Polar Bear 2026 is a creepy image that has gone viral on TikTok and other social media platforms in September 2023. The image shows a polar bear in the year 2026, holding itself up by just its two front paws, and staring ominously at the camera at night time. The image is allegedly AI-generated, and its origin is unknown. Some people are pretending that its a real photo with real lore, earning it creepypasta status. The meme seems to have come from Russian meme circles and is piquing the curiosity of many English-speakers that are coming across it.

The Polar Bear 2026 creepypasta started with Russian users on TikTok in early 2023, inspiring later usage from English-speakers in September 2023. Most Polar Bear 2026 videos used a creepy TikTok sound that sounded like "yoyoyoyoyo" or "ойойойойойо" in Russian. The sound was the song "Cumbia Masonica" by Ø+yn & GMC, which was used in the video game Hello Charlotte EP3: Childhoods End.

The image has sparked a wild conspiracy theory on social media, with some people thinking that it shows a warning about the Willow Project, which was approved by the Biden administration in March 2023. It’s an oil drilling project by ConocoPhillips located on the North Slope of Alaska in the National Petroleum Reserve. TikTok users think the image is a stark warning that the Willow Project will destroy all life and habitats in Alaska. Others think the eerie image shows “nuclear winter” and warns of a mass extinction event.