# "Pics or it didn't happen": history of the expression? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 13, 2015, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pics-or-it-didnt-happen-history-of-the-expression/712607 "2015-02-13T21:00:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pics-or-it-didnt-happen-history-of-the-expression/712607/1 "2015-02-13T21:00:19Z")
“Pics or it didn’t happen” is cute, and I started seeing it only fairly recently on the Net. Is there a history behind the expression? I can add it to–and is a rejoinder to–“Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes.” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pics-or-it-didnt-happen-history-of-the-expression/712607/2 "2015-02-13T21:10:40Z")
Well, your rejoinder was from Chico Marx in **Duck Soup** (1933): “Well, who you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pics-or-it-didnt-happen-history-of-the-expression/712607/3 "2015-02-13T22:53:33Z")
[Know your meme](http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/pics-or-it-didnt-happen) > [@](#): > > Origin > > One of the earliest instances of the expression was posted in a discussion thread titled "“So my sister has her hot friend over” on the forums for gaming site Tribal War[1] on June 20th, 2003. In the thread, the OP (original poster) boasted about how they were having a pillow fight, to which forum member Blitzkrieg responded: “Obligatory ‘pix or it didn’t happen.’” Though the thread lasted several hours, BlackMyst never produced photographic evidence. > Later in 2003, the phrase was used again on the Tribal War forums[2] in response to the OP’s claim that he could flex his scrotum and move his gonads at will. Throughout 2004, the phrase was also used on Metafilter[3], the Something Awful forums[4], Asian politics forum Yellow World[5], recording enthusiast forum StudioTips[6], gaming community Neoseeker[7] and the Epic Games forum.[8] ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pics-or-it-didnt-happen-history-of-the-expression/712607/4 "2015-02-14T00:43:09Z")
One wishes Google Groups was still around. It might take it back further. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pics-or-it-didnt-happen-history-of-the-expression/712607/5 "2015-02-14T04:33:26Z")
The author(s) of _Kama Sutra_ might have heard this expression. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pics-or-it-didnt-happen-history-of-the-expression/712607/6 "2015-02-14T09:46:35Z")
It actually goes back to Roman times, referring to an alleged incursion to Hadrian’s Wall. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pics-or-it-didnt-happen-history-of-the-expression/712607/7 "2015-02-14T10:10:42Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > [Know your meme](http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/pics-or-it-didnt-happen) “Obligatory ‘pix or it didn’t happen’” looks an awful lot like a reference to an established meme. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pics-or-it-didnt-happen-history-of-the-expression/712607/8 "2015-02-14T13:27:59Z")
Cave wall art or it didn’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pics-or-it-didnt-happen-history-of-the-expression/712607/9 "2015-02-14T16:09:07Z")
> [@naita](#): > > “Obligatory ‘pix or it didn’t happen’” looks an awful lot like a reference to an established meme. It does. That’s not uncommon, though. samclem can tell you that a lot of expressions appear in print with every indication that they are already familiar to the audience, no matter that no earlier source can be found. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pics-or-it-didnt-happen-history-of-the-expression/712607/10 "2015-02-14T17:15:41Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > It actually goes back to Roman times, referring to an alleged incursion to Hadrian’s Wall. I’m having a hard time pict-uring that. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pics-or-it-didnt-happen-history-of-the-expression/712607/11 "2015-02-15T18:34:04Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > It actually goes back to Roman times, referring to an alleged incursion to Hadrian’s Wall. “They did not know the war was over and were only berebelling or bereppelling one another by chance or necessity with sham bottles, mere and woiney, as betwinst Picturshirts and Scutticules, like their caractacurs in an Irish Ruman to sorowbrate the expeltsion of the Danos?” –from a book by some guy ETA: that is, spelled out in that very Irish Ruman. Kinda meta.