Discover the 8 Oldest Memes on the Internet

Have you ever wondered what the first internet memes were, or when they began taking over our digital lives? As an experienced data analyst, I decided to research the histories and origins of the oldest known viral memes. Get ready to take a nostalgia trip back to the early days of LOLCats, Dancing Baby, and other iconic memes many of us grew up with.

In this guide, we’ll highlight the 8 earliest viral memes, ranked chronologically by when they emerged. You’ll learn surprising histories about primitive internet culture spawning these genre-defining memes. Understanding our meme origins provides unique insights into how online behaviors and digital communication have evolved dramatically over relatively few decades.

Let’s meme back through time and rediscover just how long cats have ruled the internet.

Defining an Internet Meme

Before we time travel, quick meme terminology lesson. The word itself traces back to scientist Richard Dawkins’ 1976 book The Selfish Gene, where he coined “meme” as a term for ideas spreading culturally like genes spread biologically. In other words, memes pass ideas instead of genetics to new people and mutate during transfer.

Apply this to the internet age, replacing ideas with digital media like videos, images and phrases. We define internet memes as any form of media that rapidly gains influence as people recreate and pass around remixed versions online.

Internet memes encompass more than just static image macros with big text we’re used to. Any piece of culture going viral online, from funny cat GIFs to video clips like the Harlem Shake to slang terms like “YOLO” make up legitimate memes.

Now that we’re caught up on definitions, let’s explore my research tracing the eight oldest image macros, videos, websites and concepts that ignited internet meme culture.

#8: LOLCats Ushered in Feline Memery (2006)

The internet uniformly loves cats, but a dominant feline subculture emerged surprisingly recently with LOLCats. On the early meme hub 4chan, an anonymous user posted a happy cat photo in 2006, captioned “Im in ur computerz, uploding ur filez.” Another user replied the cat waited for Caturday (hanging with Big Grammar Cat up there).

The concept exploded as users began sharing amusing cat pics every Saturday labelled Caturday. By 2007, full site ICanHasCheezburger launched, spawning classics like Ceiling Cat, Monorail Cat and Keyboard Cat filmed in the ‘80s.

While cats dominate internet emotions, early proto-memes like Dancing Baby and Hamster Dance set the stage for LOLCats to ignite behavior of remixing cute animals into meme legends. Caturday and ICanHasCheezburger provided infrastructure for cat memes to thrive. Without those, maybe dogs would rule instead.

#7: Fails Went Mainstream (2003)

Today “fail” acts as a noun, verb, adjective and general staple of internet critique culture. We can trace its origin to poor translations in English versions of Japanese video games. The 1990 shmup game Blazing Star flashes “You Fail It!” upon losing, spawning mockery of awkward phrasing spreading into fail pics.

By 2004, early image board Photobucket hosted dedicated fail meme groups to share funny screw-ups. The concept grew big enough to warrant UrbanDictionary recognizing “fail” by 2003 as both the stupid action and something so unbelievably stupid it’s funny.

The pivotal web culture hub Fark rallied the format behind fail pics and images of documented idiocy. Fail Blog launched in 2008 to archive fails, later bought for over $2M. Unlike other pre-determined memes, “fail” represents more a viral concept where anyone created fail derivative content. The idea won hearts through showcasing inevitably stupid human nature.

#6: Numa Numa Owns Web 1.0 (2002)

When bored New Jersey resident Gary Brolsma recorded himself dancing to cheesy Euro-pop song Dragostea Din Tei by Romanian band O-Zone in 2004, he upload intended only for friends. But those smooth adorable dance moves captured early internet hearts. The Numa Numa video swept forums and emails, arguably becoming the first viral homemade YouTube hit.

While perhaps not a pure “meme” per se, Numa Numa’s runaway popularity demonstrated everyday people could gain mass fame nearly overnight through homemade productions alone. It paved the way for dramatic digital creative democratization we expect today. I couldn’t resist including sweet Brolsma for making webcams, editing skills, or lack thereof acceptable and humanizing.

#5: Boromir Seized Our Hearts (2001)

In the first Lord of the Rings movie, beloved character Boromir utters the infamous line, “One does not simply walk into Mordor.” Predictably, the internet latched onto fantasy scenario parody fodder. Users typically paired the movie quote as setup for a second line subverting expectations, such as:

“One does not simply walk out of a store without impulse purchases”

Unlike most movie meme sources losing steam quickly, Boromir achieved rare lasting power, likely thanks to the LOTR production stretching over years. We saw less Mordor variations morphing into fully standalone spinoffs recognizing building absurd contrast in two lines. Much success clearly derived from Sean Bean’s dramatic delivery elevating comedic effects.

#4: Pancake Bunny Just Wants Friends (2001)

The surreal story behind Pancake Bunny still strains belief today. Japanese TV figure Hironori Akutagawa blogged daily photos of his dutiful pet bunny Oolong balancing stuff on his head. One image featured Oolong with a pancake up there spawned Pancake Bunny.

English site Syberpunk created a shrine for Oolong in 2001 after the bunny gained niche traction on entertainment forum DVD Talk. The absurdity confused enough people for “Pancake Bunny” to become shorthand in forums for calling out nonsense threads:

"What is consciousness?"

posts pancake bunny picture

This dismissal format endures on Reddit today responding "Sir, this is an Arby‘s" to gibberish. Meme magic struck gold through the bizarre Bunnicula-esque concept. Conversely, the round ripply pancake provided ideal physics for static bunny balancing.

We owe deep gratitude towards symbiotic bunny-pancake cross-kingdom friendship enabling such joy worldwide.

#3 Dancing Hamsters Infect the Masses (1998)

Pre-social media, website popularity spread mainly through grassroots word-of-mouth and media coverage. Graduating art student Deidre LaCarte hoped capitalizing on emerging online ad revenue by launching a site competitive against her brother. The result? Hamster Dance.

LaCarte edited frenetic banjo ditty “Whistle Stop” from Disney’s Robin Hood into a looped average housecat heart rate speed 125 BPM. Add colorful dancing hamster GIFs, set free across infant GeoCities sites. Initially growing slowly, early analytics site GettingIt propelled Hamster Dance’s 15 minutes of fame to stratospheric levels. Traffic quantifying legitimacy enticed major outlets like USA Today and Wired for publicity.

Soon web rings, fan sites and mirrors showcased our fuzzy dancing overlords. While no longer active today, Hamster Dance demonstrates memes permeating wider culture through traditional outlets embracing the absurdity.

#2: All Your Base Fueled Gamer Memes (1998)

On the surface, late 80s Sega sidescroller Zero Wing underwhelms. Yet its hilariously awkward English localization birthed a phenomenon. When villain CATS seizes bases, players witness scandalously broken syntax:

“Somebody set up us the bomb! All your base are belong to us.”

Gamers mocking the Engrish banded together spreading Base variations across forums. Images with caption variations mashed up beginnings referencing gaming or computers before twisting expectations in the second line:

Computer: Purchase antivirus?
User: All your bank account are belong to us

The broken English translation resonated perfectly with gamers. All Your Base birthed subsequent Mario paint animation spinoffs demonstrating lasting impact establishing gamer meme credibility. Though eclipsed by rapid format evolution, All Your Base retains prestige for crossover outside niches and endurance outpacing most viral phenomena.

#1: Dancing Baby Cha-Cha Slides to Fame (1996)

Behold your meme Eve equivalent, the innocuous computer animation gif that launched a dominant internet behavior. Way back in the dark ages of dial-up modems, Autodesk contractor Michael Girard experimented animating babies to showcase 3D modeling capacities. The result? A now iconic bouncing tyke later dubbed “Dancing Baby.”

Early web denizens circulated Baby Cha-Cha via CompuServe forums and emails, fascinated by the realistic fluid movement. Mainstream buzz ignited after leaked LucasArts employee distro, even appearing on major TV shows like Ally McBeal alongside primitive CGI peers like Hollywood’s Jar Jar Binks. Unlike rivals, Baby boogied straight into our hearts as one of the first cyberspace sensations.

Dancing Baby earned distinction sparking our virtual lives down strange meme-filled paths that define modern netizenship. Every LOLCat, Doge spinoff and TikTok dance traces lineage back to that jiggling proto-meme. Cha-cha slid so they could nae-nae. Pay your respects.

Early Memes Summary Table

While far from definitive, here’s a quick reference ordered list of the 8 earliest influential memes covered.

Rank	Meme	Year
#1	Dancing Baby	1996
#2	All Your Base	1998
#3	Hamster Dance	1998
#4	Pancake Bunny	2001
#5	Boromir	2001
#6	Numa Numa	2002
#7	Fail	2003
#8	LOLCats	2006

The Future of Memes

Early memes frequently percolated gradually through scattered online groups before erupting. We’re now hyperconnected through centralized platforms like Twitter and TikTok ensuring even niche memes combust instantly.

Virality heavily favors video given higher engagement. Expect more meme mutations happening through duets, stitches and reactions baked into apps than old school image captions. AI like DALL-E 2 enables generating meme imagery and text right inside creation tools rather than seeking it externally.

However, humans innately love absurdity and dogs. Core items sustaining memes like cute critters, mocking fails and nerdy references will keep thriving as long as people socialize through screens. Dancing Baby and LOLCats highlight our desire for social connection even via the strangest mediums binds internet history together.

We still embed shared experiences in memes functioning as cultural artifacts reflecting society back at itself through humor. Capturing and reinventing slices of life for laughter remains core to that deeply human act. In forecasting future meme eruptions, instead examine what makes people weird, wired and reliably entertained.

Frequently Asked Meme Questions

Where do new viral memes originate?

Most start from creative edits or juxtapositions on networks known for rapidly spawning memes like Reddit, 4chan, TikTok or Twitter. Original versions later get remixed across other platforms.

Can I legally sell products featuring popular memes?

Usually not without permission, as most viral memes fall under copyright protections or trademarks restricting commercial usage rights. However, plenty of exceptions exist. Consult a lawyer specialized in IP and digital content for guidance navigating complex meme rights.

What components make some memes more successful?

Psychology research identifies resonance, relevance and evoking strong emotional reactions as key viral success predictors. Memes acting as inside jokes, criticizing society or leveraging cute animals have built-in amplification potential if timed right.

How long do viral memes typically last?

Lifespans vary wildly, but most surge quickly then fade within months barring remake resurgences. Classics like Doge and Distracted Boyfriend display rare lasting crossover appeal years later through evoking specific nostalgia.

What future meme trends excite you most?

I’m fascinated watching generative AI like DALL-E 2 removing barriers for niche communities creating highly custom memes. Meme quality control historically relied on what individuals could physically create and distribute. Now generating 100+ variations on a theme is trivial, enabling better tailoring memes to microaudiences. I predict more explosive hyper-niche memes as creation tools improve, even if lacking mass appeal.