'Bones day' on TikTok: Why everyone's talking about this viral pug

If you're wondering what kind of day you'll be having today, 13-year-old pug Noodle says you should treat yourself and seize the day.

Well, Noodle can't talk, of course, but he's part of a new TikTok trend in which he supposedly predicts how your day will go -- in other words, whether it'll be a "bones day" or a "no-bones day." Here's what that means and what to know about the meme that's exploded on TikTok.

What's a 'bones' or 'no-bones' day?

TikToker Jonathan Graziano regularly posts videos of his pug in the morning to see "whether Noodle has bones" -- in other words, whether he stays standing when propped up in his dog bed or flops back down when let go. 

If Noodle stays standing, it's a bones day, meaning you should buy yourself that sushi you've been wanting or finally ask for that raise -- in other words, seize the day! But if he collapses back into his dog bed, it's a no-bones day, meaning you have permission to cancel plans and take it easy. 

Here's Noodle's prediction for Monday. (Spoiler alert: It's a bones day!)

When did the videos become popular?

Graziano has been posting videos of Noodle on TikTok since he joined the platform in late 2020, but the clips have really taken off in October, with each garnering millions of views. This one of a "no-bones morning" from Oct. 4 hit over 10 million views. 

"If today was the day you were planning to call your sister and tell her you just hate her husband, today is not the day to do that," Graziano says in a voiceover on the clip.

Graziano told Insider he had around 50,000 TikTok followers two weeks ago; he now has 1.7 million.

The creator reportedly met Noodle in 2016 and adopted him after his owner wasn't able to care for him anymore. Since those early days, Graziano would try to get Noodle to get up in the mornings by propping him up, but he'd sometimes melt back into the ground -- "not from an inability to stand up, but seemingly as a choice," Graziano told Insider. He's been sharing pictures of Noodle via his Instagram account @showmenoodz, which has over 50,000 followers.

Software engineer Jake Kaplow also created a notification site that sends a text each morning about whether or not it's a bones day, for anyone who's invested in the trend but doesn't want to hop on TikTok.

Other 'bones day' memes

Noodle has inspired TikTok hashtags like #nobones, which has over 151 million views, and #bonesday, which has over 32 million views. 

"Do I believe in astrology?" one user says in a video. "No. Do I believe in that dog who predicts whether or not it's gonna be a good day based on if they wake up with bones or not? Yes."

"And I checked the forecast, and it was a no-bones day," another TikToker says as she lies down. Someone responds, "Well, yeah, if it's a no bones day, I mean what are you supposed to do? It's no bones day!"

Another user poked fun at the pug's fortune-telling abilities (while also jokingly misquoting the catchphrase "Mercury's in retrograde"), saying, "Mercury might be in Gatorade, but the pug had bones. Let's get this bread."

In one video, a TikToker shows how productive a day at work is on a bones day.

On the other hand, another user posted a video that reads, "The fact that I literally woke up early, got dressed, and decided to finally be productive just to find out it's a no bones day," as she stares blankly at the camera. 

Well, it turns out the weather is no longer the only forecast we should be checking. As one user put it, "My biggest mistake today was that I didn't check the bones forecast this morning."

So, be sure to add that to your to-do list.