# What's the oldest internet meme you can remember seeing/hearing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 16, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990 "2014-01-16T19:17:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/21 "2014-01-16T20:50:10Z")
[On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Internet,_nobody_knows_you're_a_dog) Although published in the New Yorker in 1993, I probably heard of it later on. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/22 "2014-01-16T20:52:01Z")
From Fidonet, before internet was available where I lived: [Borgisms](http://www.astro.umd.edu/~avondale/extra/StarTrek/QuotesFromEpisodes/Borgisms.html) ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/23 "2014-01-16T20:58:24Z")
Not sure it qualifies as a meme, but Ralf Brown’s Interrupt List was an essential tool for early programmers and PC hackers, and around with the birth of PC communications. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/24 "2014-01-16T21:00:56Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Good job on the dates, **ZipperJJ**. Some of the other earlier ones I can vaguely pin down are the “Badger, badger…” and all those shock faces that would jump out and scare the piss out of you. The site says Badger, Badger was 2003!! ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/25 "2014-01-16T21:05:11Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > From Fidonet, before internet was available where I lived: > > [Borgisms](http://www.astro.umd.edu/~avondale/extra/StarTrek/QuotesFromEpisodes/Borgisms.html) Now that’s definitely some “Xerox circuit” material to my eye. I used to have a huge collection of those things in my desk in a file folder (more like five or more) but they got misplaced whan I brought all that stuff home. Does anyone else remember seeing this one from those days: > [@](#): > > ```auto > > MORRIS BROWN COLLEGE > ATLANTA, GEORGIA > > SCHOOL OF LAW AND SHEET METAL WORK > LAW SCHOOL FINAL EXAMINATION > > > > ``` The contents are far from politically correct. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/26 "2014-01-16T22:23:15Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > The first email glurgy spammy thing I remember was the Nieman Marcus Cookie Recipe story. Yeah, me too – and my mom and I promptly made them! 😃 (It’s a pretty good recipe.) ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/27 "2014-01-16T22:42:32Z")
[Kibo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Parry). I will refrain from signing this for him, but [here’s](http://archive.birdhouse.org/etc/kibosig.txt) the infamous sig if you want to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/28 "2014-01-16T22:56:09Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > The site says Badger, Badger was 2003!! That can’t be accurate, I don’t think. I’d place it pre-2000 at a minimum. But my memory hooks for it may be crossed up with something else like it. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/29 "2014-01-16T23:05:40Z")
Bad memory, I guess. I could swear that was before my “retirement” in 2000. But I can’t find anything to support my “memory.” Sorry for doubting your find, **ZipperJJ**! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/30 "2014-01-16T23:44:00Z")
Some of these aren’t really memes. Yeah, everyone knew Badger Badger Badger… and Hampsterdance, but people referring to them would just link to them. The defining trait of a meme is that it gets passed along. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/31 "2014-01-16T23:51:35Z")
There’s also [List of Internet phenomena](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_phenomena) which I’ve been looking through to see what familiar things are there. So far, no mention of those clips I mentioned in the OP (cubicle guy and chimp stinkfinger) but lots of others I seem to recall and oodles that I have yet to encounter. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/32 "2014-01-16T23:54:38Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Some of these aren’t really memes. Yeah, everyone knew Badger Badger Badger… and Hampsterdance, but people referring to them would just link to them. The defining trait of a meme is that it gets passed along. I guess I’ve never been clear on the distinctions between viral videos, memes and other “must see” stuff people share in email and such. Is there a reliable glossary for all that? ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/33 "2014-01-16T23:57:07Z")
The Hamster Dance, I think. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/34 "2014-01-17T00:08:31Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Dancing baby, no question. Yeah, this. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/35 "2014-01-17T00:31:57Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Some of these aren’t really memes. Yeah, everyone knew Badger Badger Badger… and Hampsterdance, but people referring to them would just link to them. The defining trait of a meme is that it gets passed along. I’m not sure if hampsterdance was a meme, but Badger Badger was. Whenever anyone makes a list that contains mostly the same item, I always think of responding with “snake! it’s a snake!” ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/36 "2014-01-17T01:24:34Z")
Gotta be the dancing baby. I hadn’t even registered the concept of “internet meme” when that one was going around. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/37 "2014-01-17T01:30:09Z")
I know it’s not quite the same, but I very clearly remember logging on to the AOL message boards and damn near every topic on every board was about Mark Paul Gosselaar being dead. Looking it up online, that was back in 1993. ---
**Author:** ![Cryptic\_C62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cryptic\_C62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cryptic_C62)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/38 "2014-01-17T02:23:47Z")
Another vote for Hampster Dance. I remember my older brother had a friend over who showed it to us. My mind erupted. “What is this I don’t even…” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/39 "2014-01-17T02:27:35Z")
[The Spot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spot) ---
**Author:** ![mortal\_wombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@mortal\_wombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mortal_wombat)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/40 "2014-01-17T02:40:07Z")
I’m in my mid 20s and late to the internet, so the earliest meme i can remember stumblin upon was the [Yo Dawg](http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/xzibit-yo-dawg) Xzibit meme. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990.md?page=3)