What is the Tying My Shoes Meme AI: Strangers Drop Cash in Your Cup?
The tying my shoes meme is the fastest career change on the internet: a guy puts his drink cup down on a park path and crouches to tie his shoe, people walking past think it is a tip cup and drop bills in it, and he switches to a huge grin and sits down behind the cup. Upload one photo of yourself or your pet and this template puts you on the path.
The clip comes from the New York creator @jaywicwya, filmed with the phone low on a park path. Copies went around from July 2026 as "Tie my shoes gone wrong" and "When you're just trying to tie your shoes", and on 20 July a compilation by @brightvibes89 opened with it under the French caption "the fastest career change in history"; it passed 1.6 million views. In November it turned into an AI trend: creators kept the park, the low camera and the passers-by and swapped only the man. On 11 November @merkurianin posted a black cat version crediting the original, and it passed 1.4 million views in two days.
The template runs in two steps: an image model puts you (or your pet) crouched on the park path next to the cup, then a video model plays 8 seconds of the passers-by dropping cash and your grin, with an original funky beat. The trend videos on this page are credited to their creators; the poster image is AI-generated.
What happens in the video
0-3 s: you crouch to tie your sneaker and a passer-by drops a bill in your cup. 3-6 s: two more bills land and you slowly start to grin. 6-8 s: you sit down behind the cup like a street performer, beaming at the camera.
Can I use my cat or dog?
Yes. Upload a pet photo and the template keeps its species, fur colour and markings; your pet crouches by the cup like the black cat in the viral remix.
Which photo to use
One adult, full body or down to the knees, face clear, or one pet with the whole body in view. Use your own photo or one of someone who said yes, never a celebrity, a stranger or a child.