29 Hilarious Meme Characters (& Their Origin Stories)

Download Article

Meme expert Tobi Nwodo shares some of the most iconic characters from memes

Explore this Article

IN THIS ARTICLE

1 Pepe the Frog

2 Wojack

3 Meme Man

4 Trollface

5 Doge

6 Gigachad

7 Dat Boi

8 Distracted Boyfriend

9 Big Chungus

10 Arthur’s Fist

11 This is Fine Dog

12 Nyan Cat

13 Mocking SpongeBob

14 Disaster Girl

15 2-Eyed Mike Wazowski

16 Shrek Oop Face

17 Chill Guy

18 Evil Kermit

19 Yutaro Katori (Is This a Pigeon?)

20 Rick Astley (Rickrolling)

21 Lisa Simpson’s Presentation

22 Pointing Spider-Man

23 Sitting Wolf

24 Quandale Dingle

25 Bad Luck Brian

26 Patrick Bateman Walking

27 Surprised Pikachu

28 Labubu

29 Woman Yelling at Cat

+ Show 26 more...

- Show less...

Other Sections

Video

Related Articles

References

Co-authored by Tobi Nwodo and Samantha Fulton, BA

Last Updated: March 18, 2026 Fact Checked

Download Article

While some of your favorite characters may be best known for their roles in books or movies, we’re here to talk about characters who became iconic as memes. Whether they started as comic series protagonists or MS Paint drawings, these 29 characters have gained widespread recognition as hilarious memes. We partnered with a meme expert to help us create this breakdown of 29 of the funniest meme characters and their origin stories.

Funny Meme Characters

Meme expert Tobi Nwodo says that some of the most iconic meme characters include Gigachad, Quandale Dingle, Doge, Nyan Cat, Trollface, and Big Chungus. Meme characters have a range of origin stories, but they mostly come from webcomics, popular cartoons and movies, and social media posts of humorous, niche illustrations.

Steps

1

Pepe the Frog

Download Article

1. 
   Pepe the Frog is an anthropomorphic frog from Matt Furie’s comic series, Boy’s Club. Pepe has been around since the early 2000s, and many internet users still use reaction photos like “Feels Good Man,” Angry Pepe, and Sad Frog.

   • Origin Story: Matt Furie created Pepe the Frog along with 3 other teenage monster characters named Brett, Andy, and Landwolf for his 2004 comic series. Hopefully Pepe’s anthropomorphic buddies don’t resent his rise to fame—we’re sure he remembers the little people.

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Tobi Nwodo, aka Hyperstrides, is an influencer and content creator with over 600,000 followers across YouTube and TikTok. His videos usually cover topics like internet culture, memes, trends, and slang.
Advertisement

2

Wojack

Download Article

1. 
   Wojak, also known as Feels Guy, is an MS Paint drawing of a sad, bald man. Internet users use Wojak as a reaction meme to express sadness or loneliness.

   • Origin Story: While Wojak doesn’t have a definitive origin, the earliest “I Wish I Was at Home” MS Paint comic appeared in 2009 on the humor site Sad and Useless and features Wojak standing in the corner of a party, wishing he could leave.

3

Meme Man

Download Article

1. 
   Meme Man is a 3D rendering of a human head and the mascot of the Facebook page, “Special meme fresh.” He typically shows up in absurd and surreal memes with misspelled words, like stonks memes with Meme Man in front of the stock market.

   • Origin Story: Meme Man’s earliest rendition appeared in the Facebook group, “Special meme fresh,” in 2014. His 3D head originates from a 4chan board and spread through Facebook, Tumblr, and Reddit.
Advertisement

4

Trollface

Download Article

1. 
   Trollface is an MS Paint illustration meant to represent internet trolls. The image is used to depict characters as trolls in rage comics, or for users to call themselves or others a troll.

   • Nwodo says that classic memes like Trollface have endured for so long “because they became part of internet culture as a whole.” He adds that the meme community frequently references old memes, which “adds to their popularity and makes sure they’re never forgotten.”
   • Origin Story: An Oakland-based artist named Carlos Ramirez originally drew Trollface as part of an MS Paint webcomic to poke fun at internet trolls.

5

Doge

Download Article

1. 
   Doge is a Shiba Inu giving an infamous side eye. Nwodo says that he’s a classic and iconic meme character. Doge has widespread popularity on Tumblr, where the Shiba Inu appears with comic sans captions representing its inner monologue.

   • Origin Story: The word “doge” as a misspelling of dog comes from a 2005 episode of Homestar Runner’s puppet show. But the iconic Shiba Inu we all know and love is a 2010 image of Japanese kindergarten teacher Atsuko Satu’s rescue dog, Kabosu.
Advertisement

6

Gigachad

Download Article

1. 
   “Gigachad” is, essentially, the ultimate (or at least stereotypical) specimen of masculinity. The meme is based on pictures of the Russian model Ernest Khalimov, but the term can be applied to anyone—as long as they’re a muscular male with a square jaw and piercing eyes.

   • Nwodo says that memes like Gigachad are popular “because they are not only absurdist but also represent something greater than a meme. They represent moments in culture.”
   • Origin Story: Nwodo says that Gigachad started as “the representation of chads, sigmas, and alpha males.”

7

Dat Boi

Download Article

1. 
   Dat Boi is a 3D rendering of a unicycling frog. He often appears with the catchphrase, “Here comes dat boi!” Dat Boi has multiple Facebook pages dedicated to him, plus music videos on YouTube.

   • Origin Story: Dat Boi the frog first appeared on the Facebook page, “Fresh Memes About the Mojave Desert and Other Delectable Cuisines,” in 2016 and originates from the Animation Factory Essential Collection 3. However, the name Dat Boi and the catchphrase “here comes dat boi” predated the image on FunnyJunk and Tumblr.
Advertisement

8

Distracted Boyfriend

Download Article

1. 
   Distracted Boyfriend is a stock photo of a man checking out another woman to the dismay of his presumed girlfriend. This meme has taken on endless variations, with users often using it to illustrate things that distract them.

   • Origin Story: The image of Distracted Boyfriend was taken by photographer Antonio Guillem and posted to iStock in 2015. The first captioned version appeared in a Turkish Facebook group in 2017.

9

Big Chungus

Download Article

1. 
   Nwodo says that Big Chungus is one of the most classic and iconic memes. It’s an image of an overweight Bugs Bunny, and it can be used for anything. It’s a versatile and silly meme that doesn’t really mean anything.

   • Origin Story: In the 1941 Looney Tunes episode “Wabbit Twouble,” Bugs Bunny expands his body to make fun of the portly Elmeer Fudd. In 2018, screenshot of the moment was captioned with Big Chungus, and the new meme was created.
Advertisement

10

Arthur’s Fist

Download Article

1. 
   Arthur’s Fist is a screen capture from the kid’s show Arthur of the protagonist’s clenched fist. Users post this image with captions about things that infuriate or frustrate them.

   • Origin Story: The screen capture was first tweeted in 2016 and comes from the episode of Arthur called “Arthur’s Big Hit,” when he punches his sister D.W. for breaking his model airplane.

11

This is Fine Dog

Download Article

1. 
   This is Fine Dog is a seemingly nonchalant anthropomorphic dog in a room engulfed in flames. Perfect for users in denial, This is Fine Dog can be applied to any situation where things feel out of control but you want to keep your cool.

   • Origin Story: This meme comes from K.C. Green’s 2013 Gunshow comic titled “The Pills are Working,” or “On Fire.” The entire comic features the dog expressing his acceptance of the situation, even as he melts from the fire.
Advertisement

12

Nyan Cat

Download Article

1. 
   Nyan Cat is a flying gray cat with a Pop-Tart for a body and a rainbow trailing behind him. The 8-bit drawing is usually shown as a GIF animation. According to Nwodo, this is one of the most classic memes of all time.

   • Origin Story: Nyan Cat was first posted on LOL-COMICS in 2011. Since then, he’s appeared in countless videos, games, and websites.

13

Mocking SpongeBob

Download Article

1. 
   Mocking SpongeBob is a screen capture from the show SpongeBob Squarepants of SpongeBob acting like a chicken. Also known as SpongeMock, Mocking SpongeBob is used to mock opposing opinions or perspectives.

   • Origin Story: This image comes from a 2012 episode of SpongeBob Squarepants called “Little Yellow Book,” when Squidward finds out that SpongeBob acts like a chicken when he sees plaid. It first appeared as a meme on Twitter in 2017 with the caption “How I stare back at little kids when they stare for too long.”
Advertisement

14

Disaster Girl

Download Article

1. 
   Disaster Girl is a smirking little girl photoshopped in front of various disasters. Placing her at the scene of catastrophes, users typically use Disaster Girl to demonstrate their or someone else’s role in some sort of mishap.

   • Origin Story: Disaster Girl’s original disaster scene was a burning house. The picture of the little girl, Zoe, was captured by Dave Roth in 2005 during the local fire department’s live drill. Roth uploaded the picture to Zoomr in 2007 with the title, “Firestarter.”

15

2-Eyed Mike Wazowski

Download Article

1. 
   2-Eyed Mike Wazowski is Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc. with Sulley’s face photoshopped onto his. It is a popular reaction image, often used to express disapproval.

   • Origin Story: This meme is from a still of Mike and Sulley in the 2002 movie Monster’s Inc. In 2019, a Facebook user uploaded the still with Mike and Sulley’s faces swapped, and in the following days a cropped version of just Mike gained popularity.
Advertisement

16

Shrek Oop Face

Download Article

1. 
   Shrek Oop Face is the character Shrek making a surprised facial expression with an extreme side eye. Users primarily use this meme to express surprise or speechlessness about controversial social media opinions.

   • Origin Story: Shrek is the titular character in the 2001 film, Shrek. The oop face screen capture features him making a shocked expression to Donkey and began circulating as a reaction meme in 2014 on a FunnyJunk forum.

17

Chill Guy

Download Article

1. 
   Chill Guy is a nonchalant, smirking anthropomorphic dog with his hands in his pockets. Chill Guy, also known as “My New Character,” is used to show a casual attitude regardless of the situation at hand.

   • Origin Story: Chill Guy first appeared on X in 2023 from user @PhillipBankss, who drew the character and added the caption, “My new character. His whole deal is he’s a chill guy that lowkey doesn’t give a f*ck.”
Advertisement

18

Evil Kermit

Download Article

1. 
   Evil Kermit, or Constantine, is a Kermit the Frog lookalike in a dark cloak talking to regular Kermit. Constantine is Kermit’s nemesis, and the still of the two of them talking is often used to depict users’ inner monologue about their secret impulses.

   • Origin Story: Kermit the Frog was created by Jim Henson, and this screen capture comes from the 2014 musical comedy, Muppets Most Wanted. The scene first appeared as a meme on Twitter in 2016 with the caption, “me: sees a fluffy dog / me to me: steal him.”

19

Yutaro Katori (Is This a Pigeon?)

Download Article

1. 
   Is This a Pigeon features anime character Yutaro Katori gesturing to a butterfly asking if it’s a pigeon. This screen capture has been popularized as a reaction image to make fun of users’ blatantly incorrect assumptions and to express confusion.

   • Origin Story: Yutaro Katori is a character from the 1990s Japanese series, The Brave Fighter of Sun Fighbird. The “is this a pigeon?” quote comes from Season 1, Episode 3 and was uploaded on Tumblr as a meme for the first time in 2011.
Advertisement

20

Rick Astley (Rickrolling)

Download Article

1. 
   Rick Astley sings the song, “Never Gonna Give You Up,” which has become part of an ongoing internet bait and switch prank called Rickrolling. Users post a hyperlink to a supposedly relevant topic, but it redirects to the music video starring Rick Astley.

   • Origin Story: Rick Astley released “Never Gonna Give You Up” in 1987. The first Rickroll was allegedly in 2006 when YouTuber Erik Helwig prankcalled a radio station and played the song.

21

Lisa Simpson’s Presentation

Download Article

1. 
   Lisa Simpson’s Presentation is a screen capture of Lisa Simpson presenting a blank screen. Users photoshop text onto the screen to share their hot takes in meme format.

   • Origin Story: Lisa Simpson is a character in the animated series, The Simpsons. The presentation screen capture is from the 2001 episode, “Bye, Bye, Nerdy,” when Lisa gives a presentation on the history of bullying.
Advertisement

22

Pointing Spider-Man

Download Article

1. 
   Pointing Spider-Man is an image of 2 people in a Spider-Man costume pointing at each other in shocked recognition. It usually appears with a caption poking fun at 2 similar people meeting, or as a reaction meme when somebody says something the user already agrees with.

   • Origin Story: This particular Spider-Man is from the 1960s Spider-Man cartoon. The meme comes from the 1967 episode, “Double Identity,” where a villain impersonates Spider-Man. It began to spread as a meme in the 2010s.

23

Sitting Wolf

Download Article

1. 
   Sitting Wolf is a contemplative werewolf staring forlornly into the distance. Also known as Lone Wolf or Emo Wolf, the Sitting Wolf meme is used to parody deep thoughts and ironize things users might be sad about.

   • Origin Story: Sitting Wolf was created by DeviantArt artist WolfRoad in 2015, when it immediately began to spread as a meme with inspirational quotes in Spanish. It became more widespread with English captions in 2022.
Advertisement

24

Quandale Dingle

Download Article

1. 
   Nwodo says that Quandale Dingle is one of the most iconic meme characters. The memes usually feature images of a Black man with hunched posture and a distorted nose, and they’re captioned with “updates” on what Quandale has been up to.

   • Origin Story: It all started when someone shared a computer login screen with the name “Quandale Dingle.” People started posting pictures of distorted faces that were supposedly of Quandale (who is apparently a real person), and a new meme was born.

25

Bad Luck Brian

Download Article

1. 
   Bad Luck Brian is a blond, teenage boy with braces. Users add captions to his photo to describe embarrassing and unfortunate circumstances.

   • Origin Story: Bad Luck Brian’s real name is Kyle Craven, and the meme is his 7th grade yearbook photo. His friend, Ian Davies, first posted it as a meme on Reddit in 2012 with the caption, “Takes driving test / Gets first DUI.”
Advertisement

26

Patrick Bateman Walking

Download Article

1. 
   Patrick Bateman Walking is a video of Patrick Bateman solemnly walking through his office while the Katrina and The Waves song, “Walking on Sunshine,” plays over his headphones. Users have edited this clip to play at various speeds, with different songs, and to portray Bateman in different videogame settings.

   • Origin Story: Patrick Bateman is the main character in the 2000 psychological thriller, American Psycho, which features Christian Bale as Bateman, a serial killer. This clip became a meme in 2020 when X user @LaidBackTeaTime posted the video with a different song and the caption, “Wow he is literally me…”

27

Surprised Pikachu

Download Article

1. 
   Surprised Pikachu is a closeup of Pikachu making a stunned facial expression with his mouth agape. It has been used as a reaction meme for users to express their shock at the predictable consequences of their actions.

   • Origin Story: Pikachu is a character from the anime series, Pokémon. This screen capture comes from Season 1, Episode 10, titled “Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village.” Surprised Pikachu became widespread as a meme after a Tumblr user popokko posted it as a reaction to breaking something that they tried to forcibly bend.
Advertisement

28

Labubu

Download Article

1. 
   Labubus are collectible monster toys that are frequently used as charms on handbags and backpacks. They have been the source of inspiration for various memes that typically involve users making fun of the online obsession with the toy.

   • Origin Story: Labubu is actually a fictional character from Kasing Lung’s 2015 children’s stories, The Monsters. The Chinese company, How2Work started selling Labubu toys the same year, but they did not spark the internet craze until 2024 when K-Pop star, Lisa from BLACKPINK posted one on her Instagram story.

29

Woman Yelling at Cat

Download Article

1. 
   Woman Yelling at Cat is an image of a crying woman being restrained as she seemingly points at a confused cat. The image of the woman and the cat have repeatedly been paired as a reaction meme format to express disapproval, even though they are not actually related.

   • Origin Story: The woman in the photo is Taylor Armstrong from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The screen capture is from a 2011 episode where Armstrong cries during an argument and has to be restrained and calmed down. The cat, Smudge, was introduced to the meme in 2019 when Twitter user @MISSINGEGIRL paired the images.
Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

Video

Tips

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!