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.)
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While Arthur was no stranger to memes, his simple fist took the internet by storm this year.
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The words “damn” and “Daniel” have never been said together more than in February 2016.
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Waking up from a nap has never felt more real, and the entire internet quickly became shook about nearly everything.
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These SpongeBob SquarePants pics are as diverse as AHS’s crazy characters, including Evan Peters’ from all six seasons.
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Turns out, there ARE more iconic duos than Kylie and Kendall Jenner. Who knew?
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Gavin better watch his back, because there’s a new meme kid in town, and his name is Ashton Howell.
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Donald Trump also better watch his back, because Bro Biden is coming for him.
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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.
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Kermit the Frog, a longtime favorite meme subject, is back to convince you to do the thing you know you shouldn’t do.
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Sorry, this meme is still too sad to talk about. R.I.P. Hodor, you gentle giant, you.
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Harambe’s death inspired ~popular~ and ~classy~ phrases like, “Dicks out for Harambe,” that were shouted by frat boys for several months. Awesome.
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Brazilian telenovela actress Renata Sorrah gave us the perfect way to tell someone, “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
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The Jamaican Olympic sprinter smiled at the haters and gave us “the opposite of [the] Crying Jordan” meme.
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Meanwhile, the American Olympic swimmer gave us the opposite of the Smiling Usain Bolt meme.
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Knock knock. Who’s there? Something very bad that shouldn’t happen but probably will.
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Trespassing, running into oncoming traffic, and ditching your loved ones to catch pocket monsters was the only appropriate way to spend summer 2016.
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Do you have a case of the pettiness? Then this photo of Disney Channel star Skai Jackson is your answered prayer.
