Senior Zookeepers Give ‘Gen-Z Style’ Tour of Animals in Viral Clip

A video of a boomer couple giving a tour of the zoo they own has gone viral on TikTok, and it isn’t because of the animals. Instead, it’s their script, which was written by a Gen Z staff member.

The hilarious clip shows directors Brian and Linda, who are in their 60s, walking around Northumberland Zoo, based in the U.K., saying phrases like “It’s poppin’, slay, main character energy,” to name a few.

The clip captioned, “Our zoo directors didn’t understand the assignment,” has been a huge hit online and racked up over 5 million views since it was shared on September 7.

Their daughter and zoo manager, Maxine Bradley, 35, told Newsweek: “They struggled quite a bit with the terminology, but the thing that took the longest was making the heart together with their hands—Gen-Z style!”

In total, the one-minute video took two hours to record. The scenes include the couple walking alongside the river and advising those who are having a “menty b” (short for a mental breakdown) to do the same. They also stand near a leafy enclosure where Brian says, “It’s giving rainforest,” and Linda states it is “lit,” meaning it’s very good.

Linda then observes a skunk eating and says, “very cutesy, very mindful, and very demure”—a phrase popularized by TikTok creator Jools Lebron. CBS News recently reported that Lebron has filed to trademark the phrase for use in entertainment and advertising, particularly in the promotion of beauty products. The phrase gained traction in early August when Lebron described her work hair and makeup on TikTok, leading to widespread usage by fans and celebrities alike.

“We didn’t give my parents any information upfront as we wanted their genuine reactions and plain-faced pronunciations when they said the words. They still don’t know what they mean, and neither do we, to be fair!” Bradley said. “Our zookeeper, Claudia, 27, was just laughing the whole time, but we are all still very surprised at how far this has gone.”

The Role of Slang in Defining Gen Z’s Identity and Influence

Newsweek discussed the clip that has over 556,000 likes with Nöel Wolf, a cultural and linguistic expert at Babbel, a language learning software.

She said: “Gen Z has increasingly defined itself by its use of slang. Typically, young people love to play around with language and it’s where most of our slang and linguistic innovation tends to come from. So one of the reasons it can sound like Gen Z are speaking a different language is that they’re experimenting, and because of the speed of communication driven by tech and through social media, they’re doing it at a pace that’s difficult to keep up with.

“This is one of the reasons why it can seem so funny and out of the ordinary to see older generations using these words and phrases, as you wouldn’t ordinarily expect them to be aware of these trends, let alone to use the slang themselves. This is not unique to Gen Z—it has always sounded awkward, seeing the elder generations try slang favored among young people, because specific slang terms are associated with certain groups, adding to a sense of communal identity. Gen Z just so happen to be the group who use the latest terms from TikTok and other online platforms, like ‘rizz’ and ‘very demure.'”

Wolf also points out that Gen Z is the first generation to grow up fully immersed in the modern internet, with nearly all teenagers having access to smartphones and social media. As a result, their language is heavily influenced by online culture, with new slang and phrases spreading rapidly as content goes viral.

“Playing with language and creating new slang is a crucial part of a young person’s development and bringing them into the world of business and advertising through this trend, making their viewpoint and perspective feel valuable, can only be a good thing,” she added.

TikTok Reacts

The popular clip has gained a lot of traction, including a comment from Google.

It said: “Adding the river walk to our saved locations for the next menty b.”

“This is everything!!!! Best thing on the internet!!!” praised another user.

A third commenter said: “That’s what being an older Gen Z feels like.”

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