Honestly, if you spent any time on the internet between 2013 and 2019, you probably saw it. The bright red hair. The wide eyes. The "The Little Mermaid" font plastered over a photo of a teenage girl who looked suspiciously like she lived in a Nickelodeon dressing room.
The ariana grande little mermaid meme wasn't just one single image; it was an entire era of internet delusion, hope, and eventually, a very loud social media meltdown. Before Halle Bailey was even a name on Disney’s radar for the live-action remake, the fans had already decided. Ariana was Ariel. Period.
It started out as a compliment. Then it became a demand. Finally, it morphed into one of those weirdly persistent internet myths that just wouldn't die, even after the actual movie came out and Ariana moved on to Oz.
Where did the Ariana Grande Little Mermaid meme actually come from?
Most people forget that Ariana Grande didn't always have the high, sleek ponytail and the "Positions" aesthetic. Back in the early 2010s, she was Cat Valentine on Victorious. Because her co-star Elizabeth Gillies had dark hair and Victoria Justice was the lead, showrunner Dan Schneider reportedly wanted Ariana to stand out.
The result? She had to dye her hair "red velvet cupcake" red every other week.
It was that specific shade of red that triggered the ariana grande little mermaid meme. Fans started side-by-side comparisons of Ariana as Cat and the animated Ariel from the 1989 classic. They were identical. At least, that's what Tumblr wanted us to believe.
When Disney announced they were doing a live-action version, the internet did what it does best: it spiraled. Photoshop artists went to work. They put her in a green tail. They added Sebastian the Crab. They made mock-up posters that looked so real your aunt probably shared them on Facebook with the caption "Can't wait for this!"
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Why the internet was convinced she was "The One"
It wasn't just the hair.
Ariana has "Disney eyes." You know the ones—huge, expressive, slightly cartoonish in the best way possible. Plus, she actually has the "pipes" to back it up. If you've ever heard her cover "Part of Your World" during her early YouTube days or at a random concert, you know she can hit those notes.
The meme became a sort of shorthand for "the perfect casting." Whenever someone mentioned a live-action Ariel, a flood of Ariana GIFs followed. It was a rare moment where a meme felt like a legitimate career prediction.
But things got weird when the actual casting news dropped.
The Halle Bailey Shift
When Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in 2019, the ariana grande little mermaid meme took a sharp, slightly darker turn. It wasn't Ariana’s fault, but her name was used as a weapon by people who were unhappy with Disney’s direction.
"Why didn't they pick Ariana?"
"She literally is Ariel."
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The meme moved from being a fun fan-edit to being part of a larger, often heated conversation about race and representation in Hollywood. Some fans even dug up old photos of Ariana with her red hair to "prove" what the character was "supposed" to look like. It was messy.
The "Grande Mermaid" Musical that actually exists
While Disney didn't call her, some fans took matters into their own hands. In 2018, PattyCake Productions released a video called "The Grande Mermaid."
It wasn't actually Ariana. It was a parody musical that mashed up her songs with the plot of The Little Mermaid. They used "Into You," "One Last Time," and "Problem" to tell Ariel's story. It has millions of views.
It’s probably the closest we will ever get to seeing the ariana grande little mermaid meme become a reality. It captured that specific 2010s "Ariana as a princess" energy that the fans were so obsessed with.
Did Ariana ever actually want the role?
She’s never explicitly said, "I'm heartbroken I didn't get to be a fish."
She has, however, always been a massive Disney nerd. She’s performed at Disney parks and has spoken about her love for the classics. But by the time the movie was actually filming, she was busy becoming one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.
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Also, her hair was literally falling out.
Years later, Ariana revealed that the constant red dye from her Nickelodeon days had absolutely destroyed her natural hair. That’s the real reason for the signature ponytail—it was a way to hide the damage. Going back to Ariel-red would have probably been a nightmare for her scalp.
What the meme looks like in 2026
Nowadays, the ariana grande little mermaid meme is mostly nostalgic. It’s a "you had to be there" moment. Most people have moved on to her role as Glinda in Wicked, which, let’s be real, fits her current "theatrical soprano" vibe much better anyway.
The meme still pops up on TikTok whenever someone does a "recasting" video, but it's no longer the battleground it used to be. It’s just a reminder of a time when the internet was convinced that a girl with red hair from a sitcom was the only person who could save the Seven Seas.
If you're looking to dive back into this specific corner of the internet, here are some things to check out:
- Look for the 2013-2015 fan edits: Search "Ariana Grande Ariel edit" on Pinterest. The quality is hilariously 2013, but the dedication is real.
- Watch the PattyCake Productions parody: It’s a time capsule of her My Everything and Dangerous Woman hits.
- Compare the "Defying Gravity" era to the "Part of Your World" era: You can see how her vocal technique has changed from the "Ariel" belt to the "Glinda" legit soprano style.
The meme might be "under the sea" now, but it’s still one of the most successful fan-casting campaigns in history. It just didn't end with a tail.
How to Spot a Real "Ari-Mermaid" Fan Edit:
Look for the specific "Victorious" season 2 red hair. If she's wearing a cat-ear headband in the "ocean," you've found the source material. Most of these edits also use the Sweetener era filters (grainy, slightly desaturated), which is a dead giveaway of when the meme peaked.