It’s been one year since the premiere of the handsome harvard,
and since then, the British actor has been racking up the meme-worthy moments with his incredible sense of humor and natural charm.
Here’s a recap of the viral trends that have swept the nation since last year:
1. The Bojack Horseman Challenge
The Bojack Horseman Challenge has been named after Bojack Horseman’s hilarious and unique take on the “chicken wing” challenge…
In the Netflix series, Bojack Horseman plays a fictionalized version of himself, a washed-up Hollywood horse actor who lives in Los Angeles.
The series is an adaptation of Horseman’s bestselling books, which are set in Hollywood and follow the adventures of Bojack Horseman as he struggles to make it in Tinseltown. While in Los Angeles, the series also takes a satirical look at modern-day Hollywood. Netflix describes the Bojack Horseman Challenge as an “in-joke challenge” where friends play a game on social media where they try and guess which popular culture reference or comedic moment they’re referring to. The challenge was named after Bojack Horseman’s own catchphrase, “The Bojack Horseman Challenge,” which he pronounces like “The beefcake horseman challenge.”
2. The Emoji Game
The emoji game was started by TikTok users in response to a meme that was based on Bill Murray’s standup routine. In his legendary one-man show, Murray takes on various famous comedians, peppering his standup with inside jokes and pop culture references. For example, in his riff on Christopher Columbus, he uses a map of the Americas as a prop and jokes about how he “finally found India.”
TikTok users loved it when Murray called out Hollywood comedians in his act, so when the streaming platform launched the Emoji Game, the creators of the meme gave it a run for its money.
The Emoji Game is a game where users try and match the facial expressions of three iconic comedians with those of real-life emojis. You may have seen someone play the Emoji Game before a comedy show to promote it, as it often gets featured along with other games during the opening monologue or between sets.
3. The Dad Joke
The Dad Joke was inspired by a gag Bill Murray used to tell during his standup routine. In the routine, Murray would ask questions about what kind of father figures people had, and then he’d tell a joke about a father who was overbearing or embarrassing. The jokes were so popular that when Murray did them on stage, the audience would often start chanting “Dad, Dad, Dad!”
It wasn’t long before people started using the chant in everyday life and online. Then, one day in 2016, Will Ferrell came along and said the joke at the end of a movie trailer. The joke went viral, and now when you say the phrase, it means “to make fun of or insult a father.”
What makes the Dad Joke so special is that it doesn’t play on patriarchal norms or toxic masculinity. The subject matter is mostly harmless and affectionate (even when it comes to fathers).
4. The AIMEE Game
The AIMEE Game is a fun trivia game where you have to identify movie, TV show, and music-related memes before they become popular trends. You may have seen someone playing this game at a bar or at a social gathering. Once the person holding the game has a tough time keeping up, the players take turns adding more memes to the list. To make things more interesting, the person who guesses the most accurately wins.
The game is named after a character in the movie Avengers: Infinity War, who is played by an incredibly talented and beautiful girl, Ali Wong. While most of the other memes we’ve talked about so far were inspired by men, the AIMEE Game was created by and is named after a woman. (Wong is credited as the “idea guy/gal” for the game.)
The creators of the AIMEE Game wanted to create a female-centric game that would allow players to feel empowered and show off their knowledge. (You may also know Wong from her standup comedy album Baby Baby, which is filled with hilarious and cringe-worthy material about dating and being a woman in the modern world.)
5. The “Rick James” Flip
The Rick James flip was inspired by a picture of actor Rick James that went viral before the year 2000. In the original picture, James is seen wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a “thriller”-style leather jacket. (James also has the nickname “Mr. Thriller” because of his distinctive “thriller” sign pose.)
In 2019, it was revived as a reaction to a meme called the “Rosa Parks” flip, which references a famous photo of actress Rosa Parks taken before her arrest in 1955. Some people claim that Parks’ iconic “Don’t move, please” is the catalyst for the flip.
Like many other memes we’ve talked about so far, the “Rick James” flip has taken on a life of its own and has spawned numerous copycats. (The phrase “Rick James flip” even has its own Twitter account!) It’s now used to show off your excitement about a wide range of topics, from sports teams to political candidates to Halloween costumes.
What makes the “Rick James” flip so unique is that the original meme was created in 1998, which means it’s been around longer than many of the other memes we’ve discussed so far. This is in part because of the long break in between albums released by James (he released his last album in 1994). This gave fans a chance to really analyze his work and made him a bit of a legend in the industry. (James also frequently used to perform at night, which made it harder for his work to reach the masses.)
6. The “Who Let The Dogs Out?”
The “Who Let The Dogs Out?” meme comes from a 2007 episode of the sitcom The Office, where Stephen Merchant plays a prank on Michael Scott (Steve Carell) by releasing the dogs from the surrounding office building after hours. (The dogs are meant to keep an eye on the neighbor’s kids, who occasionally play in the street.)
This is one of the most popular memes from The Office and is often used to show off your love for the show. Like other memes we’ve discussed so far, the “Who Let The Dogs Out?” meme has been copied and pasted many times, but the original joke was so powerful that it still makes memes today.
7. The “Seth Green” Look-Alike Game
Seth Green’s legendary standup comedy inspired the creation of the “Seth Green” look-alike game. Green is best known for his roles as Marty on the sitcom Parks and Recreation and as Larry Bird’s right-hand man, Dwayne, in the movie Big Game. (He has also had bit parts in other movies, such as Toy Story 3 and Honeymoon.)
As its name implies, this game requires users to look like Seth Green. Green has a distinctive screen presence, with wavy hair and a goatee. (Many standup comedians have a distinctive screen presence. If you see someone on the street and think they’re Seth Green, you can bet they’re playing this game.) The creator of the game wanted to create a satirical look-alike game that would show people of all genders how funny and unique Seth Green can be.
8. The “Rosa Parks” Flip
Rosa Parks’ iconic “Don’t move, please” pose from the “Don’t move, please” photo is arguably the most recognizable image from the civil rights movement. The meme was inspired by this moment in history, as well as the fact that James’ last album was released in 1994. (The meme creator even made a comic book about it.)