10 Hilarious Fun Facts About Memes You Never Knew: Dive Into Their Surprising History and Impact

1. Dawkins' Memes Evolution

Who let the memes out, woof-woof-woof-woof? It was Richard Dawkins, and they've come a long way from their 1976 inception in his book "The Selfish Gene": Originally conceived as a concept to explain how ideas and cultural elements spread, memes evolved into a viral internet sensation, mutating thanks to human creativity rather than random genetic change – a transformation Dawkins himself embraced and celebrated at the Cannes Advertising Festival.
Source => wired.co.uk

2. Most Interesting Man's Audition Secrets

Some say he once parallel-parked a train while teaching his own father "the talk": the man behind the meme, Jonathan Goldsmith, improvised for 30 minutes during his audition for The Most Interesting Man in the World, including the mystifying act of removing one sock, and based the character on his late sailing partner, Fernando Lamas, who inspired the audacious and humorous tone that went viral online until the ads were retired in 2018.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

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3. Keanu's Sandwich Contemplation

Who knew pondering over a sandwich could cause such a stir? The great Keanu Reeves, starring in his very own candid meme masterpiece, unintentionally painted the picture of melancholy for internet enthusiasts globally: In reality, during a 2010 "The Late Show" interview, Reeves divulged that the "Sad Keanu" meme originated from a photograph of him deep in thought while devouring a sandwich, rather than suffering from an emotional malaise. As Reeves currently promotes his latest film, "The Matrix Resurrections," it's fascinating to see how a brief park-bench contemplation evolved into a meme echoing the relatable trials, tribulations, and sandwich-induced introspection of daily life.
Source => pagesix.com

4. Multilingual Pepe the Frog

Next time you ponder over a pond, spare a thought for the linguistically amphibious Pepe the Frog, whose name remained consistently 'hoppy' across multiple languages despite evading the Spanish speakers: This quirky character, created by artist Matt Furie in 2005, gained internet meme fame in the late 2000s but didn't enjoy the same popularity in Spanish-speaking countries, even though "Pepes" literally means frogs.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. A Festival of Internet Cats

Let the fur fly and the whiskers twitch: In 2012, the Internet Cat Video Festival had more than 10,000 feline fanatics flocking to the Walker Art Center's Open Field in Minneapolis, elevating cat memes into cultural milestones and even taking the kitty show on the road to cities like Boston, San Diego, and Vienna. Alas, the Walker Art Center put their paws on the brakes in 2015, but did that stop the party? Not a whisker's chance! The event lives on as the St. Paul Saints' Cat Video Festival, hosted by the St. Paul Saints and CHS Field, keeping the cat-astrophically hilarious tradition alive in the Twin Cities.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. The Rise of LOLcats

In the age of feline fascination, when every kitty was crowned king and their subjects simply waiting for "Caturday" with baited breath, one chilled-out cat and its fellow feline friends catapulted to stardom, making the internet their litter box: Enter the birth of LOLcats in the humble corners of 4chan back in 2005, paving the way for the highly-trafficked websites LOLcats.com and I Can Has Cheezburger, where 200-500 submissions came pouring in daily, eventually landing our furry celebrities on Catster's "top 10 most famous LOLcats" list.
Source => knowyourmeme.com

7. Meme Lifespans Shorten

Like a swift game of Tetris where your memes are raining down faster than ever and you just can't keep up with the pace: the average lifespan of a meme nowadays is a mere 4 months, with meme lifespans getting shorter as their quantity on the internet grows larger, proving that indeed, every meme has its day.
Source => theoutline.com

8. Impact Font: Meme Conqueror

Once upon a font, in a land of artful metal strokes and typographic giants: Behold the mighty Impact font! Created in 1965 by Geoff Lee, it became the fearless warrior of meme legibility and the undying champion of viral hilarity. Its conquest was secured when it was included in Windows 98, sealing its indelible mark on the hilarious hallowed halls of memes and forever enshrining its destiny as the undeniable emperor of image macros and meme text everywhere.
Source => vox.com

9. Meme Insider: Meme Journalism

When life gives you lemons, make a meme magazine: Meme Insider, which became an actual publication after starting as a Reddit joke, covers internet trends and culture in their monthly print and digital issues, boasting over 40,000 YouTube subscribers and 50,000 on Instagram - even including a Big Chungus meme deep dive! Acquired by Know Your Meme, this magazine seriously turns trending internet chuckles into comprehensive articles and interviews, delighting meme enthusiasts since December 1st, 2016.
Source => knowyourmeme.com

10. Pepe Coin: Froggy Fortunes

In the realm of meme coin magnates, one frog leaps ahead of the pack and swims in a pond worth millions: Pepe, a meme coin based on the image of Pepe the Frog, boomed in value to a peak of $0.00000431 per coin. A fortunate trader who spent $260 for a princely sum of 5.9 trillion PEPE tokens cashed in over $4 million in profits by selling 56% of their holdings, while retaining 2.56 trillion tokens worth a ribbiting $6 million!
Source => coinmarketcap.com