Dat Boi

A still frame of the original GIF, created for the Animation Factory before becoming the "Dat Boi" meme

Dat Boi is an Internet meme originating from an "Animation Factory" animation of a unicycling frog.^[1][2] The meme garnered popularity on Tumblr in 2015 before gaining more recognition through Twitter in 2016.^[3]

History

According to Animation Factory employee Ryan Hagen, the frog GIF used in the meme was created by designer Josh Doohen.^[4] Before becoming an Internet meme, the image was used in AP Physics 1 Essentials,^[4] a textbook published in 2013.

The meme's name originates from an edited news screenshot^[5] and the line of text often used in association with the image ("here come dat boi! o shit waddup!") was taken from a different meme featuring a computer-animated Pac-Man character.^[5] The frog image and its caption were first put together on Facebook, according to Vox.^[6]

In May 2016, the "here come dat boi!" caption came under criticism after various Facebook users claimed to find it an "appropriation of African-American Vernacular English."^[7][8] As a result, certain Facebook groups discouraged use of the meme.^[9] The Verge writer Chris Plante referred to the caption in a June article, stating that the Dat Boi image itself was "not enough" and that "it must say something."^[10]

Dat Boi was featured in The Guardian's "Month in Memes" article for June 2016^[11] and was referred to as "perhaps truly timeless" by Vocativ.^[12] Matt Furie, creator of Pepe the Frog, explained in a June 2016 interview with Comic Book Resources that he was "devastated" to find out that Dat Boi had "begun to overshadow Internet Pepe."^[13]

Notable uses

• Meme-themed commercials and games based on the 2016 edition of Nickelodeon's Kids Pick the President featured both of the phrases associated with Dat Boi.^[14]
• In May 2016, MTV News posted an image of Dat Boi, alongside other social media trends, onto its Instagram account.^[15]
• Nintendo tweeted an image of its Slippy Toad character next to the Dat Boi frog on May 13, 2016.^[16]
• The Twitter account for the restaurant chain Denny's tweeted an image of Dat Boi, calling the frog "Dat Busboi."^[17][18]
• The Twitter account for Roblox, a computer game, retweeted a GIF featuring four avatars created in Dat Boi's likeness.^[19]
• Kenyatta Cheese, co-founder of Know Your Meme, described Dat Boi as "a piece of culture" to the editors of Vice.^[20]
• In an interview with PopSugar about viral trends, model Josh Ostrovsky mentioned the meme and admitted, "obviously I love Dat Boi."^[21]
• The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union posted a "Dat Boi" meme to comment on the 2016 Australian federal election.^[22]
• Also during the 2016 federal election in Australia, SBS Comedy published a satirical article claiming that the "Dat Boi" frog had become the most popular candidate for Prime Minister of Australia among youth voters.^[23]

References