5 Internet Memes That Will Live On Forever

The modern internet would be unrecognizable without the cultural language of memes. Once confined to niche message boards and private chat groups, humorous graphics and image macros have transformed into standard tools for personal expression and daily social communication. Rather than sending a standard text message or email, people frequently rely on visual templates that communicate subtle emotional states, sharp social critiques, and relatable real-life dilemmas in an instant.

While the overwhelming majority of online jokes, viral video snippets, and reaction images vanish from public consciousness almost as quickly as they emerge, a select group of formats defies the ephemeral nature of the web. These rare, universally recognized memes cross over into mainstream pop culture, establishing permanent residences on printed apparel, everyday accessories, and conversational vernacular. Long after their initial creation, they continue to circulate as foundational templates of digital society.

At a glance: Five timeless digital templates

The enduring success of legendary templates lies in their flexibility. The following comparison highlights the origins, creators, and narrative dynamics that have allowed these five formats to dominate online discourse for years.

Meme Format	Origin Year	Original Source Material	Core Emotional Dynamic
Woman Yelling at a Cat	2019	The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Tumblr	Extreme accusatory distress versus bewildered indifference
Distracted Boyfriend	2017	Stock photograph taken in Catalonia, Spain	Temptation and wandering attention versus shock and betrayal
Crying Jordan	2009	Basketball Hall of Fame induction photography	Visible heartbreak, defeat, and public vulnerability
Kermit and Evil Kermit	2014	Muppets Most Wanted feature film screenshot	Rational common sense versus chaotic, mischievous impulse
This Is Fine	2013	The webcomic strip "On Fire"	Sarcastic calm and complete denial amidst overwhelming catastrophe

The five legendary memes that defined digital culture

Certain images capture human nature so succinctly that they outlive the platform cycles, algorithm updates, and shifting tastes of internet culture. The following five memes have earned their place as permanent fixtures of modern visual communication.

Woman Yelling at a Cat

• Origin Year: 2019
• First Shared By: Twitter user @MISSINGEGIRL
• Left Subjects: Taylor Armstrong and Kyle Richards
• Right Subject: Smudge the cat from Tumblr

The visual pairing known as Woman Yelling at a Cat took the internet by storm in 2019 when Twitter user @MISSINGEGIRL combined two completely unrelated pieces of media into a single diptych. The left panel features reality television personality Taylor Armstrong in an emotionally charged moment from the "Malibu Beach Party from Hell" episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. As Armstrong points and weeps in distress, her castmate Kyle Richards holds her back in an attempt to de-escalate the confrontation.

The right panel introduces an entirely different energy: a Canadian cat named Smudge, originally popularized on Tumblr, sitting at a dinner table in front of a green salad. Smudge wears an expression of pure, squinting confusion. When set side by side, the diptych suggests that Armstrong's fiery, tearful accusations are directed squarely at the unbothered feline. The resulting contrast between unhinged indignation and quiet bewilderment turned the image into an instantly adaptable template for any scenario where one party wildly overreacts to something utterly mundane.

Distracted Boyfriend

• Origin Year: 2017
• Photographer: Antonio Guillem
• Location: Catalonia, Spain
• Concept: Staged stock photo depicting infidelity

The Distracted Boyfriend meme originated not in a television broadcast or viral video, but in the commercial portfolio of stock photographer Antonio Guillem. Shot in Catalonia, Spain, the photograph was originally produced as a playful, exaggerated depiction of infidelity. Guillem staged three models along a city sidewalk: a man walking hand-in-hand with his partner, an alluring woman walking in the opposite direction, and the partner witnessing the betrayal firsthand.

The photograph gained widespread internet notoriety in 2017 due to the hyper-expressive performances of its subjects. The man turns his entire body around in comedic awe, while his girlfriend glares at him with an unmistakable look of shock, disgust, and dramatic disbelief. Because the composition forms an unambiguous narrative triangle, internet users quickly realized that the three characters could represent almost any conflicting priorities, ranging from personal lifestyle choices to corporate shifts and historical events.

Crying Jordan

• Photographer: Stephan Olvera
• Publication: New Times
• Subject: Basketball icon Michael Jordan
• Event: Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony

While athletic milestones typically generate images of triumphant celebrations, Crying Jordan achieved immortality through pure, unvarnished vulnerability. The photograph was captured by New Times photographer Stephan Olvera during Michael Jordan's 2009 induction ceremony into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Overcome with genuine emotion while addressing the audience, the sports legend wept openly on stage.

Despite the solemnity and honor of the original occasion, the internet extracted Jordan's tear-streaked face and transformed it into a universal badge of disappointment, heartbreak, and unexpected defeat. Creative users isolated his features and digitally superimposed them onto athletes, politicians, celebrities, and public figures facing catastrophic losses. Because Jordan is universally celebrated as a fierce, peerless competitor, using his tearful expression to illustrate minor daily failures creates an irresistible comedic juxtaposition.

Kermit and Evil Kermit

• Source Film: Muppets Most Wanted
• Characters: Kermit the Frog and Constantine
• First Shared By: Twitter user @aaannnnyyyyaaaa
• Visual Hallmark: Dark hood resembling a Sith Lord

Kermit the Frog has starred in dozens of beloved internet templates, but the Evil Kermit format captures human psychology with remarkable accuracy. The base visual is a still frame taken from the 2014 movie Muppets Most Wanted, wherein Kermit directly confronts his villainous doppelgänger, Constantine. In the scene, Constantine wears a heavy black cloak reminiscent of a Sith Lord from the Star Wars franchise, visually framing him as the shadowy, corrupting counterpart to Kermit's upright persona.

In late 2016, Twitter user @aaannnnyyyyaaaa circulated the screenshot as a representation of an internal moral struggle. The format took off as a two-line dialogue: regular Kermit states a sensible, responsible intention, only for cloaked Kermit to whisper an immediate, irresponsible, or chaotic impulse. By giving tangible visual form to the struggle between common sense and self-sabotage, Evil Kermit became a permanent fixture for exploring relatable daily temptations.

This Is Fine

• Origin Year: 2013
• Source Work: "On Fire" webcomic strip
• Protagonist: Anthropomorphic cartoon dog
• Setting: Dining room completely engulfed in fire

Few illustrations capture the anxious spirit of the modern era as vividly as the This Is Fine dog. Sourced from a six-panel webcomic strip titled "On Fire," illustrated in 2013, the iconic panels feature a friendly, anthropomorphic cartoon dog wearing a small fedora and sitting quietly at a wooden table with a steaming mug of coffee. Even as bright orange flames and heavy black smoke consume the room around him, the dog maintains an unflinching, serene smile, uttering the famous words: "This is fine."

The comic struck a chord because it perfectly depicts the coping mechanism of forced, sarcastic composure when reality is completely falling apart. Whether applied to personal stress, workplace emergencies, macroeconomic volatility, or broader social turmoil, the dog's tranquil denial provides a humorous shorthand for enduring chaotic situations that feel entirely beyond one's control.

A timeless meme functions because its visual structure relies on clear emotional cues that anyone can decipher in a fraction of a second.

The visual mechanics behind immortal image macros

The lasting popularity of these classic templates is no coincidence. While viral novelty fades quickly, templates that survive over many years rely on foundational principles of visual composition and universal human psychology.

• Extreme Emotional Contrast: In templates like Woman Yelling at a Cat, humor emerges from the stark clash between high emotional agitation and absolute nonchalance. Staging genuine outrage next to passive innocence immediately establishes a comedic imbalance.
• Narrative Triangulation: Distracted Boyfriend thrives because the eye moves effortlessly among three distinct points of interest: the wandering viewer, the shiny distraction, and the abandoned commitment. This geometric clarity makes conceptual substitution intuitive.
• Visualized Internal Duality: Kermit and Evil Kermit succeeds by giving physical presence to the inner monologue. Placing two identical characters in contrasting attire externalizes psychological friction between discipline and hedonism.
• Absurdist Coping Mechanisms: The enduring appeal of "This Is Fine" lies in satirical cognitive dissonance. The visual incongruity between deadly environmental danger and polite domestic contentment creates instant comedic relief.
• Photographic Displacement: Crying Jordan demonstrates the power of stripping an emotional expression of its original gravity. Repurposing a high-profile figure's grief within low-stakes, everyday contexts generates enduring satire.

How to adapt classic formats for maximum impact

Creating an effective variation of an established meme requires a thoughtful understanding of the narrative engine driving the original template. Rather than slapping arbitrary captions across an image, successful adaptations preserve the structural logic of the source material.

1. Identify the Core Conflict: Analyze the specific interpersonal dynamic within the template. If you are adapting Distracted Boyfriend, determine precisely what constitutes the tempting new alternative, the existing commitment, and the decision-maker before writing copy.
2. Match Tone to Facial Expressions: Ensure your captions reflect the intensity of the subjects. When utilizing Woman Yelling at a Cat, assign aggressive or emotionally fraught complaints to the left side while keeping the right side detached, confused, or understated.
3. Format as an Internal Dialogue: Structure Evil Kermit adaptations as an active mental debate. The opening thought should present a prudent, socially responsible action, while the hooded figure delivers the witty, destructive counter-proposal.
4. Highlight Irony and Escalation: When using the "This Is Fine" dog, guarantee that the situation referenced is genuinely spiraling or chaotic. The humor collapses entirely if the underlying scenario does not warrant panic.
5. Maintain Clean Text Layouts: Keep text labels concise, legible, and directly positioned over the relevant subjects. A viewer should be able to scan the entire image and absorb the punchline in a matter of seconds.

Common pitfalls when repurposing viral templates

Even though classic formats are universally recognized, it is surprisingly easy to execute an adaptation that falls flat. Misjudging the visual rules of a template weakens its comedic effectiveness.

• Overloading the Frame with Text: Stuffing expansive background explanations or narrative paragraphs into an image macro suffocates the visual pacing. Memes rely on rapid visual shorthand, not dense reading.
• Inverting the Structural Roles: Swapping the dynamic roles damages the visual narrative. For instance, labeling the passing woman in Distracted Boyfriend with something unappealing breaks the logic of the man's longing backward glance.
• Misreading the Underlying Emotion: Utilizing the "This Is Fine" dog to express legitimate relaxation or true satisfaction misses the entire satire of the burning room. The character is trapped in denial, not comfort.
• Over-Explaining the Punchline: When an author spells out the exact reason why the situation is ironic or funny, the joke loses its punch. Trust the audience to connect the visual metaphor with the text labels.

Why some memes cross over into everyday life

The vast majority of internet trends remain digital curiosities, but the five legendary templates discussed here have crossed the threshold into tangible reality. Today, one can readily find Smudge the cat, Crying Jordan, and the "This Is Fine" dog printed on graphic t-shirts, embroidered on baseball caps, stamped onto coffee mugs, and hung as wall art in creative offices.

This commercialization marks a significant shift in how human culture preserves humor. In previous generations, shared cultural jokes derived primarily from syndicated comic strips, television sitcoms, or theatrical comedies. Today, community-driven digital imagery holds that same cultural real estate. Because these five templates center on universal human experiences—distraction, internal temptation, grief in defeat, unreasonable anger, and coping with disaster—they transcend language barriers and demographic divides.

Frequently asked questions

Where did the cat from the Woman Yelling at a Cat meme come from?

The white cat featured on the right side of the meme is named Smudge, a Canadian cat who first became popular on Tumblr after being photographed sitting awkwardly in front of a plate of salad. Twitter user @MISSINGEGIRL paired Smudge with a still of Taylor Armstrong from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2019 to create the viral diptych.

Who took the original Distracted Boyfriend stock photograph?

The Distracted Boyfriend photograph was shot by commercial photographer Antonio Guillem in Catalonia, Spain. Guillem staged the scene using three professional models to depict a lighthearted, exaggerated narrative about infidelity.

Why was Michael Jordan crying in the Crying Jordan photograph?

Michael Jordan was crying during his official induction speech into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. Photographer Stephan Olvera took the emotional snapshot for New Times, capturing the basketball icon shedding tears of genuine reflection and gratitude on stage.

What movie is the Evil Kermit meme taken from?

The Evil Kermit image is a still frame from the 2014 Disney feature film Muppets Most Wanted. The cloaked figure is not actually Kermit, but his criminal counterpart Constantine, wearing a dark hooded cloak styled similarly to a Sith Lord.

What is the original context of the This Is Fine dog comic?

The "This Is Fine" dog was created in 2013 as part of a webcomic strip titled "On Fire." The comic features an anthropomorphic dog calmly sipping coffee while his home is consumed by an inferno, capturing the absurd feeling of maintaining forced composure during an overwhelming crisis.

The bottom line

The digital age produces an endless stream of fleeting content, but true staying power belongs to images that speak to core human realities. Whether capturing the temptation to stray from one's commitments, the agony of defeat, the quiet battle with poor judgment, or the stubborn determination to smile through an inferno, these five immortal templates have earned their place in pop culture history. They have evolved beyond temporary internet fads into a permanent, universal visual language that will continue to resonate for generations to come.