult Swim bumpers or bumps, which were played before and after adverts. The bumps were often quite simplistic or abstract and featured things such as an old car or people swimming in a lake.

As ever, TikTok users are showing how creative they are, by incorporating [AS] in as many ways as they can, such as writing it out by using cashew nuts.

What is Adult Swim?

Adult Swim is a night-time programming block of the cable station Cartoon Network, which targets an adult or late-night audience. It was launched as a way to play animation and other types of series that may have otherwise required censorship for being on what was largely thought of as a children's channel.

It debuted in 2001 and, after growing in popularity, it was granted its own separate Nielsen's rating report in 2005 as it was targeting a different audience.

Adults Swims' shows are known for their sexual themes, nudity, strong language, graphic violence and often wacky and surreal or overly minimalist style.

It has hosted shows such as Black Jesus and Adventuretime and it's original programming included the likes of The Boondocks, Black Dynamite and Rick and Morty.

What is the song used in the Adult Swim trend?

The song which has helped make the trend go viral has been made popular by a TikTok producer named Vano 3000. The beat is sampled from BADBADNOTGOOD’s Time Moves Slow feat Sam Herring.

You can find the section used here from 1:30 onwards.