# For the pre-Internet crowd: what'a good example of a pre-Intenet "meme"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 8, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660 "2014-07-08T18:39:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/1 "2014-07-08T18:39:19Z")
Might something from the old pass-around-the-gang Xerox copies be one? Toilet wall graffiti? What? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/2 "2014-07-08T18:44:33Z")
In the 80s, used to get this one faxed and also xeroxed and posted in break room: “If it’s twilite or dark and someone is driving without their lights on, DON’T FLASH YOUR LIGHTS! That’s a gang initiation and you WILL BE SHOT!” No need to debunk me! I’m just answering the OP ---
**Author:** ![Hopeful\_Crow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/da6949/32.png) [@Hopeful\_Crow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hopeful_Crow)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/3 "2014-07-08T18:53:32Z")
“Kilroy was here” was very popular during World War II and the decades after. Soldiers drew the character and the words everywhere they went. Is that the kind of thing you’re looking for? ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/4 "2014-07-08T18:53:51Z")
this isn’t exactly a meme-but it’s a relic of the old days: The chain letter. (For those who don’t know: it was a stupid letter mailed to you anonymously, saying “this chain remains unbroken. Make 5 copies of this letter, mail it to 5 friends, and it will bring good luck to all of us.If you don’t do so, you’ll be the person responsible for breaking the chain, and you will suffer bad luck.”) ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/5 "2014-07-08T18:58:28Z")
Slug-bug? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/6 "2014-07-08T19:00:21Z")
["Frodo Lives!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frodo_Lives!)" was a big one. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/7 "2014-07-08T19:03:06Z")
> [@Hopeful\_Crow](#): > > “Kilroy was here” was very popular during World War II and the decades after. Soldiers drew the character and the words everywhere they went. Is that the kind of thing you’re looking for? Works for me. Good example, too. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/8 "2014-07-08T19:04:35Z")
> [@SmellMyWort](#): > > Slug-bug? Unknown to me. Mind a thumbnail sketch of it? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/9 "2014-07-08T19:05:35Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Unknown to me. Mind a thumbnail sketch of it? [Here](http://kellyr108.hubpages.com/hub/Slug-Bug-Rules-and-Variations-of-the-popular-road-game) you go. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/10 "2014-07-08T19:07:18Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > [Here](http://kellyr108.hubpages.com/hub/Slug-Bug-Rules-and-Variations-of-the-popular-road-game) you go. Grazie! ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/11 "2014-07-08T19:13:21Z")
The first person to call out “Woody!” when seeing a wood-paneled vehicle on the road would win. I’m still not sure what the prize was, though. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/12 "2014-07-08T19:14:08Z")
> [@SmellMyWort](#): > > Slug-bug? Padiddle was a similar game. > **[Car-spotting game](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padiddle)** > > A car-spotting game is one that is played during a car ride, especially a road trip, where occupants of a vehicle compete to be the first to spot a car of a certain description. Many variations exist around the world. The first to call a particular target either scores points which are tracked over the course of the journey, or they earn the right to lightly punch an opponent. > Punch buggy (also called slug bug or punch dub) is a car-spotting game where players seek Volkswagen Beetles, calling "P... ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/13 "2014-07-08T19:20:31Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > The first person to call out “Woody!” when seeing a wood-paneled vehicle on the road would win. I’m still not sure what the prize was, though. You’ve helped me remember a kid’s thing that probably doesn’t pass the “meme” test (whatever that might be): The deal was that you would make the OK sign with your fingers and place it below the belt somewhere (knee was the most popular spot) and if you caught somebody looking at it, you were free to perform an act of choice (usually the Slug-bug option or – in the case of an attractive opposite sex object – a surreptitious smooch (or worse)). It had a name that I don’t recall but it was a big deal in 1950’s Alabama high school environs. Anybody know what I’m even talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/14 "2014-07-08T19:38:59Z")
“I read it for the articles.” ---
**Author:** ![Clawdio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d07c76/32.png) [@Clawdio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clawdio)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/15 "2014-07-08T19:43:21Z")
Play Freebird!!! ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/16 "2014-07-08T19:47:11Z")
> [@](#): > > A jinx can be initiated when at least two people say any same word or phrase at the same time.[3] > > The game ends when someone speaks the jinxee’s name, or when the jinxee “breaks” the jinx by speaking while in a state of being jinxed. In the latter case, the jinxee loses the game, and often a penalty is exacted, typically a drink. Is [that](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinx_%28children%27s_game%29) a meme? I really don’t know what a meme is. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/17 "2014-07-08T19:50:59Z")
“To play toilet tennis look left.” ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/18 "2014-07-08T19:51:29Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Is [that](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinx_%28children%27s_game%29) a meme? I really don’t know what a meme is. Works for this thread – for me anyway. > **[Meme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme)** > > A meme (/miːm/ ⓘ; MEEM) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols, or practices, that can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena with a mimicked theme. Supporters of the concept regard memes as cultural analogues Proponen... ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/19 "2014-07-08T20:05:49Z")
Religion ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660/20 "2014-07-08T20:07:15Z")
A ton of stuff that you just heard on the schoolyard are memes like double-dutch rhymes. Also urban legends. I have no idea how these things get circulated. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-pre-internet-crowd-whata-good-example-of-a-pre-intenet-meme/692660.md?page=2)