Q1 Meme Recap: The Best of the Internet Since the New Year

Kyle Krajewski
April 3, 2018
Categories

One of the most exciting things about flipping the page of my bird-themed calendar each month isn’t just the mystery of what majestic feathered creature flies on the following page, but the potential of dank-ass memes that the next thirty days could birth.

I’m thrilled to say that the months of January through March didn’t let us down. The less-than-favorable weather we’ve faced in Philadelphia over that period hasn’t seemed to spoil the bountiful crop of content that has flourished from the internet’s soil.

If you don’t quite get memes, that’s okay. Memes have become a language of their own. I can help teach you. Or if you’ve taken a break from the internet for a new year’s resolution or Lent. That’s okay too. I’m here to fill you in on what you’ve missed.

Without further ado, let’s kick things off with – quite literally – a very juicy meme that would ensure we stepped into 2018 on the weirdest foot imaginable:

Tide Pods

An instant classic. Although they are not, it is undeniable that Tide Pods simply look delicious. They look like a fruit snack. But because they are apparently toxic, this devolved into a satirical series of memes that would land us on the Tide Pod Challenge.

Any time a meme results in an official brand statement, you know it’s big time.

Kylo Ren’s Pants

Another weird one. But if it’s not weird, it’s not really worth talking about in my opinion. In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren was shown shirtless and sporting a seriously high-waisted look.

As soon as that hit the internet, it was inevitable that we’d be met with the #KyloRenChallenge.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg9vWFzHR4n/?tagged=kylorenchallenge

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgDPmaDj9t3/?tagged=kylorenchallenge

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfW6DivnB7c/?tagged=kylorenchallenge

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdWcr_vHtVF/?taken-by=johnmayer

Yes, that’s John Mayer.

https://twitter.com/galaxysword/status/941291295460360192

Left Exit 12 Off Ramp

Here we have a simple and beautiful, albeit short-lived, meme chronicling the internet’s lack of self control.

Selfie Kid

During the halftime show of Super Bowl LII – which the Philadelphia Eagles won, in case you forgot – America’s sweetheart Justin Timberlake made his way into the crowd where he would lead us to this year’s Left Shark: “Selfie Kid.”

https://twitter.com/JamieMcCarty/status/960327860987703296

https://twitter.com/OliverBaxxter/status/960341810005491712

Obama Portrait

While beautiful and very well done, Obama’s presidential portrait was a bit… different.

What happens when you do something different or unusual? You get memed.

https://twitter.com/KrangTNelson/status/963083041945079813

Wow-ing like Owen Wilson

Honestly, this one came out of left field. But sometimes the most unexpected memes are the most dank of all. Owen Wilson says “wow” a lot. And he does it in very Owen-Wilson-like fashion. Point that out on the internet and you’ll get mass gatherings of people at locations across the globe to “say ‘wow’ like Owen Wilson.”

Wow.

Cardi B Dancing

This is one of my favorite kinds of memes. Easy to repurpose and hilarious no matter what you do with it. With some simple audio tweaks, you can make Cardi dance to anything you want. Go ahead. Give it a try!

https://twitter.com/kylekraj/status/969417139110207488

Every Spongebob Meme

2017 was the year of the Arthur meme. In 2018, Spongebob memes are everything. At the rate we’re going, we’re poised to see the meme market become historically oversaturated with Bikini Bottom-based memes. Here’s some of what we’ve seen so far.

Savage Patrick

Remember Evil Kermit? Savage Patrick was a variation of the same concept. This meme featured a still of Patrick Star in what looked like was an evil laugh – to be mutated and applied to situations in which one was up to no good.

https://twitter.com/JFalcon23/status/968718567356223489

Just as soon as it came, it was gone.

Krusty Krab vs. Chum Bucket

The Krusty Krab is good. The Chum Bucket is bad. As such, this meme was also mutated and served as a template for hot takes and controversial opinions about pop culture. This one also flamed out fairly quickly.

https://twitter.com/msmaarie/status/974122577147830272

https://twitter.com/JuarezMatt/status/974819636268208129

https://twitter.com/IiIphag/status/974809608312311808

https://twitter.com/Trodgers_4/status/974496819941175297

Winded Spongebob

Another template for creating #RelatableContent. Why is Spongebob so winded? Could be anything. That’s up for you to decide.

https://twitter.com/Chinohoven/status/978699178732695552

FBI Agent text

Let’s face it: We’re all kind of scared that the government is watching our every move. This meme parodies that notion by taking it to the extreme:

“Change my Mind”

Professional rabble rouser and controversial podcaster Stephen Crowder thought it would be a good idea to post this on Twitter:

Why was this a bad idea? He would instantly become the subject of the most easily repurposed meme template of 2018:



Infinity War Crossover

I don’t think this one lasted more than a day. But while it was hot, boy was it hot. I’ll let it speak for itself:

https://twitter.com/ManuclearBomb/status/975834989655977986

https://twitter.com/Andrea_Gatto/status/976168934549458945

https://twitter.com/MustyKonyByke/status/975712293760700416

_____ Madness Brackets

Filling out a March Madness bracket is fun if you’re into that. But a lot of people don’t really vibe with the whole “sports” thing. This March, the internet got creative and gave us brackets for just about anything you could imagine so we could all join in on the fun.

Gru’s Plan

Sourced from the Despicable Me movie franchise, this meme featured a still of a character, Gru, detailing his master plan. The idea being communicated: The meme’s subject has made a terrible mistake.

Walmart Yodel Boy

This kid is just getting his start as I write this and he is probably my favorite meme of all. Expect to see him on Ellen soon.

https://twitter.com/localnimo/status/979344471627362304

https://twitter.com/Trilladelphian/status/980508355717459980

https://twitter.com/kylekraj/status/980806791662628864

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhDVNGvhHUs/?taken-by=daquan

https://twitter.com/Tatum_Strangely/status/981354934397386752

Cheers to a healthy crop of memes in 2018 Q1. Here’s to Q2 being danker than ever before.

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