What Is a Meme?
The definition of a meme is something that is passed on from person to person. This can include behaviors and ideas, and some examples might include fashions, colloquial language, and even religions. Most people will associate the word meme with the type that you find shared on social media platforms.
With millions of people logging into social media platforms every day, popular memes will get shared very quickly between countless people. Some are so popular that they are instantly recognizable inf their format and some have even become an integral part of popular culture. We have listed some of the most popular of all internet memes.
1. Elf On The Shelf
The Elf on a shelf meme originally came from a kid’s Christmas book that was published in 2005. The book tells a story of how elves would go into peoples’ homes and watch over kids, reporting back to Santa telling him whether they were naughty, or nice. The book is written in a rhyming style, as typified by the title. Elf on the Shelf first became an internet Meme in December 2016. The original showed an action figure of the Ash Ketchum character in the trash, with the title: You’ve heard of Elf on the Shelf: leading people to guess the meme was Ash in the Trash. Since then, countless memes on the same theme have been created.
2. Who Killed Hannibal?
The who killed Hannibal meme depicts an image of a gentleman holding a gun with another gentleman dead in a chair having just been shot. The image come from The Eric Andre Show in which there was a skit of the man with the gun shooting the other guy and then turning around to ask, Who Killed Hannibal?
It is thought that the meme was first born in 2016. It is commonly used to depict scenarios where somebody is trying to blame something that they did on somebody else and/or to point out day to day hypocrisy. It was one of the most popular of all memes in 2018.
3. Distracted Boyfriend
The distracted boyfriend meme depicts a scene of a guy walking along with his girlfriend, looking back at an attractive lady who has caught his eye, and his partner has caught him looking at another person. The original image was a stock photo and it is thought that the meme was first created in January 2017.
There have been many variations of the meme, mostly depicting a similar theme. In addition to adding text to the image, some variations of the meme also include the characters’ faces being replaced with celebs/politicians etc. Some variations also replace faces with the logos of certain corporations.
4. Chuck Norris Facts
Chuck Norris is an actor known mostly for his roles in action movies in the 70s and 80s. His all action general tough guy image in movies has helped him to become one of the most popular memes around. Chuck Norris memes generally revolved around claims that he can achieve absurd feats. The claims are tongue in cheek and not supposed to be taken at all seriously.
An example of a Chuck Norris meme is that he once kicked the planet and it has not finished spinning since. While Chuck Norris memes do usually include a picture of Chuck, the claims are also made in plain text in tongue in cheek conversations.
5. Condescending Wonka
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a popular Kid’s book that was written by Roald Dahl. It has twice been made into movies, including in 1971 when the main character, Willy Wonka, was played by actor Gene Wilder. One shot of Wilder acting as Willy Wonka has become the subject of a popular theme.
The meme involves asking questions of individuals and/or groups in a manner that is deliberately condescending and often reveals hypocrisy in their stance. It is thought the image first appeared as a meme in March 2011, and the popular name of the meme is a play on words involving a profane innuendo.
6. Roll Safe
The Roll Safe meme depicts a guy looking into a camera that is above him and to one side. He is looking into the camera and tapping on the side of his head as if to say he is smart and thinks things through. The still originally came from a YouTube comedy series documentary known as The Hood.
The main character is Roll Safe, played by British actor Kayode Ewumi. It is thought the meme was first created in November 2016. The standard use of the meme is used to help depict instances when somebody has used smart-thinking to help them get their own way. It is also often used in a sarcastic sense when somebody has done something that was not smart at all.
7. Why You Always Lying?
The why you always lying meme is usually an image of a man wearing blue clothes who is looking into the camera and smiling. The image originated from a homemade video made by American Viner Nicholas Fraser in which he sings a song about his friend who is always making things up.
The popular meme is used in instances where somebody is clearly lying. Such is the popularity of the meme that it is sometimes used without any accompanying text. Just using the image alone is enough to let other people know that you don’t believe what they are saying.
8. Grumpy Cat
The famous grumpy cat meme uses an image of a snowshoe cat with a face that appears to be, well, grumpy. The cat, named Tardar Sauce, was owned by Tabatha Bundesen and was born in April 2012. The first meme using the cat’s image surfaced on Reddit in September 2012.
The usage of the meme is quite straightforward. It is used to depict the perception that certain people are always grumpy, or that something has happened which is annoying or upsetting. Tardar Sauce sadly died in May 2019 aged 7 years old, and her death made the news in many parts of the world.
9. The Most Interesting Man in the World
The most interesting man in the world meme uses an image of a smartly dressed, suave looking, mature gentleman looking into the camera. The image was taken from an advertising campaign and the character was played by Jonathan Goldsmith, who is an American actor.
The ad involved a number of ridiculous claims about the character, and the meme followed suit. The ads got a lot of attention for their creativity and impact, and it is thought that the first meme was created in January 2010. The memes can be likened to the Chuck Norris memes because of the often ridiculous yet tongue in cheek nature of the claims that are made in them.
10. Skeptical 3rd World Kid Meme
This well-known meme shows what appears to be a 3rd world child looking at another person in a skeptical manner. The boy in the picture was met by a Doctor and aid work by the name of Heena Pranav. She was in Uganda when she met the boy at a market, and Pranav is the lady that can be seen in the meme.
The boy’s quizzical, skeptical facial expression has helped to make him an internet meme sensation. The image is often used along with text that helps to question just how ridiculous or how hypocritical something might be. It is not known exactly who the boy is.
