this post was submitted on 11 Apr 2025
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memes

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A collection of some classic Lemmy memes for your enjoyment

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[–] absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz 99 points 1 month ago (6 children)

In the year 2100 on my 120th birthday, looking to the adoring eyes of my decedents.

"I was there, at the beginning, it was glorious and it was terrible, we had Charlie the Unicorn and Nyan cat, but also there was two girls and one cup....those days are gone now; forgotten the memes have morphed and combined new ones have spawned, the originals are no more"

[–] Hello_there@fedia.io 37 points 1 month ago (5 children)

Remember goatse? Wasn't that a cute rabbit?

[–] Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 21 points 1 month ago (2 children)

No, that was a shock site. You’re thinking of Lemon Party.

[–] chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

No, that was the 2001 election webpage. You're thinking of tubgirl.

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[–] PP_BOY_@lemmy.world 21 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Sending your friend's email contacts and invite to the lemon party they were hosting

[–] OldManBOMBIN@lemmy.world 15 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Was always quite fond of TubGirl, myself

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[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 22 points 1 month ago (4 children)

You mean people won't even remember who all the base are belong to?

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[–] Redredme@lemmy.world 79 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I don't get this. And I'm le tired.

I'll take a nap.

AND VIRE ZHE MISSILES!!

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[–] protist@mander.xyz 63 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (8 children)

Remember when the Dancing Baby was on Ally McBeal? Pepperidge Farms remembers

Edit to add a link to David Hasselhoff's 1997 cover of Blue Swede's cover of BJ Thomas's "Hooked on a Feeling"

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[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 49 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Internet was much better when it was just Star Wars Kid and All your base.

[–] the_trash_man@lemmy.world 49 points 1 month ago (2 children)
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[–] Gustephan@lemmy.world 43 points 1 month ago (1 children)
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[–] MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 42 points 1 month ago (8 children)

Dunno maybe this was localized but

Tunak Tunak Tun was declared the anthem of my California middle school computer graphics class. Lots of FlashMX tribute animations and such.

It apparently went way beyond that, as we saw the Draenei rocking that dance in WoW: Burning Crusade. :D

It still freaking slaps. :D

It was a great time for foreign music, as Gary's silly dance and lip sync to the "numa numa" song was proliferating everywhere.

I wonder if a lot of this was from all the fun file sharing and explosion of P2P networks going on? I don't miss how easy it was to catch malware but I do miss some very particular feeling about those days...

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[–] rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works 41 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 34 points 1 month ago (2 children)

👅🐴 ... There is not a raisin emoji.

[–] Demigodrick@lemmy.zip 30 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

✊️🐴

🛩

🐴

✊️🍆

Or something like that

[–] Voyajer@lemmy.world 24 points 1 month ago (4 children)

👧🤮

🫵🤔

🚫🙈

📍🍋🏭

🍬🍋

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[–] buddascrayon@lemmy.world 35 points 1 month ago (11 children)

I think that's cute they think those were the first memes.

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[–] gibmiser@lemmy.world 35 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (6 children)

I just want to say, all you degenerates in this thread, you are my people. Thank you for remembering the terrible shit we shared.

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[–] udon@lemmy.world 28 points 1 month ago (4 children)

"the first memes" yeah right

[–] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 17 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

The Hampster Dance meme happened 5 years before the Badger meme.

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[–] slappypantsgo@lemm.ee 27 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I have no idea what the snake and mushrooms are and I was born before the internet existed, so it’s not only kids.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 39 points 1 month ago (13 children)

Yeah, but were you chronically online in 2002? Ie exposed to the memes of the time.

Nowadays all sorts of normies fill the internet. Internet used to be explicitly for "nerds".

I remember when nornies didn't even know how to.

And now we've gone around again and the youngest generations have really poor PC skills because they just do everything on their phone.

Do you remember the dancing baby? That was a few years earlier than Badgerbadgerbadger.com but it was more mainstream, being like in Ally Mcbeal etc.

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[–] Natanox@discuss.tchncs.de 26 points 1 month ago (4 children)

🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊🍌📞

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[–] LoreSoong@startrek.website 25 points 1 month ago (3 children)

The first? Idk about that, im 27. And am well aware of memes prior to my existance. The oldest i can think of is the dancing baby meme.

https://youtu.be/eyR6O0eHz-o

Or more relavent to this would be the hamster dance

https://youtu.be/6WpMlwVwydo

[–] Deceptichum@quokk.au 36 points 1 month ago (7 children)

Dancing Baby was the first normie meme. Its popularity spread through TV and print.

All Your Base is more of an actual “first” internet meme.

[–] KingJalopy@lemm.ee 15 points 1 month ago (10 children)
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[–] Stovetop@lemmy.world 25 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Memes are also not inherently digital. Going back to the definition set by Richard Dawkins (trans-hating bigot he is), a meme is anything that "conveys the idea of a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation." Perhaps that's a bit broad of a definition compared to what we conventionally think of as memes, but it's how we got to where we are.

People in ancient Egypt building pyramids and obelisks because someone before them built pyramids and obelisks is a meme. Cathedrals being built in much the same way throughout Renaissance Europe is a meme.

But those examples aside, there are still a few pre-internet examples that would still resonate more with the idea of memes as we know them today. Kilroy was Here is considered a meme and goes back to World War II. Or a bit before that, this "How you think you look" cartoon which I am not entirely sure was overly meme-like in its day but certainly feels relatable today.

But even slogans or popular sayings could be considered memes; if we consider internet terms/phrases like "pog" or "Are ya winning, son?" or (dating myself) "I can haz cheezburger?" to be memes, what about pre-internet sayings like "Luke, I am your father," "It's just a flesh wound," or "Where's the beef?" Or going way, way back, what about saying "Break a leg" before a performance, or "All the world's a stage," or even "Carpe diem"? I think one could make a case for just about any repeated and widely understood concept, really.

[–] SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social 18 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)
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[–] drunkpostdisaster@lemmy.world 24 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Hey guys... remember Newgrounds? Heh... Remember Spoony? Hehe...

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[–] hark@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I've fallen and I can't get up!

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[–] fritobugger2017@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago (5 children)

I am too old to remember this

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[–] ThatGuyNamedZeus@feddit.org 20 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Weebl released a video on youtube marking the 20th anniversery of badger badger badger a while ago, he released one for the 15th too and the 10th

[–] androogee@midwest.social 15 points 1 month ago (5 children)

I've seen Weebl videos. I've seen them with my eyes.

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[–] jayemar@lemm.ee 20 points 1 month ago (9 children)
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[–] crayolaswift@lemm.ee 19 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I vaguely remember the Harry Potter one?

Potter, Potter, Potter Weasley, Weasley Snape! Snape!

[–] faythofdragons@slrpnk.net 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Snape, snape, severus snape- DUMBLEDORE

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[–] foggy@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

EVERYONE LOVES

MAGICAL TREVOR

Edit: beans lots of beans lots of beans lots of beans yeah yeah

Edit2: hey guys did weebls stuff predict Lemmy memes?

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[–] drool@lemmy.catsp.it 18 points 1 month ago (2 children)
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[–] kandoh@reddthat.com 17 points 1 month ago

New grounds flash games

[–] CitizenKong@lemmy.world 16 points 1 month ago (8 children)

Why do you think the web was born? Porn porn porn!

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[–] billwashere@lemmy.world 15 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Thanks, now I have that freakin’ song stuck in my head.

And fuck I feel old now. Get off my lawn!!!

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[–] N0body@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 1 month ago

Weegee (Luigi) is having its time in the sun.

[–] LoreSoong@startrek.website 14 points 1 month ago (11 children)

Lets see how many oldies are here. No repeat users

DIE MONSTER!

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[–] rocket_dragon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 1 month ago

And this looks like old Tumblr, where by around the 12th reply the original post would be completely indented out of sight.

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