A lot of submitted posts on /r/trashpandas are original photos.
This one was captioned, "Trash panda I found in the garbage bin at work...I let him out."
The term "trash panda" was likely derived from the name Red Panda.
Despite their name, Red Pandas are not related to panda bears. They actually belong to their own taxonomic category called Ailuridae.
"Trash Pandas" makes sense because raccoons share the black and white coloring of panda bears, but are similar in size and shape to a red panda. They also love trash.
This photoshopped pic is titled: "Hot Topic employee proposes to lower middle class trashpanda. Love knows no bounds."
Redditor CrapPaintJob created the altered photo, but user greyhound4 added the title for /r/trashpandas.
This baby "trash panda" was adopted by a Redditor's neighbor.
Redditor /u/2Guard added background info in the comment section. "Maybe interesting to know: My neighbors got this little guy from a forest ranger who found him all alone in the woods. She nurtures wild animals and kept him for a few months."
Remember the dead Toronto raccoon who went viral?
If not, read this explainer from BuzzFeed. The gist is, a raccoon was found dead and lots of Canadians began memorializing it right on the sidewalk.
A week after the raccoon was removed, this tombstone was placed in the same spot — calling the raccoon a trash panda.
It reads: "RIP In Peace Trash Panda."
Clearly, "Trash Pandas" have moved beyond Reddit and into the real world. These custom Coke bottles were posted on Instagram:
http://instagram.com/p/7gZ6NitsBG/embed/
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The subscriber count for /r/trashpandas is 5000 and counting.
If this slide show wasn't enough, you can find more "trash pandas" on Reddit.