In REMORANDOM 2 we featured the Distracted Boyfriend meme [RR2:21]. We are inspired to widen the net and bring you some other faces and images that escaped the internet to become part of mainstream culture.
Bad Luck Brian (2012)
Where Success Kid (below) represented victory, Bad Luck Brian represented cosmic humiliation. The meme uses an awkward high-school yearbook photo of Kyle Craven wearing braces and a plaid sweater vest, paired with captions describing catastrophic misfortune, e.g. “Takes driving test … gets first DUI.”
Bernie Sanders in Mittens (2021)
One of the few political memes that became genuinely universal. Taken during the inauguration of Joe Biden in January 2021. Within hours, the image had been photoshopped into famous paintings, movie scenes, sporting events and historical moments.
Disaster Girl (2005)
The “Disaster Girl” image is a small girl smirking in front of a burning house. The girl, Zoë Roth, appears simultaneously innocent and deeply guilty, as though she personally caused the fire behind her. Years later, internet users began photoshopping Roth into famous catastrophes.
Disracted Boyfriend (2017)
Distracted Boyfriend [RR2:21] is an Internet meme based on a 2015 stock photograph (captioned “Disloyal man walking with his girlfriend and looking amazed at another seductive girl") by Spanish photographer Antonio Guillem. Social media users began using the image as a meme as a way to depict different forms of disloyalty.
Grumpy Cat (2012)
The cat – real name Tardar Sauce (RIP) – became famous because of her permanently displeased expression, caused by feline dwarfism and an underbite. Grumpy Cat transcended meme culture to become a commercial phenomenon, spawning books, merchandise, TV appearances and even a Christmas movie.
Hide the Pain Harold (2011)
With his strained smile and haunted eyes, Hungarian retiree András Arató became known worldwide as Hide the Pain Harold. Stock photographs of Arató smiling politely while appearing internally devastated became shorthand for enduring misery with forced optimism.
Overly Attached Girlfriend (2012)
One of the first YouTube-era memes to turn an ordinary person into an internet celebrity, Overly Attached Girlfriend originated with a parody video uploaded by Laina Morris in 2012. Her exaggerated wide-eyed stare and obsessive lyrics inspired endless captions about clingy or possessive relationships.
Scumbag Steve (2011)
Scumbag Steve became the patron saint of unreliable friends. The image – sideways cap, faux-fur coat, smirking expression – was used to describe people who borrow things and never return them, eat your food or show up uninvited.
Side-Eyeing Chloe (2013)
The image comes from a 2013 YouTube video in which young Chloe Clem reacts to the surprise announcement that she is "going to Disneyland again". While her sister bursts into tears of joy, Chloe stares into the camera with a look of profound mistrust – as though she suspects a scam.
Success Kid (2007)
The meme features toddler Sammy Griner on a beach, gripping a handful of sand with an expression of fierce determination. Beginning around 2007, captions paired the image with tiny but satisfying victories: finding money in an old coat pocket, passing an exam, or catching the train at the last second.
Succulent Chinese Meal Guy (1991 / revived 2020s)
Australia’s contribution to meme immortality, the “Succulent Chinese Meal” clip comes from a 1991 television news segment showing a man – later identified as Jack Karlson – being arrested outside a Brisbane restaurant while delivering some bizarrely theatrical lines. Watch the video HERE.
This Is Fine Dog (2013)
Perhaps no meme better captures modern anxiety than “This Is Fine.” Originating from a 2013 webcomic by cartoonist KC Green, the image shows a cheerful dog calmly sitting in a burning room while saying, “This is fine.” The meme became shorthand for denial in the face of catastrophe.
Story Idea: Anne-Maree Sargeant
