Dat Boi
Meme of a frog riding a unicycle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dat Boi is an Internet meme originating from the clip art website Animation Factory.[1][2] It depicts a frog riding a unicycle. The meme garnered popularity on Tumblr in 2015 before gaining more recognition through Twitter in 2016.[3] It is usually accompanied by a person saying "here come dat boi".
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History
According to Animation Factory employee Ryan Hagen, the frog GIF used in the meme was created by designer Josh Doohen.[4]
The meme's name originates from an edited news screenshot.[5] The line of text often used in association with the image ("here come dat boi! o shit waddup!") was taken from memes involving "Here Comes Pacman", an animation based on the Pac-Man segment of the Bloodhound Gang song "Mope".[6][5] The frog image and its caption were first put together on Facebook, according to Vox.[7] The Verge writer Chris Plante referred to the caption in a June article, stating that the Dat Boi image itself was "not enough" and should be paired with the caption.[8]
In May 2016, the "here come dat boi!" caption came under criticism after various Facebook users claimed to find it an "appropriation of African-American Vernacular English".[9][10] As a result, certain Facebook groups discouraged use of the meme.[11]
Dat Boi was featured in The Guardian's "Month in Memes" article for June 2016.[12] Matt Furie, creator of Pepe the Frog, explained in a June 2016 interview with Comic Book Resources that he was "devastated" to find out that Dat Boi had "begun to overshadow Internet Pepe".[13]
Notable uses
- Nintendo tweeted an image of its Slippy Toad character next to the Dat Boi frog on May 13, 2016.[14]
- The Twitter account for the restaurant chain Denny's tweeted an image of Dat Boi, calling the frog "Dat Busboi".[15][16]
- Kenyatta Cheese, co-founder of Know Your Meme, described Dat Boi as "a piece of culture" to the editors of Vice.[17][independent source needed]
- In an interview with PopSugar about viral trends, model Josh Ostrovsky mentioned the meme and admitted, "obviously I love Dat Boi".[18][independent source needed]
- The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union posted a "Dat Boi" meme to comment on the 2016 Australian federal election.[19]
- Also during the 2016 federal election in Australia, SBS Comedy published a satirical article claiming that the "Dat Boi" frog had become the most popular candidate for Prime Minister of Australia among youth voters.[20][independent source needed]
See also
- Toad worship, Chinese internet subculture