By JORDYN GRUBISIC 

Sir John Monash is a name that’s become extremely popular among Monash students, and it’s not because of the university’s namesake. It’s because of possums.

Posts about the possum(s) have littered  social media, including pictures of possums at a range of locations around campus, such as projector boxes and rubbish bins.

Although the first official sighting of Sir John was in April this year, Monash students are still tracking him online.

Students insist it is always the same possum, dubbed "Sir John" in a Facebook poll.

Monash student David Wolthuis created the poll after seeing another post suggesting the possum be named.

“I seized the opportunity, made the poll and chucked in a few popular names from the comments ... and [I] watched it blow up from there,” Mr Wolthuis said.

The meme has gained such popularity that "Sir John" merchandise has been produced by students, including Monash student Jessica Hamilton.

Ms Hamilton, 21, decided to join in on the meme by making a range of  merchandise.

“I enjoy designing things and was taking a design elective at the time,” Ms Hamilton said.

Ms Hamilton followed her interest in designing things and created the designs herself.

“I thought it would be nice to design something to represent the meme, but in a less obvious way so that you could wear it out casually without drawing too much attention to yourself.”

Ms Hamilton said it wasn't for financial gain. 

“It was never about making money. I just wanted everyone to be able to join in so I kept the costs as low as possible,” she said.

Ms Hamilton said she saw the meme becoming increasingly popular and knew its popularity might be short lived.

  “I know memes come and go quickly [so] I decided to stay up and make the design that night ... it was a really fun experience.”