What Is Skibidi Toilet: The Controversial Oddity & TV/Movie Franchise, Explained

Just when you thought it was safe to got to the bathroom, they decide to make a franchise out of "Skibidi Toilet." In this case, "they" happens to be mega-successful producer and director Michael Bay and partner Adam Goodman, who told Variety they're hoping to make a series and a film out of the viral internet meme. "We are absolutely in talks right now, both on the television side and the earliest conversations right now on the film side," he said. "If we find a partner in this that really believes there's opportunity for this to grow and to really see the storytelling grow and for this to be where we hope this can be, then film and TV seems like a natural extension for us." 

Alexey Gerasimov's "Skibidi Toilet" series was born in February 2023. The short shows a man's head emerging from a toilet, singing a catchy tune and lunging toward the viewer. The video went viral, and since then, the series has spawned dozens of parts and become more elaborate. Now, the series focuses on the toilet-bound human's battle with an alien cyborg race, which often proves to be rather violent and typically contains no dialogue. The videos and shorts have pulled in hundreds of millions of views, and Goodman and Bay want to capitalize on that. They see great potential in the dialogue-free, violence-laden world Gerasimov has created, comparing his work to popular franchises.

Adam Goodman told Variety that he thinks the "Skibidi Toilet" videos have the potential to hang with the biggest science fiction franchises. He says Alexey Gerasimov has the potential to create something legendary. "He's building something that could be the next 'Transformers' or could be a Marvel universe." He adds that he can see the franchise become a stylized action epic on the same level as "District 9" or the John Wick series.

Goodman also said that there will be "Skibidi Toilet" merchandise coming out this fall. Ahead of this quasi-coming out party for the internet phenomena, he notes Michael Bay is helping Gerasimov polish the presentation of his work alongside production designer and collaborator Jeffrey Beecroft. "[They] have been working very closely with Alexey to really professionalize the kind of back engine of this, to make sure, if we ever decide to go film or television, that this is kind of lifted beyond just the resources that creators have on the internet," he noted. 

Time will tell if kids turn over their allowances to "Skibidi Toilet" the way they did when "Five Nights at Freddy's" scared up an incredible opening weekend at the box office. But Michael Bay — who broke through as a director thanks to a "Got Milk?" commercial — knows something about turning a minor hit into a major win.