17 Memes You Couldn’t Escape In 2016
How did we even express ourselves before memes became a thing? It seems there were more than usual this year, but as a friend recently pointed out, “It’s like we have to laugh or else we’ll start crying.” Major pop-culture events like the election, the Summer Olympics, and even the death of a gorilla brought out the pettiness in everyone online.
Whether people were reacting to a Disney Channel star sitting on a chair, a dude shouting, “Damn, Daniel” over and over again, or an evil Muppet imposter, 2016 was the Year of the Meme. (At least, it will be until 2017 rolls around.)
While Arthur was no stranger to memes, his simple fist took the internet by storm this year.
The words “damn” and “Daniel” have never been said together more than in February 2016.
Waking up from a nap has never felt more real, and the entire internet quickly became shook about nearly everything.
These SpongeBob SquarePants pics are as diverse as AHS’s crazy characters, including Evan Peters’ from all six seasons.
Turns out, there ARE more iconic duos than Kylie and Kendall Jenner. Who knew?
Gavin better watch his back, because there’s a new meme kid in town, and his name is Ashton Howell.
Donald Trump also better watch his back, because Bro Biden is coming for him.
Speaking of the president-elect, he was ruthlessly memed all year in so many different ways, we honestly couldn’t keep track of them all.
Kermit the Frog, a longtime favorite meme subject, is back to convince you to do the thing you know you shouldn’t do.
Sorry, this meme is still too sad to talk about. R.I.P. Hodor, you gentle giant, you.
Harambe’s death inspired ~popular~ and ~classy~ phrases like, “Dicks out for Harambe,” that were shouted by frat boys for several months. Awesome.
Brazilian telenovela actress Renata Sorrah gave us the perfect way to tell someone, “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
The Jamaican Olympic sprinter smiled at the haters and gave us “the opposite of [the] Crying Jordan” meme.
Meanwhile, the American Olympic swimmer gave us the opposite of the Smiling Usain Bolt meme.
Knock knock. Who’s there? Something very bad that shouldn’t happen but probably will.
Trespassing, running into oncoming traffic, and ditching your loved ones to catch pocket monsters was the only appropriate way to spend summer 2016.
Do you have a case of the pettiness? Then this photo of Disney Channel star Skai Jackson is your answered prayer.
