If you’re the parent of a kid, teenager or pre-teen, chances are you’ve heard someone shout “6-7!” recently and watched a room full of children collapse into laughter. Our family has been laughing about it for months, so we’re definitely not late to the trend. However, after chatting with other parents over the weekend, I realised there are still plenty of mums and dads who have absolutely no idea why everyone finds it funny. To be fair, if someone had walked into my house a year ago and told me two random numbers would become one of the biggest jokes of 2025, I’d have thought they were joking.
Yet here we are.
The funny thing is that once you know about it, you start hearing it everywhere. Television programmes, YouTube videos, stage shows, sports events and everyday conversations. Even older content filmed years before the trend existed suddenly becomes hilarious when someone naturally says “six” followed by “seven”. It’s reached the point where our family can’t hear the numbers together without repeating the numbers jokingly and laughing. So if you’re wondering what the six seven meme means, where it came from and why your children won’t stop saying it, here’s everything you need to know.
Where Did the 6-7 Trend Come From?
Like many modern trends, it didn’t actually start with children. The phrase first gained attention through a song called Doot Doot (6 7) by rapper Skrilla. Nobody seems entirely sure what the original meaning was supposed to be and, interestingly, Skrilla himself has never given a definitive explanation. The phrase then started appearing in basketball edits online, particularly clips featuring NBA player LaMelo Ball, who happens to be 6 foot 7 inches tall.
But what really launched the trend into the mainstream was a short clip filmed at a youth basketball game. A young basketball fan called Maverick Trevillian appeared on camera shouting “Ay, 6-7!” while pulling a hand gesture that quickly became associated with the meme. The clip spread across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube at incredible speed in October 2025 and before long he had become known online as “The 6-7 Kid”.
Watch the original video below:
The Boy Who Accidentally Became Famous
Imagine going to watch a basketball game and ending up becoming one of the most recognisable faces on the internet. That’s essentially what happened to Maverick. One spontaneous moment turned him into an internet celebrity almost overnight. Millions of people saw the clip, reaction videos appeared everywhere, and countless children started copying both the phrase and the hand movement.
For many, he became the face of the entire trend. It’s another reminder of the crazy times we’re living in, how different growing up is today. Previous generations might have become known in their local area for something funny. Today’s children can become known across the world because of a ten-second clip on social media.
Watch an Interview with the 6-7 Kid Below
But What Does 6-7 Actually Mean?
Here’s the part that may frustrate parents (and some children and teens, to be honest). It doesn’t really mean anything! Or at least, not anymore. The phrase has taken on a life of its own and become one of those internet jokes that’s funny simply because everyone recognises it. The randomness is part of the appeal. In fact, many teenagers would probably argue that the less sense it makes, the funnier it is. Which, if we’re honest, isn’t that different from many of the playground jokes we laughed at growing up.
Interestingly, many teenagers don’t actually find 6-7 funny anymore either (if they ever did). In fact, part of the joke now is laughing ironically at it. Some teens will roll their eyes and insist it’s not funny while simultaneously laughing whenever someone says it. Others find humour in how overused it’s become and how confused adults still are by the whole thing. If you’ve ever watched a teenager claim something is “so cringe” while repeating it constantly, you’ll understand exactly what’s happening here. The joke has almost become bigger than the original meme itself. At this point, half the laughter seems to come from the fact that everyone knows it’s silly, yet nobody can resist reacting when they hear it. Some people love an excuse to get to answer a question with “6-7” because they know it will result in laughter. Others hate the Meme and try not to say it, resulting in hilarity when they do say these two numbers together innocently.
I think part of the appeal is that feeling of being in on the joke. The moment someone says “6-7”, everyone who knows the meme instantly gets the reference. It’s become a shared language of sorts, creating those little moments where a group of friends, classmates or family members all understand exactly why everyone else is laughing-even if nobody can fully explain why it’s funny anymore!
Why Is It Suddenly Everywhere?
Once a trend reaches a certain point online, it spills into real life. Children shout it in school corridors. Friends say it in group chats. People reference it in videos, television programmes and stage shows.
Even adults have joined in. The phrase became so widespread that it started appearing far beyond TikTok and social media, with teachers, celebrities and even politicians finding themselves caught up in the joke- to the eyerolls of the younger generation. And that’s exactly why you’ll now hear laughter whenever somebody innocently says “six” and “seven” together. The internet has completely changed how we hear those two numbers.
I suspect we’ll all eventually move on to the next random trend. But for now, if somebody suddenly shouts “6-7” and everyone around you starts laughing, at least you’ll know why.
Do you keep hearing 6-7?
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