A woman worshipped an idol for four years, only to discover that it was not the Buddha. It was rather a 3D-printed figure of Shrek. The unusual incident in the Philippines, reported by the South China Morning Post, has gone viral.
The woman from Manila bought the green statue from a local shop. She believed it was a Buddha idol. Its rounded shape and calm expression convinced her it was sacred.
The woman placed it on her home altar and prayed daily. She used to light incense and seek blessings with full devotion.
The truth came out when a visiting friend noticed something odd about the statue’s colour and facial features. On closer inspection, they realised it was actually Shrek, the cartoon character from the animated film series.
Shrek is known for his green skin and kind heart, but not for his connection to religious symbolism. The revelation shocked the woman but entertained many online.
“This is honestly hilarious. She has gained merit, but I have just lost one point of merit,” SCMP quoted one of them as commenting.
Another user wrote, “Buddhism has long absorbed elements from various local folk beliefs. So, it is not surprising or even shocking that someone might offer prayers to Shrek as a form of Buddha. If there is a Buddha in your heart, then that is Buddha.”
“Devotion and faith in God come from within. So what if she worshipped Shrek? What matters is that the devotion is sincere,” came from another.
“The moral of the story is that sometimes you need to watch cartoon films too,” another user posted.
Viral video in India
In August 2025, a video went viral in India that showed a woman worshipping a Labubu doll. She believed it was a Chinese god.
As per the caption, her daughter told her it was a Chinese god. She immediately placed the doll beside Hindu deities in her home shrine.
The clip showed her praying with full devotion. The viral video garnered over 1.3 million views online. Social media users reacted with humour, calling it a harmless cultural mix-up. Many joked that almost anything could turn into a god.
“What does this tell you about Indian culture? They respect every god irrespective of region,country or colour. It's only when you all start mocking our gods the issue begins,” wrote one user.
“This is literally how religions start. Someone makes something up, others believe it, and suddenly we're all worshipping 33000 gods!” came from another.
Another user wrote, “She is innocent…that is all there is to this video. Why mock a religion (no matter whose it is) and more specifically why mock a mother’s innocence?”
