# The Stories Behind the Hilarious Infamous Internet Memes

- Link: https://stayathomemum.com.au/lifestyle/home/stories-behind-hilarious-infamous-internet-memes/
- Published: 2019-08-24T15:05:02+10:00
- Author: Yuki Smith

## _We often see them on the internet and find ourselves having a good laugh, but did you know the stories behind these hilarious internet memes?_

[Memes](https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-meme-2483702) are cultural symbols and
social ideas that spread virally, meant to either make people laugh or to make fun
of others. Some of them have caught our attention because they are so cute and hysterically
funny.

> Here are 10 of the most famous (or infamous) internet memes you’ve probably seen
> but didn’t have any idea how they actually came about!

## **1. Success Kid**

One of the most commonly used memes on the internet is Success Kid. This little 
boy’s photo was taken by his mum while he was playing in the sand (see, that sand
clenched in his fist?). In 2011, a Reddit user cropped his picture and gave it a
new background, and Success Kid was born. Today, the photo is used on billboards
and even in ads!

[⌊Child on beach showing a fist pump with the word success in the corner⌉⌊Child on beach showing a fist pump with the word success in the corner⌉ ](https://tweetcs.com/MrsBrookeWJones/)

[via tweetcs.com](https://tweetcs.com/MrsBrookeWJones/)

## **2. Ridiculously photogenic guy**

How does this guy manage to look so good running a marathon? During the 2012 Cooper
River Bridge Run at Charleston, South Carolina, a photographer captured Zeddie Little’s
charming smile. Apparently, he was smiling at a friend.

 

[⌊Funny marathon runner with a zombie meme smiling among crowd at event⌉⌊Funny marathon runner with a zombie meme smiling among crowd at event⌉ ](http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/memes/best-ridiculously-photogenic-guy-meme)

[via smosh.com](http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/memes/best-ridiculously-photogenic-guy-meme)

## **3. First World Problems Girl**

The real person featured in this meme is Italian model and actress Silvia Bottini.
She posed for a professional photographer who asked her to cry and the image was
posted on Flickr. At some point, it was found by someone else and spread around.
Now, it’s everywhere!

[⌊Woman applying eyeliner with humorous text about makeup mishaps⌉⌊Woman applying eyeliner with humorous text about makeup mishaps⌉ ](https://www.reddit.com/user/b0b_iz_b0mb/)

[via reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/user/b0b_iz_b0mb/)

## **4. Overly Attached Girlfriend**

This one started as a screen grab taken from Laina Walker’s video submission for
a Justin Bieber contest. Laina’s video was a parody rendition of Bieber’s song “
Boyfriend’ with personalised lyrics.

[⌊The stories behind the hilarious infamous internet memes | stay at home mum⌉⌊The
stories behind the hilarious infamous internet memes | stay at home mum⌉[

[via dailymotion Com](http://www. Dailymotion. Com/video/xre9hh)

## **5. Bad Luck Brian**

Brian’s real name is Kyle Craven and the original photo is actually a joke photo
he took as his 7th grade yearbook picture. He bought a sweater vest at a second 
hand shop and rubbed his face to make it red, squinted his eyes and puffed out his
jaw. Craven has reportedly earned between US$15,000 and US$20,000 from that one 
photo.

[⌊Humorous meme of a boy with a funny expression referencing internet memes⌉⌊Humorous meme of a boy with a funny expression referencing internet memes⌉ ](http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bad-luck-brian/photos/sort/oldest)

[via knowyourmeme.com](http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bad-luck-brian/photos/sort/oldest)

## **6. ERMAHGERD**

This photo is of Maggie Goldenberger, who was 11 years old at the time. She and 
her friends were playing dress ups and she pulled a terrible face for the camera.
She even put in her retainer especially for the photo. The photo was spotted by 
a 16-year-old from Canada who was browsing a public Facebook photo gallery and he
posted it on Reddit. Three years later, while Maggie was on a backpacking trip in
India, one of her friends messaged her to tell her she had become a meme. She is
now a nurse working in Phoenix.

[⌊Stay at home mum⌉⌊Stay at home mum⌉[

[via cinapse.co](https://cinapse.co/two-cents-goosebumps-bumps-gonna-goose-ya-237397113b24)

 

## **7. Skeptical Baby**

Skeptical baby was cropped from a photo of the little Mason and his dad, Dave, taken
at the Museum of Natural Sciences in North Carolina USA. Both the photographer and
the dad were Reddit users, and dad Dave uploaded the image to Reddit where it quickly
became a super popular meme!

[⌊Hilarious internet meme featuring a babys puzzled look about mirror reflection⌉⌊Hilarious internet meme featuring a babys puzzled look about mirror reflection⌉ ](http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/skeptical-baby)

[via knowyourmeme.com](http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/skeptical-baby)

## **8. Disaster Girl**

Dave Roth snapped this photo of his daughter while watching their local fire department
perform a training exercise in 2004. The fire was lit under controlled conditions,
but the little girl’s face shows a slightly sinister reaction to the flames. He 
uploaded the photograph around 2007, and over the next few years it spread across
the globe.

[⌊Stay at home mum⌉⌊Stay at home mum⌉[

[via thesun.co.uk](https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/1463344/remember-the-disaster-girl-zoe-roth-the-face-behind-the-meme-speaks-out-about-her-bizarre-fame/)

## **9. Ugly Children Lawsuit Hoax**

In 2004, a story was published about a Chinese man who sued his wife for bearing
unattractive children when it emerged that she had spent tens of thousands of dollars
on plastic surgery. The story continued that he immediately divorced and sued her.

[⌊Stay at home mum⌉⌊Stay at home mum⌉[

[via newspaperph.com](http://www.newspaperph.com/2017/07/this-plastic-surgery-meme-ruined-this.html)

In reality, Taiwanese model, Hiedi Yeh posed for the photo alongside the male model
and three children (who were subsequently digitally altered to appear less attractive)
thinking it was going to be used as a print cosmetics ad. Instead, the photo was
published as an ad for plastic surgery with the tagline, “The only thing you’ll 
ever have to worry about is how to tell the kids”.

Now, Yeh is trying to sue the original posters for defamation!

## **10. Doge**

Everyone loves a good animal meme and this one featuring a gorgeous Japanese Shiba-
inu is one of the most popular, thanks to his funny face. Kabosu, was rescued by
Japanese kindergarten teacher Atsuko Sato who posted his photo on her blog. Again
someone on Reddit found it, posted it to the forums, and it took off!

![Stay at home mum](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/
02/doge.890m.com_...jpg?resize=501%2C282&quality=89&ssl=1 "Dog Meme with Rainbow
Background")

via doge.890m.com

## _Did you know anything about the origin of these memes?_

[⌊Woman smiling with internet meme background humorous online culture⌉⌊Woman smiling
with internet meme background humorous online culture⌉[

![author avatar](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/77a835d2c87a5db12101a1f51a98fb72d967affbd6427e3157cfc2aee88e9f72?
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 Yuki Smith

 [See Full Bio](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/yuki-worsch-smith/) [  ](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/yuki-worsch-smith/)
