Ten Unforgettable Web Memes
Cats and failures highlight this list of the memes that have gone mainstream. Which ones did we miss?
- By Megan Gambino, Ryan R. Reed, Jesse Rhodes and Brian Wolly
- Smithsonian.com, April 18, 2011
(YouTube)
In a 1977 episode of Happy Days, Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli strapped on a pair of water skis and went up a ramp to jump over a shark. A decade later, University of Michigan student and future radio personality Jon Hein and some of his friends began debating the point at which their favorite television programs began to decline in quality, deciding that the shark episode epitomized the point when all shows enter a downward spiral. In 1997, Hein launched the website www.jumptheshark.com where online readers were invited to continue that same conversation. Fred Fox, the writer of that episode posted a passionate defense of the scene, pointing out that the series had continued success for a few more seasons. But the term “jump the shark” was quickly popularized and evolved to describe events in music, politics and sports. In 2006, “jump the shark” was admitted into the Oxford English Dictionary. When Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal hit theaters in 2008, a spin-off of the meme was coined, “nuking the fridge,” describing the moment when Jones implausibly survives an atomic blast by hiding in a refrigerator. -- JR
Comments (29)
Nice, comprehensive list - but so many of these have already jumped the shark. Good new examples of some very nice YouTube lists:
http://www.ranker.com/tags/youtube
Posted by LaraP on September 28,2011 | 04:43 PM
Don't forget the best meme of all: DERP!!!
Posted by a random guy on September 27,2011 | 05:48 PM
"was the term meant teasing a provocative headline with an image of a duck on wheels."
Huh?
Posted by Gene Callahan on September 26,2011 | 09:15 AM
No goatse, no top 10.
Posted by Simon Hawkin on August 24,2011 | 12:37 AM
I would say this is fairly comprehensive for a top ten, although I agree that the scare meme (which is similar to a Rick Roll) should have been included, and Win should have been included alongside fail. Overall this is a WIN. # I totally predicted that lion cub trick... LOL
Posted by Coop on June 5,2011 | 10:48 AM
Yeah guys, we know there's 6 billion other viral videos and memes, but the idea was to keep it at 10, and the 10 most famous, not every popular phrase or chunk of information that's ever been on the internet.
Posted by Matt on June 2,2011 | 09:19 PM
The unfortunate skier on Wide World was a jumper, not a downhiller. And according to my memory, the voice-over as he crashed on the in run and slid over the lip of the jump was "the human drama of athletic competition."
The oxymoronic "act of predetermined spontaneity" (in the description of "flash mob") ought to become a meme in itself!
Posted by Ed Cash on May 24,2011 | 04:00 PM
What about "I heard you like mudkipz" :p this is so dated its a major FAIL
Posted by Mooncat on May 22,2011 | 08:22 PM
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw. You have "fail" but not "win"? That's a fail all on its own...../
Posted by Rachel on May 18,2011 | 03:21 PM
What about the video-game Portal? with memes like "the cake is a lie" or the companion cube
Posted by Thomas Jones on May 17,2011 | 06:59 PM
the "scary pop up" meme?
Posted by Kyle Inlander on May 17,2011 | 05:02 PM
The cake is a lie.
This list is a lie.
This list is very incomplete.
You wouldnt want to tick off GLaDOS would you?
Posted by Josh Boyd on May 16,2011 | 09:07 PM
I think there's a guy in a bunker who is going to be very upset that he's not on your list.
Posted by Andy on May 15,2011 | 09:43 PM
What about the mother of all memes, that one commonly symbolized with two hands gripping the edges of a circle?
Posted by JM on May 15,2011 | 05:41 PM
I'd ask for the "Yo dawg" meme. "Yo dawg, I herd u like memes so we put a meme in yo meme so yo can quote while you quote!"
Posted by Daniel Vera on May 15,2011 | 04:49 PM
How could you possibly leave out the Hitler Downfall meme? http://chzb.gr/jKnfY3
Posted by alanlyon on May 15,2011 | 03:51 PM
Nice list, but you can't talk about Internet Memes without mentioning All Your Base Are Belong to Us.
Posted by Jerry Shaver on May 15,2011 | 03:23 PM
The reason the Rick Astley clips was a runaway hit is twofold: 1. It's a good song. 2. Nostalgia factor: it sounds like something from 'back then'. Cheers!
Posted by Shir-El on May 15,2011 | 05:19 AM
OK If you want to talk about Grandfather memes: How about the downhill skier who was the Wide World of Sports "Agony of Defeat"?
Posted by Delores Thomas on May 13,2011 | 02:47 PM
If I had to add one, I'd add the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Added benefit that the nature of the Flying Spaghetti Monster reminds one of the man who coined the term 'meme:' Richard Dawkins
Posted by Marshall on May 6,2011 | 01:45 PM
You've left out the most important meme of all. J.R. "Bob" Dobbs. Rachel Maddow referred to him, and The Church of the Subgenius, as "Certainly in the top tier of nearly ubiquitous iconic 1990's era American urban street art." Still strong after more than 30 years you can't get much more viral than "Bob". http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=189126860809168021#
Posted by Rev. Louie Louie on April 28,2011 | 12:38 AM
This article is seriously dated, and as Kristine pointed out, they don't even talk about internet memes that have come up in the past two or more years! This is article should be titled "Memes your Grandparents Know and Love."
Posted by Teresa on April 28,2011 | 10:47 AM
What, no "Tourist Guy"? "Evil Bert"? "All Your Base"?
Or am I betraying my over-30ness?
Posted by Bob D on April 27,2011 | 07:00 PM
How could you leave out Numa Numa?!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60og9gwKh1o
Posted by halophex on April 26,2011 | 04:08 AM
Don't forget "The Star Wars Kid"!
Posted by Wade Nichols on April 25,2011 | 01:54 PM
Similar to the 'Three Wolf Moon' meme is the review section on Amazon for the "Very Best of David Hasselhoff."
enjoy!
http://www.amazon.com/Very-Best-David-Hasselhoff/product-reviews/B00005Q8UG/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Posted by BPeartree on April 21,2011 | 11:50 AM
The OR state legislature slipped the lyrics for Never Gonna Give you Up into 60 different persons speeches in a day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZi4JxbTwPo
Posted by Jacl on April 20,2011 | 03:52 PM
WHAT is Struttin' Leo (he wasn't in Inception), WHO is Michael Cera, and WHAT is "Sad Keanu?" THAT's why they aren't included...
Posted by Kelley on April 20,2011 | 07:28 AM
HOW could you leave out "Struttin Leo," Leo DiCaprio from "Inception," especially the one with the logo "Nobody just walks into Mordor," and there he is, with a huge grin on his face; there's also "Sad Keanu" and Micheal Cera prancing.
Posted by Kristine Sieloff on April 19,2011 | 05:15 PM