Obituary

The quokka — a small marsupial that always appears to be smiling — became the internet's image of forced cheerfulness, the selfie mascot of a thousand tourists. It died when the smile was revealed to be structural, not emotional, which somehow made it sadder.

Portrait: Josefma · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Born

2013

Died

2018

Cause of death

Smiled itself out of meaning

Last sighting

A selfie, 2018

Resting place

Section Y, Row 3

Category

animal