Bad Luck Brian is one of the most brutal memes around. I'm not sure what was going on with Brian on picture day, but let's just say that the results were...something. Try as he might, Bad Luck Brian can't ever seem to catch a break about anything in life.
In real life, Brian is actually Kyle Craven. And while that is a real school photo of him, it appears that Craven was hamming things up for the camera just a touch. Thanks to some licensing deals, Craven says that he's made at least $20,000 off of his internet fame--which is something, but not nearly as much as I was expecting.
If you wanted to revel in a victory (no matter how small) in the mid-2000s, you're probably familiar with the Success Kid meme. The image appears to show a young child with hard fist and look of determination on his face--all things are possible through Success Kid. But that's not exactly what the original picture showed...
The child in question is actually named Sam Griner, and the photo was first uploaded to Flickr by his mother in 2007. But, according to mom, that's not the look of a determined kid--that's the look of a kid who just ate a fistful of sand.
If you lived through 2018, there's a good chance you're familiar with the Squinting Woman meme. The image of a woman crouched over and apparently squinting in disbelief at something became a great shorthand for whenever you were completely baffled by someone or something.
And apparently everything has gone according to plan for Squinting Woman, who's real name is Kalin Elisabeth. After her rise to internet stardom, Elisabeth said this about the photo: "My goal is life to put as many smiles on as many faces as I can before I leave this earth. This has been a treat for my soul!"
For those of us that want to embrace our inner evil a little bit, there's the Disaster Girl meme. The photo of a young girl smiling devilishly at a house fire is reminiscent of that Twilight Zone episode where everyone in town is terrified of the bratty kid with psychic powers. I'm not sure if Disaster Girl has those powers, but I wouldn't put it past her.
Thankfully in real life, Diaster Girl was not responsible for the house fire--and in fact, there was barely even a house fire at all. According to Disaster Girl's father (who's real name is Zoe), he and his daughter were watching the local fire department do a training exercise in their neighborhood when he snapped the perfectly timed shot.
Insight and inspiration wait for no man. Whether you're asleep or on the dance floor, sometimes clarity enters without knocking. Just ask Sudden Clarity Clarence and his apparent epiphany while busting a move.
Unfortunately, this is one meme that's still shrouded in some mystery. The image that would later become a meme was taken at 2009 music festival in Australia, but no one knows what became of "Clarence." Over the years a few people have come forward saying that they are the guy in the picture or are a friend of his, but none of the stories match up with the confirmed fact that this photo was taken in 2009 in Australia.
In the 2010s, it was hard to escape the crazy, dead gaze of the Overly Attached Girlfriend. This meme was perfect for all those times people took things too far and ended up looking like a creep.
But as it turns out, we were the creeps all along! According to the Overly Attached Girlfriend (real name: Laina Morris), she's struggled with privacy issues after getting famous--strangers found her personal Facebook, started talking to her friends, and even tried to get a copy of her college records.
Hide the Pain Harold does his best to put on a brave face, but the cruelties of the world are just too much to bear, and his strained smile betrays his true feelings. We've all be Harold at one point or another.
In real life, Harold is actually András Arató, a Hungarian man who participated in a stock photo shoot that led to the infamous memes. Apparently, the weird smile came from the fact that his mouth was tired after a full day of shooting.
Love him or hate him, there's no denying that the Ridiculously Photogenic Guy is, well, ridiculously photogenic. Here's a newsflash for those who may not be aware--if you're in the middle of running a race and you look like you just stepped off a catwalk, you're probably too hot.
But apparently there's also a good person behind those good looks. Ridiculously Photogenic Guy, who's real name is Zeddie Smith, said that he was happy to be a part of something positive on the internet, which is a place that's typically full of negativity.
Side-Eyeing Chloe is the pefect reaction image for when you are definitely not picking up what someone is trying to put down. This meme is not nearly as old as others on the list, but it's exploded in popularity since it hit in the internet in 2013.
Strangely enough, this is one meme where the person's real name is used. Chloe is real, and this iconic moment was captured in a Youtube video by her mother as she tells Chloe and her sister that they're going to Disneyland. Like every normal child, the sister loses her mind, but Chloe has...other thoughts about this surprise vacation.
The world is a confusing place, but thankfully we have the Math Lady meme to share in our struggles. Whether it's figuring out the meaning of life or figuring out how to split a check, Math Lady sees you, and she feels your pain.
When actress Renata Sorrah appeared on the Brazilian telenovela Senhora De Destino, she probably wasn't expecting a screenshot of her to achieve internet fame. But people simply had to throw a few math-y looking symbols on top, and poof, a meme was born. Sorrah has yet to comment publicly about her newfound stardom.
Sometimes we get just a little to excited for something, and thankfully we have Ermahgerd girl for just such occasions. I'm not entirely sure how a human can even make a face like that, but the proof is right there in front of you.
It turns out that the girl in the photo losing her mind over some Goosebumps books is Maggie Goldenberger. She said the infamous picture of her was taken during fourth or fifth grade when she and her friends "seriously got into playing dress up."
The Think About It Meme is the perfect choice when you're looking to give advice that is simultaneously brilliant and terrible. Luckily, business is booming for this meme, because we're all pretty good at being brilliant and terrible.
The origins of the image come from a web series mockumentary called Hood Documentary. It stars Kayode Ewumi (the man in the photo) as Roll Safe, a veritable jack-of-all-trades who shows a documentary crew his life in the "hood."
Every day we're faced with inconveniences and setbacks that are annoying but aren't particularly catastrophic, and those are more commonly known as "first world problems." And while the iconic image of a woman crying doesn't contain anything explicitly first world, it strangely works for this classic meme.
In real life, the crying woman is actually Silvia Bottini, an Italian actress and model who has appeared in several TV shows and movies in the country. The image in question is actually from a stock photo shoot she did.
Scumbag Steve made his first appearance on the internet in 2011, and since then, he's been terrorizing us all with his rude behavior and lack of concern for others. No pet peeve is too petty to slap Steve's rude mug on it and call it a meme.
Scumbag Steve's real name is actually Blake Boston, and in a hilarious twist of events, he said his mother was the one who actually took that fateful photo. Since then, Boston has been trying to capitalize on his internet fame to launch a music career.
You don't need me to tell you that the internet is a strange and fickle place, but in case you need a refresher, just remember Salt Bae--a chef who literally rose to fame because of a video where he was extravagantly salting a steak. That's it; that's the meme.
Salt Bae (who actually goes by Nusret Gökçe) is a chef and restaurant owner from Turkey with an international chain of steak houses. Celebrities like Leonardo di Caprio and P. Diddy are rumored to be big fans.
No matter what sort of mystery you're pondering, it was almost certainly done by aliens. Or at least that's what the Ancient Aliens guy would have us believe. This meme is perfect for the conspiracy theorist who believes the truth is out there, in here, and everywhere.
In real life, this crazy-haired man is Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, who actually was a guest "expert" ufologist on the History channel show Ancient Aliens. This is one instance where the meme is pretty much an accurate representation of reality.
It seems like a lot of memes have to do with conveying disbelief or surprise, but one of the most iconic memes to do this was a seemingly random GIF of a guy slowly blinking. Let's not forget that iconic does not always equal groundbreaking.
In real life, the Blinking Guy actually has a name--Drew Scanlon. The video that the GIF in question comes from came about during his time working for video game website Giant Bomb. The rest is blinking history.
We all know a hipster barista, and that's probably this meme did so well. If you've ever wanted a side of judgment with your latte, the Hipster Barista is the man for you.
In real life, the guy's name is Dustin Mattson, and he's an actual barista. And unfortunately, he was not too thrilled to have his likeness attached to what he saw a negative meme. Which is completely fair and understandable! However, he went on to complain that no one takes artisinal coffe seriously...which sounds exactly like something a hipster barista would say.
TFW when you only take home the silver at the Olympics. Humiliating, right? Luckily the Dissastisfied McKayla meme is here to help you weather all the indignities that the world hurls at you.
This is one instance where someone already famous became a meme. In this case, it's McKayla Maroney, an American gymnast who indeed was unable to keep it together after winning a silver medal instead of the gold. Oh, the humanity!
When "get a load of this" simply won't suffice, there's the outraged girl meme. She may only be a young child, but she's already wise to the ways of all these fools.
The image in question actually came from an episode of the Disney Channel show Good Luck Charlie. And the actress who made the iconic face was Mia Talerico.
