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Meme Database

Man in polo shirt and shorts standing on a sidewalk with fingers interlaced

You Know I Had to Do It to Em

Mobile & Social Media Era

Reaction Meme

Twitter

lucky luciano, lachborne bachkhaz, tampa florida, capitol drive, preppy outfit, exploitable, photoshop meme, twitter viral, youtooz

A photo of a man striking a confident pose on a sidewalk became a viral template for ironic flexing or self-awareness.

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A cartoon character sweating while deciding between two red buttons.

Two Buttons

Mobile & Social Media Era

Image Macro

Tumblr

jake clark, daily struggle, choice meme, tumblr, reddit, cuphead animator, exploitable, contradictory options, sweating towel guy, timesplitters, two buttons

The meme originated from a 2014 comic posted on Tumblr by artist Jake Clark.

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Close-up of a Borzoi dog with an elongated snout.

Borzoi Dog (Long Nose)

Contemporary Meme Culture

Image Macro

Instagram

borzoi, long nose dog, russian wolfhound, lapsha, snoot, wide angle lens, let me do it for you, cellophane, miss piggy, tiktok

Gained popularity in 2016 through humorous images highlighting the Borzoi's long snout.

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Snowy owl with caption 'O RLY?'

O RLY?

Goldent Age of Memes

Image Macro

4chan

snowy owl, 4chan, something awful, ytmnd, reaction image, sarcasm, john white, internet slang, early memes

A snowy owl image captioned 'O RLY?' became a widely used sarcastic response in early online discussions.

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sticker of Calvin urinating on logos or symbols

Calvin Peeing Stickers

Early Internet

Image Macro

Physical Stickers/Decals

calvin and hobbes, car stickers, bootleg, unauthorized, bill watterson, copyright infringement, nascar, automotive culture

A bootleg adaptation of Calvin turned into one of the most widely seen parody decals of the ’90s.

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Plastic duck used as a sounding board for code problems

Rubber Duck Debugging

Early Internet

Text Meme

Programming Communities

programming, debugging, rubber duck, software development, problem solving, The Pragmatic Programmer, coding culture

Talking to a rubber duck to fix code became a widely accepted developer joke and teaching tool.

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Honor student bumper sticker with school name

My Child is an Honor Student Bumper Sticker

Pre-Internet / Proto-History

Text Meme

Automobile Bumpers

bumper stickers, honor student, parenting, school pride, 1980s, analog meme, parody culture, social signaling

A school achievement sticker that became a target for parody and subversion.

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Cara Cunningham tearfully pleading for the public to stop harassing Britney Spears.

Leave Britney Alone

Golden Age of Memes

Video Meme

YouTube

cara cunningham, chris crocker, britney spears, youtube, viral video, celebrity defense, emotional plea, 2007, MTV VMA

The meme originated from a 2007 viral video defending Britney Spears from media criticism.

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The photo of a mallard duck on a red-green background, captioned with sincere, helpful advice.

Actual Advice Mallard

Golden Age of Memes

Image Macro

Reddit

advice animal, duck, reddit, life hacks, helpful tips, image macro, advice, mallard

Launched on Reddit in 2011, Actual Advice Mallard reversed the usual irony by offering sincere, practical tips.

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The face of the Doom protagonist as seen in the game’s health bar, often remixed or parodied.

Doom Guy Face Bar

Early Internet Era

Animated Meme

PC Gaming / Multi-platform

doom, doomguy, status bar, face, gaming, FPS, id software, health indicator, pixel art

Doom Guy’s face bar became a popular meme through mashups with rage faces and mod parodies.

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