The 10 most popular GIFs in 2021: From Stanley Hudson in 'The Office' to Baby Yoda's joy and excitement

The Pikachu character comes fourth in the top 10 most popular GIFs on Giphy in 2021.
Image: The Official Pokémon YouTube channel

Do you use GIFs when replying to your friends' messages? These little looping animated graphics have grown steadily in popularity on social networks. As the end of the year approaches, Giphy, the platform for GIFs, has drawn up a list of hits for the past year. Between pop culture and cuteness galore, here are the top 10 most popular gifs of the year 2021.

Using a GIF to reply to a message has become habit for many web users. So much so that the looping animation platform,  Giphy, has unveiled the most popular gifs of the year 2021. The top 10 list reflects a year punctuated by uncertainty, surprise and fatigue.

In top spot is a GIF referencing cult series "The Office" and one of its iconic characters, Stanley Hudson. Its first-place position is hardly surprising since the NBC comedy was the most watched series in the United States in 2020. The winning GIF is nothing but a zoom on Stanley Hudson, sitting at his desk, stoic face and annoyed expression. A look that sums up the year 2021?

While in second position, the fatigue of Tom from "Tom and Jerry" seems to have resonated with many, the British show "The Great British Bake Off" also clearly marked web users since a GIF taken from the culinary competition rounds out the top 3.

Other TV shows also showed up in the top 10, including Disney +'s "WandaVision," with Agnes' wink, and Netflix's "Bridgerton" on Netflix with Daphne Bridgerton's character's shocked look, not to mention baby Yoda's enthusiasm in "The Mandalorian," also on Disney+.

Pikachu's sadness from "Pokémon" and The Weeknd's palpable anxiety during his show at Super Bowl LV were widely searched in gifs with the words "sad" and "stressed," Giphy reported.

Top 10 most popular GIFs

1. Stanley Hudson in "The Office"

2. The exhaustion of "Tom and Jerry"
via GIPHY

3. Shock on "The Great British Bake Off"
via GIPHY

4.  Pikachu's sadness
via GIPHY

5. Agnes's wink in "WandaVision"
via GIPHY

6. "Feliz Cumple" by "Peppa Pig"
via GIPHY

7. The Weeknd is lost and stressed
via GIPHY

8. Daphné Bridgerton's surprised look in "Bridgerton"
via GIPHY

9. A cute and happy GIF
via GIPHY

10. Baby Yoda's joy and excitement
via GIPHY