🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 99 (from laksa053)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa099.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.wired.com/story/best-memes-2019/\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.wired.com/story/best-memes-2019/\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/best-memes-2019\/","crawl_time":1775072310,"first_indexed_time":1576929812,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,wired!www,\/story\/best-memes-2019\/ s443","src_root_hash":"5736512710119187299","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"The 8 Most Important Memes of 2019 | WIRED","meta_descriptions":["From feral hogs to Baby Yoda, these are the internet fodders that truly made an impact this year."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Nowadays, memes go\nthrough the internet like excrement through the titular character of the\nThe Untitled Goose Game\n. As we’re rocketing through this information superhighway like fish in a tube (remember when the people of Twitter longed to be\nsalmon\n?), clasping onto bits of digital detritus just long enough to see if they spark joy before discarding them, trying to remember even last week’s best meme can feel hilariously futile. (You know, like a\nwoman yelling at a cat\n.) Once you start scrolling back through the year in memes, though, it’s a bit like\ntrying kombucha\nfor the first time—by turns, disorienting and potentially gross, then rather pleasing.\nThe year 2019 has been a difficult and uneven one. Online, political memes flew back and forth like spitballs, and even some of the most innocent ones (like that fish tube) took on a sense of ecstatic nihilism. People also had fun this year, finding joy in the mundanely bizarre—like watching\nhundreds of gummy bears\nappear to be singing along with Adele. Here are some of the year’s most important memes, great and gross alike.\n30 to 50 Feral Hogs\nIn early August, the nation was grieving two back-to-back mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, and country musician Jason Isbell tweeted in support of banning assault weapons. In response, Arkansas dad Willie McNabb authored a now-famous\ntweet\n: “Legit question for rural Americans,” he wrote. “How do I kill the 30-50 feral hogs that run into my yard within 3-5 mins while my small kids play?\" The phrase “30 to 50 feral hogs” swiftly became a meme, a kind of latter-day “thoughts and prayers,” a way to express frustration with America’s gun-control laws in the face of preventable violence. As I\nwrote\nat the time, “The banality of mass shootings and politicians' callous response is brain-breaking, and so is the diversity of experience in America. It's hard to find consensus when one person's absurdist image is another person's backyard.”\nBaby Yoda\nIf the internet had a favorite child in 2019, it was the Child: the breakout star of\nThe Mandalorian\n, the tiniest, greenest, most lovably bat-eared Force user in the Star Wars universe, Baby Yoda. Without a word (and with some very cute\nsips of soup\n), Baby Yoda conquered the internet with memes. People Photoshopped the little cherub into every situation you can imagine, went mad captioning screenshots, professed undying love, and then—as things hit Peak Weird—people started admitting that they wanted to breastfeed it. Baby Yoda is still a young meme and the\nThe Mandalorian\nisn’t over, so this internet culture moment’s future is hard to see. One thing remains clear: Love Baby Yoda,\nyou must\n.\nEpstein Didn’t Kill Himself\nDisgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein took his own life in prison last August while awaiting trial for trafficking minors. Because Epstein was connected with powerful figures, and because the guards outside his door were asleep and the cell contained no cameras, his death sparked conspiracy theories repeated by journalists and politicians alike. The theories (which suppose anyone from President Donald Trump and the Clintons to “the deep state” might have wanted the guy dead) are united by a single sentence that has become a meme: \"Epstein didn’t kill himself.\" It’s appeared in news clips, on sweatshirts, and most recently,\ndefacing\na piece of art valued at $120,000 that happens to be a banana duct-taped to a wall. “It’s like a billboard for disillusionment and mistrust,” I\nwrote\nthis November. “And it’s everywhere.”\nStorm Area 51\nWhen Matty Roberts created a Facebook event this June proposing that the American people\nstorm Area 51\n, notorious fount of alien-related conspiracy theories, because “they can’t stop us all,” he was joking. Then 2 million people said they were “going,” and 1.5 million more were “interested.” The flurry generated media attention, stern warnings from the US military, and so many alien memes you hoped somebody would beam you up to get away from it all. When the scheduled date for the event arrived this September, only 134 people showed up and none made it inside, though about 1,500 more attended Storm Area 51 meme-themed music festivals that day.\nNo aliens were discovered\n, but it was a lesson in the power—and at times, strange pretendness—of internet culture.\nOK Boomer\nIf you’re over 40 and have displeased a teen this year, you may have even heard this meme aloud. After years of stuffy, out-of-touch articles about how millennials (and now Gen Z) are killing off industries from diamonds and real estate to napkins with their frivolous ways and politics-infused complaints, younger generations came up with this blunt dismissal of their own. It’s\nintergenerational tension\nboiled down to a single phrase: “OK boomer.” It’s been used to protest racism and climate change denialism almost as often as it’s been a snippy response to an uncle. Each time, though, it hits the mark.\nHot Girl Summer\nEveryone—men and women, young and old, from the Kardashians to Tom Hanks—had a “\nhot girl summer\n” this year thanks to Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion. The MC’s catchphrase became a go-to Instagram caption, YouTube video title, tweet, headline, IRL quip, and marketing slogan. It was a chance for everyone to embrace their own sexy in a season often filled with potential body shaming, and for Megan Thee Stallion, it was a business opportunity. Embracing a trend among meme creators (and meme creators of color in particular), she quickly trademarked the phrase, avoiding the all-too-common fate\nher predecessors\nhave faced: a corporation something you created and monetizing the crap out of it by selling merchandise without offering you a cent. Her fans were thrilled.\nSorry to This Man\nThe setup sounds like internet culture\nMad Libs\n:\nHustlers\nstar Keke Palmer was taking a lie detector test as part of a\nVanity Fair\ninterview when she was asked if her character True Jackson from\nTrue Jackson, VP\nwas a better vice president than Dick Cheney, and then was shown a photo of Cheney. Palmer genuinely had no idea who the former vice president was. “I don't know who this man is,” she said. “I mean, he could be walking down the street, I wouldn't know a thing. Sorry to this man.” The phrase became a meme, used as a stock reply to anything confusing or worthy of dismissal, a wholly unapologetic sort of apology often with a feminist bent. It’s easy to see why it went viral: “Sometimes,” I\nwrote\nthis September, “ignorance is diss.”\nThe\nGame of Thrones\nCup\nOf all the many memes that accompanied the final season of\nGame of Thrones\n, none was quite so emblematic of the experience of watching the show as the very anachronistic white coffee cup viewers spotted on a table beside Daenerys Targaryen. It was a crowning embarrassment for HBO in an already poorly received season, and a bitter disappointment for fans who felt that a story they had been invested in for a decade was being given a slapdash finish. It was also Photoshopped into oblivion and sparked a great many jokes: Was it a flat wight, or perhaps a Lord of the Light roast?\nAt the time\n, the only winner I saw was Starbucks, who many assumed were the purveyors of the cup: “They've gotten an estimated $2.3 billion in free advertising, and the cup isn't even theirs.” As for the rest of us, our watch is over.\nMore Great WIRED Stories\nEverything you need to\nknow about genetic testing\nWhat we get wrong\nabout “people of color\n”\nHalf-plant, half-beef burgers\nare not ... a good idea\nMeet the immigrants\nwho took on Amazon\nTo train foreign service agents,\nyou must build a fake town\n👁 Will AI as a field\n\"hit the wall\" soon\n? Plus, the\nlatest news on artificial intelligence\n📱 Torn between the latest phones? Never fear—check out our\niPhone buying guide\nand\nfavorite Android phones","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to main content](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/best-memes-2019\/#main-content)\n\n[SECURITY](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/security\/)\n\n[POLITICS](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/politics\/)\n\n[THE BIG STORY](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/big-story\/)\n\n[BUSINESS](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/business\/)\n\n[SCIENCE](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/science\/)\n\n[CULTURE](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/culture\/)\n\n[REVIEWS](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/gear\/)\n\n[SUBSCRIBE](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/v2\/offers\/wira01035?source=Site_0_JNY_WIR_DESKTOP_NAV_CTA_0_US_ACQ_NLI_QUICK_PAY_GENERIC_ZZ_PANELB)\n\n[Newsletters](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/newsletter?sourceCode=hamburgernav)\n\n[SUBSCRIBE](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/v2\/offers\/wira01035?source=Site_0_JNY_WIR_DESKTOP_NAV_CTA_0_US_ACQ_NLI_QUICK_PAY_GENERIC_ZZ_PANELB)\n\n[Security](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/security\/)\n\n[Politics](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/politics\/)\n\n[The Big Story](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/big-story\/)\n\n[Business](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/business\/)\n\n[Science](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/science\/)\n\n[Culture](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/culture\/)\n\n[Reviews](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/gear\/)\n\nMore\n\n[The Big Interview](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/the-big-interview\/)[Magazine](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/magazine\/)[Events](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/tag\/wired-events\/)[WIRED Insider](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/collection\/wiredinsider\/)[WIRED Consulting](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/tag\/wired-consulting\/)\n\n[Newsletters](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/newsletter?sourceCode=hamburgernav)\n\n[Podcasts](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/podcasts\/)\n\n[Video](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/video\/)\n\n[Livestreams](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/livestreams)\n\n[Merch](https:\/\/shop.wired.com\/)\n\n[Search](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/search\/)\n\n[Sign In](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/auth\/initiate?redirectURL=%2Fstory%2Fbest-memes-2019%2F&source=VERSO_NAVIGATION)\n\n[START FREE TRIAL](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/v2\/offers\/wira01035?source=Site_0_JNY_WIR_DESKTOP_JNY_WIR_GLOBAL_NAV_DRAWER_0_US_ACQ_NLI_QUICK_PAY_GENERIC_ZZ_PANELB)\n\n[![ZOOM IN \\<br\\> Subscribe today for only \\<del\\>\\$4\\<\/del\\> \\<strong\\>\\$2\/month\\<\/strong\\> and get access to exclusive benefits including \\<strong\\>5 all-new premium newsletters.\\<\/strong\\> CTA:SUBSCRIBE](https:\/\/assets.bonappetit.com\/photos\/686ea38fcb59aaabef7a795d\/original\/pass\/Wired_Zoom_Rollover_300x200_v2a_Shorter.gif?format=original)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/v2\/offers\/wira01035?source=Site_0_JNY_WIR_DESKTOP_NAV_ROLLOVER_0_US_ACQ_NLI_QUICK_PAY_GENERIC_ZZ_PANELB)\n\n[Sign In](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/auth\/initiate?redirectURL=%2Fstory%2Fbest-memes-2019%2F&source=VERSO_NAVIGATION)\n\nThe intersection of technology, power, and culture. Start your free trial and get access to **5 all-new premium newsletters.** [START FREE TRIAL](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/v2\/offers\/wira01035?source=Site_0_JNY_WIR_DESKTOP_PAYWALL_THIN_METER_ARTICLE_1_0_US_ACQ_NLI_QUICK_PAY_GENERIC_ZZ_PANELB)\n\n[Emma Grey Ellis](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/author\/emma-grey-ellis\/)\n\n[Culture](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/culture)\n\nDec 21, 2019 7:00 AM\n# The 8 Most Important Memes of 2019\n\nFrom feral hogs to Baby Yoda, these are the internet fodders that truly made an impact this year.\n\n![Baby Yoda standing alone](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/5dfab61ea0be3d000890aa28\/3:2\/w_2560%2Cc_limit\/Cul-babyyoda-TCDMAND-G5025.jpg)\n\nJust when it seemed like 2019 wasn't going to have enough cute memes, along came Baby Yoda. Photograph: Disney+\/Lucasfilm\/Everett Collection\n\nComments\n\nSave this story\n\nComments\n\nSave this story\n\nNowadays, memes go through the internet like excrement through the titular character of the [*The Untitled Goose Game*](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/untitled-goose-game-review-honnnnnnk\/). As we’re rocketing through this information superhighway like fish in a tube (remember when the people of Twitter longed to be [salmon](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/fish-tube-meme\/)?), clasping onto bits of digital detritus just long enough to see if they spark joy before discarding them, trying to remember even last week’s best meme can feel hilariously futile. (You know, like a [woman yelling at a cat](https:\/\/knowyourmeme.com\/memes\/woman-yelling-at-a-cat).) Once you start scrolling back through the year in memes, though, it’s a bit like [trying kombucha](https:\/\/knowyourmeme.com\/memes\/trying-kombucha-for-the-first-time) for the first time—by turns, disorienting and potentially gross, then rather pleasing.\n\nRelated Stories\n\n[!['Sorry to This Man' Is the Perfect Meme for Right Now](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/5d82849dc96e6300090b26bf\/master\/w_775%2Cc_limit\/CULTURE_kekepalmer_1061174948.jpg)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/sorry-to-this-man-meme\/)\n\nDigital Culture\n\n['Sorry to This Man' Is the Perfect Meme for Right Now](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/sorry-to-this-man-meme\/)\n\nEmma Grey Ellis\n\n[![The Sad Meaning Behind the Game of Thrones Coffee Cup Meme](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/5cd363c12c90a35c66b7da0a\/master\/w_775%2Cc_limit\/Culture_MemeColumn_GOTStarbucks.jpg)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/game-of-thrones-coffee-cup-meme\/)\n\nGaffes\n\n[The Sad Meaning Behind the *Game of Thrones* Coffee Cup Meme](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/game-of-thrones-coffee-cup-meme\/)\n\nEmma Grey Ellis\n\n[![How ‘30-50 Feral Hogs’ Became the New ‘Thoughts and Prayers’](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/5d49c7546e37da0008c9e92f\/master\/w_775%2Cc_limit\/Culture_hogmeme_h_20.91361148.jpg)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/feral-hogs-meme\/)\n\nMemes\n\n[How ‘30-50 Feral Hogs’ Became the New ‘Thoughts and Prayers’](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/feral-hogs-meme\/)\n\nEmma Grey Ellis\n\nThe year 2019 has been a difficult and uneven one. Online, political memes flew back and forth like spitballs, and even some of the most innocent ones (like that fish tube) took on a sense of ecstatic nihilism. People also had fun this year, finding joy in the mundanely bizarre—like watching [hundreds of gummy bears](https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@davidkasprak\/video\/6640342878226763014) appear to be singing along with Adele. Here are some of the year’s most important memes, great and gross alike.\n\n###\nDon't just keep up. Get ahead—with our biggest stories, handpicked for you each day.\n\nBy signing up, you agree to our [user agreement](https:\/\/www.condenast.com\/user-agreement) (including [class action waiver and arbitration provisions](https:\/\/www.condenast.com\/user-agreement#introduction-arbitration-notice)), and acknowledge our [privacy policy](https:\/\/www.condenast.com\/privacy-policy).\n\n30 to 50 Feral Hogs\n\nIn early August, the nation was grieving two back-to-back mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, and country musician Jason Isbell tweeted in support of banning assault weapons. In response, Arkansas dad Willie McNabb authored a now-famous [tweet](https:\/\/twitter.com\/williemcnabb\/status\/1158045307562856448?lang=en): “Legit question for rural Americans,” he wrote. “How do I kill the 30-50 feral hogs that run into my yard within 3-5 mins while my small kids play?\" The phrase “30 to 50 feral hogs” swiftly became a meme, a kind of latter-day “thoughts and prayers,” a way to express frustration with America’s gun-control laws in the face of preventable violence. As I [wrote](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/feral-hogs-meme\/) at the time, “The banality of mass shootings and politicians' callous response is brain-breaking, and so is the diversity of experience in America. It's hard to find consensus when one person's absurdist image is another person's backyard.”\n\nBaby Yoda\n\nIf the internet had a favorite child in 2019, it was the Child: the breakout star of *The Mandalorian*, the tiniest, greenest, most lovably bat-eared Force user in the Star Wars universe, Baby Yoda. Without a word (and with some very cute [sips of soup](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/julie-benson-baby-yoda\/)), Baby Yoda conquered the internet with memes. People Photoshopped the little cherub into every situation you can imagine, went mad captioning screenshots, professed undying love, and then—as things hit Peak Weird—people started admitting that they wanted to breastfeed it. Baby Yoda is still a young meme and the *The Mandalorian* isn’t over, so this internet culture moment’s future is hard to see. One thing remains clear: Love Baby Yoda, [you must](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/baby-yoda-internet\/).\n\nEpstein Didn’t Kill Himself\n\nDisgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein took his own life in prison last August while awaiting trial for trafficking minors. Because Epstein was connected with powerful figures, and because the guards outside his door were asleep and the cell contained no cameras, his death sparked conspiracy theories repeated by journalists and politicians alike. The theories (which suppose anyone from President Donald Trump and the Clintons to “the deep state” might have wanted the guy dead) are united by a single sentence that has become a meme: \"Epstein didn’t kill himself.\" It’s appeared in news clips, on sweatshirts, and most recently, [defacing](https:\/\/www.bostonmagazine.com\/news\/2019\/12\/09\/epstein-didnt-kill-himself-art-basel-banana-wall-rod-webber\/) a piece of art valued at \\$120,000 that happens to be a banana duct-taped to a wall. “It’s like a billboard for disillusionment and mistrust,” I [wrote](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/epstein-didnt-kill-himself-conspiracy\/) this November. “And it’s everywhere.”\n\nYear in Review\n\n![earth rotating around the sun to represent a year](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/5dfa83256b7bec0008cda7bb\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/End-of-Year_Badge_v2.jpg)\n\n**What WIRED learned from [tech, science, culture, and more in 2019](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/tag\/year-in-review\/?CarveLeft_YearInReview)**\n\nStorm Area 51\n\nWhen Matty Roberts created a Facebook event this June proposing that the American people [storm Area 51](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/dont-storm-area-51-begs-the-webmaster-of-the-ufo-kingdom\/), notorious fount of alien-related conspiracy theories, because “they can’t stop us all,” he was joking. Then 2 million people said they were “going,” and 1.5 million more were “interested.” The flurry generated media attention, stern warnings from the US military, and so many alien memes you hoped somebody would beam you up to get away from it all. When the scheduled date for the event arrived this September, only 134 people showed up and none made it inside, though about 1,500 more attended Storm Area 51 meme-themed music festivals that day. [No aliens were discovered](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/the-area-51-raid-was-the-worst-way-to-spot-an-alien-or-ufo\/), but it was a lesson in the power—and at times, strange pretendness—of internet culture.\n\nOK Boomer\n\nIf you’re over 40 and have displeased a teen this year, you may have even heard this meme aloud. After years of stuffy, out-of-touch articles about how millennials (and now Gen Z) are killing off industries from diamonds and real estate to napkins with their frivolous ways and politics-infused complaints, younger generations came up with this blunt dismissal of their own. It’s [intergenerational tension](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/arson-frog-meme\/) boiled down to a single phrase: “OK boomer.” It’s been used to protest racism and climate change denialism almost as often as it’s been a snippy response to an uncle. Each time, though, it hits the mark.\n\nHot Girl Summer\n\nEveryone—men and women, young and old, from the Kardashians to Tom Hanks—had a “[hot girl summer](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/hot-girl-summer-meme\/)” this year thanks to Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion. The MC’s catchphrase became a go-to Instagram caption, YouTube video title, tweet, headline, IRL quip, and marketing slogan. It was a chance for everyone to embrace their own sexy in a season often filled with potential body shaming, and for Megan Thee Stallion, it was a business opportunity. Embracing a trend among meme creators (and meme creators of color in particular), she quickly trademarked the phrase, avoiding the all-too-common fate [her predecessors](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2017\/03\/on-fleek-meme-monetization-gap\/) have faced: a corporation something you created and monetizing the crap out of it by selling merchandise without offering you a cent. Her fans were thrilled.\n\nLEARN MORE\n\n![The 8 Most Important Memes of 2019](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/5c00d664181b3205129cbb0a\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/carve_memes.jpg)\n\nThe WIRED Guide to [Memes](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/guide-memes\/?itm_campaign=GuideCarveLeft)\n\nSorry to This Man\n\nThe setup sounds like internet culture *Mad Libs*: *Hustlers* star Keke Palmer was taking a lie detector test as part of a *Vanity Fair* interview when she was asked if her character True Jackson from *True Jackson, VP* was a better vice president than Dick Cheney, and then was shown a photo of Cheney. Palmer genuinely had no idea who the former vice president was. “I don't know who this man is,” she said. “I mean, he could be walking down the street, I wouldn't know a thing. Sorry to this man.” The phrase became a meme, used as a stock reply to anything confusing or worthy of dismissal, a wholly unapologetic sort of apology often with a feminist bent. It’s easy to see why it went viral: “Sometimes,” I [wrote](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/sorry-to-this-man-meme\/) this September, “ignorance is diss.”\n\nThe *Game of Thrones* Cup\n\nOf all the many memes that accompanied the final season of *Game of Thrones*, none was quite so emblematic of the experience of watching the show as the very anachronistic white coffee cup viewers spotted on a table beside Daenerys Targaryen. It was a crowning embarrassment for HBO in an already poorly received season, and a bitter disappointment for fans who felt that a story they had been invested in for a decade was being given a slapdash finish. It was also Photoshopped into oblivion and sparked a great many jokes: Was it a flat wight, or perhaps a Lord of the Light roast? [At the time](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/game-of-thrones-coffee-cup-meme\/), the only winner I saw was Starbucks, who many assumed were the purveyors of the cup: “They've gotten an estimated \\$2.3 billion in free advertising, and the cup isn't even theirs.” As for the rest of us, our watch is over.\n***\nMore Great WIRED Stories\n\n- Everything you need to [know about genetic testing](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/what-is-genetic-testing\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)\n- What we get wrong [about “people of color](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/rethinking-phrase-people-of-color\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)”\n- Half-plant, half-beef burgers [are not ... a good idea](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/the-not-future-of-meat\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)\n- Meet the immigrants [who took on Amazon](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/meet-the-immigrants-who-took-on-amazon\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)\n- To train foreign service agents, [you must build a fake town](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/state-department-virginia-training-center\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)\n- 👁 Will AI as a field [\"hit the wall\" soon](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/facebooks-ai-says-field-hit-wall\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)? Plus, the [latest news on artificial intelligence](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/business\/artificial-intelligence\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)\n- 📱 Torn between the latest phones? Never fear—check out our [iPhone buying guide](https:\/\/wired.com\/gallery\/iphone-buying-guide\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories) and [favorite Android phones](https:\/\/wired.com\/gallery\/best-android-phones\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories)\n\nMost Popular\n\n- [![Iran Threatens to Start Attacking Major US Tech Firms on April 1](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69cbf5d389cbdc32deb6bcdf\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/iran-threatens-to-start-attacking-major-us-tech-firms-on-april-1\/#intcid=_wired-right-rail_5c922da7-6b5e-486d-aa3f-a3f6d5399cb9_popular4-2)\n  \n  Security News\n  \n  [Iran Threatens to Start Attacking Major US Tech Firms on April 1](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/iran-threatens-to-start-attacking-major-us-tech-firms-on-april-1\/#intcid=_wired-right-rail_5c922da7-6b5e-486d-aa3f-a3f6d5399cb9_popular4-2)\n  \n  By Louise Matsakis\n- [![A School District Tried to Help Train Waymos to Stop for School Buses. It Didn’t Work](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69c41990d449365b26bdb7c5\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/a-school-district-tried-to-help-train-waymos-to-stop-for-school-buses-it-didnt-work\/#intcid=_wired-right-rail_5c922da7-6b5e-486d-aa3f-a3f6d5399cb9_popular4-2)\n  \n  Gear\n  \n  [A School District Tried to Help Train Waymos to Stop for School Buses. It Didn’t Work](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/a-school-district-tried-to-help-train-waymos-to-stop-for-school-buses-it-didnt-work\/#intcid=_wired-right-rail_5c922da7-6b5e-486d-aa3f-a3f6d5399cb9_popular4-2)\n  \n  By Aarian Marshall\n- [![Opposing ICE Might Save the Country. It Could Also Ruin Your Life](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69c5c6fcd03999521bd70374\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/opposing-ice-might-save-the-country-could-also-ruin-your-life\/#intcid=_wired-right-rail_5c922da7-6b5e-486d-aa3f-a3f6d5399cb9_popular4-2)\n  \n  The Big Story\n  \n  [Opposing ICE Might Save the Country. It Could Also Ruin Your Life](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/opposing-ice-might-save-the-country-could-also-ruin-your-life\/#intcid=_wired-right-rail_5c922da7-6b5e-486d-aa3f-a3f6d5399cb9_popular4-2)\n  \n  By Brendan I. Koerner\n- [![‘She’s Never Going to Age’: Porn Stars Are Embracing AI Clones to Stay Forever Young](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69c34605b292103938c0401f\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/shes-never-going-to-age-porn-stars-are-embracing-ai-clones-to-stay-forever-young\/#intcid=_wired-right-rail_5c922da7-6b5e-486d-aa3f-a3f6d5399cb9_popular4-2)\n  \n  Digital Culture\n  \n  [‘She’s Never Going to Age’: Porn Stars Are Embracing AI Clones to Stay Forever Young](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/shes-never-going-to-age-porn-stars-are-embracing-ai-clones-to-stay-forever-young\/#intcid=_wired-right-rail_5c922da7-6b5e-486d-aa3f-a3f6d5399cb9_popular4-2)\n  \n  By Jason Parham\n\n## Comments\n[Back to top](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/best-memes-2019\/#main-content)\n\nThere aren’t any comments yet.\n\nBe the first to start the conversation\\!  \n You need an account to add or like comments.\n\n[Sign in or create account](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/auth\/initiate?redirectURL=%2Fstory%2Fbest-memes-2019%2F%3Fsource%3DCOMMUNITY_LOGIN%23leave-a-rating&source=COMMUNITY_LOGIN)\n\n[![](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/65e83854c9d1003a19b298ac\/1:1\/w_90%2Cc_limit\/Emma%2520Grey%2520Ellis%2520copy.jpg)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/author\/emma-grey-ellis\/)\n\n[Emma Grey Ellis](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/author\/emma-grey-ellis\/) is a staff writer at WIRED, specializing in internet culture and propaganda, as well as writing about planetary science and other things space-related. She graduated from Colgate University with a degree in English, and she resides in San Francisco. ... [Read More](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/author\/emma-grey-ellis)\n\nStaff Writer\n\nTopics[Year in Review](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/tag\/year-in-review\/)[memes](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/tag\/memes\/)\n\n### Don't Just Keep Up. Get Ahead\nSign up for the *Daily* newsletter to get our biggest stories, handpicked for you each day.\n\nRead More\n\n[![That Ex-CIA Agent in All Your Feeds Is After a Pardon From Donald Trump](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69c2ea7b141776fd70b33ca4\/16:9\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/that-ex-cia-agent-in-all-your-feeds-is-after-a-pardon-from-donald-trump\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\n[That Ex-CIA Agent in All Your Feeds Is After a Pardon From Donald Trump](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/that-ex-cia-agent-in-all-your-feeds-is-after-a-pardon-from-donald-trump\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\nJohn Kiriakou went to prison after exposing the CIA's torture program. Now he's going viral as he campaigns to get his name cleared and his pension restored.\n\nMakena Kelly\n\n[![Louis Theroux on the Manosphere: ‘It’s Highly Profitable to Be a Dick on the Internet’](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69a606ef0d38d32cc52a3201\/16:9\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/louis-theroux-on-the-manosphere-its-highly-profitable-to-be-a-dick-on-the-internet\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\n[Louis Theroux on the Manosphere: ‘It’s Highly Profitable to Be a Dick on the Internet’](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/louis-theroux-on-the-manosphere-its-highly-profitable-to-be-a-dick-on-the-internet\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\nWith the release of his Netflix documentary *Inside the Manosphere*, the director talked to WIRED about why so many young men are drawn to toxic influencers.\n\nDavid Gilbert\n\n[![The Comedy Club at the End of the Metaverse](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69bd9da339b05cf60afa5405\/16:9\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/the-last-comedy-club-at-the-end-of-the-metaverse\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\n[The Comedy Club at the End of the Metaverse](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/the-last-comedy-club-at-the-end-of-the-metaverse\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\n“This is my home”: At a VR comedy club in Horizon Worlds, users mourn Meta's plans for the platform.\n\nBoone Ashworth\n\n[![Anduril Wants to Own the Future of War Tech. Mishaps, Delays, and Challenges Abound](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69c2bfbc5854d831d24bbc07\/16:9\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/andurils-real-war-is-with-itself\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\n[Anduril Wants to Own the Future of War Tech. Mishaps, Delays, and Challenges Abound](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/andurils-real-war-is-with-itself\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\nFrom drones to missiles to submarines, the \\$30.5 billion defense startup wants to transform how the tools of war are made. It’s not all going as planned.\n\nParesh Dave\n\n[![This Is the Next Wave of Political Fundraising](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69b09927e0b42af7e5e1b5e5\/16:9\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/this-is-the-next-wave-of-political-fundraising\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\n[This Is the Next Wave of Political Fundraising](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/this-is-the-next-wave-of-political-fundraising\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\nIn Discord servers and Instagram DMs, content creators are organizing, turning followings in the millions into millions of dollars in political giving.\n\nMakena Kelly\n\n[![\\$3 Paramount Plus Is the Best New Streaming Deal of 2026](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69af45deac57452caf2d2531\/16:9\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/best-streaming-deals-and-streaming-bundles\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\n[\\$3 Paramount Plus Is the Best New Streaming Deal of 2026](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/best-streaming-deals-and-streaming-bundles\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\nHere are the current best bundles from the most popular services.\n\nMatthew Korfhage\n\n[![Uncanny Valley: Anthropic’s DOD Lawsuit, War Memes, and AI Coming for VC Jobs](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69b1c94d9fd417e67bc5b52b\/16:9\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/uncanny-valley-podcast-anthropic-department-defense-lawsuit-iran-war-memes-artificial-intelligence-venture-capital\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\n[*Uncanny Valley*: Anthropic’s DOD Lawsuit, War Memes, and AI Coming for VC Jobs](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/uncanny-valley-podcast-anthropic-department-defense-lawsuit-iran-war-memes-artificial-intelligence-venture-capital\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\nIn today’s episode, we discuss how the saga between Anthropic and the Department of Defense is far from over.\n\nBrian Barrett\n\n[![MyMove Is the US Government’s Shittiest Website](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69c44b8aa8ef1ae045a7c51c\/16:9\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/the-governments-shittiest-website\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\n[MyMove Is the US Government’s Shittiest Website](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/the-governments-shittiest-website\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\nFor more than 30 years, the US Postal Service has sent people who need to change their addresses to MyMove. Experts say the site uses dark patterns to trap visitors in an online purgatory of “deals.”\n\nTodd Feathers\n\n[![The Best Podcasts for Everyone](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69be1926acc960710aeb396b\/16:9\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/best-podcasts\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\n[The Best Podcasts for Everyone](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/best-podcasts\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\nGet your fix of tech, true crime, pop culture, or comedy with these audio adventures.\n\nSimon Hill\n\n[![I Tried 30 Popular Energy Drinks. Here’s How They Rank](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/68b9d9ac17d2db8dc97afaab\/16:9\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/best-energy-drinks\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\n[I Tried 30 Popular Energy Drinks. Here’s How They Rank](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/best-energy-drinks\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\nThe future is here, and it is jacked up on B vitamins, red dye, and taurine. These are the best energy drinks to get from tired to wired.\n\nPete Cottell\n\n[![Uncanny Valley: Iran War in the AI Era, Prediction Market Ethics, and Paramount Beats Netflix](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69a8b38b4d0db9b1303572a9\/16:9\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/uncanny-valley-podcast-iran-war-artificial-intelligence-prediction-markets-paramount-warner-bros\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\n[*Uncanny Valley*: Iran War in the AI Era, Prediction Market Ethics, and Paramount Beats Netflix](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/uncanny-valley-podcast-iran-war-artificial-intelligence-prediction-markets-paramount-warner-bros\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\nIn this episode, our hosts unpack the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, particularly as the AI industry has been entrenching itself with the Department of Defense.\n\nLeah Feiger\n\n[![Uncanny Valley: Nvidia’s ‘Super Bowl of AI,’ Tesla Disappoints, and Meta’s VR Metaverse ‘Shutdown’](https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69bb27db20b5c90983327a6a\/16:9\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/uncanny-valley-podcast-nvidia-gtc-tesla-disappointed-fans-meta-horizon-worlds\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\n[*Uncanny Valley:* Nvidia’s ‘Super Bowl of AI,’ Tesla Disappoints, and Meta’s VR Metaverse ‘Shutdown’](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/uncanny-valley-podcast-nvidia-gtc-tesla-disappointed-fans-meta-horizon-worlds\/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1)\n\nIn this episode, we dive into Nvidia’s annual developer conference and what CEO Jensen Huang is saying about the future of the company.\n\nBrian Barrett\n\n[![ZOOM IN \\<br\\> Insights at the intersection of technology, power, and culture \\<br\\> Subscribe today for only \\<del\\>\\$4\\<\/del\\> \\<strong\\>\\$2\/month\\<\/strong\\> and get access to exclusive benefits including \\<strong\\>5 all-new premium newsletters.\\<\/strong\\> \\<br\\> CTA:SUBSCRIBE](https:\/\/assets.bonappetit.com\/photos\/686ea46a1d57bf34560db527\/original\/pass\/Wired_Zoom_Footer_Desktop_940x140_v2e.gif?format=original)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/v2\/offers\/wira01035?source=Site_0_JNY_WIR_DESKTOP_FOOTER_0_US_ACQ_NLI_QUICK_PAY_GENERIC_ZZ_PANELB)\n\n[![WIRED](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/verso\/static\/wired-us\/assets\/logo-reverse.svg)](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/)\n\nWIRED is obsessed with what comes next. Through rigorous investigations and game-changing reporting, we tell stories that don’t just reflect the moment—they help create it. When you look back in 10, 20, even 50 years, WIRED will be the publication that led the story of the present, mapped the people, products, and ideas defining it, and explained how those forces forged the future. WIRED: For Future Reference.\n\nMore From WIRED\n\n- [Subscribe](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/subscribe\/)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/newsletter?sourceCode=HeaderAndFooter)\n- [Livestreams](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/livestreams)\n- [Travel](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/tag\/travel\/)\n- [FAQ](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/about\/faq\/)\n- [WIRED Staff](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/about\/wired-staff\/)\n- [WIRED Education](https:\/\/www.wirededucation.com\/)\n- [Editorial Standards](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/about\/wired-on-background-policy\/)\n- [Archive](https:\/\/archive.wired.com\/t\/storefront\/storefront)\n- [RSS](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/about\/rss-feeds\/)\n- [Site Map](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/sitemap\/)\n- [Accessibility Help](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/about\/accessibility-help\/)\n\nReviews and Guides\n\n- [Reviews](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/gear\/)\n- [Buying Guides](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/gear\/buying-guides\/)\n- [Streaming Guides](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/tag\/culture-guides\/)\n- [Wearables](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/tag\/wearables\/)\n- [Coupons](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/tag\/coupons\/)\n- [Gift Guides](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/tag\/gift-guides\/)\n\n- [Advertise](https:\/\/www.condenast.com\/brands\/wired)\n- [Contact Us](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/about\/feedback\/)\n- [Manage Account](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/account\/profile)\n- [Jobs](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/about\/wired-jobs\/)\n- [Press Center](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/about\/press\/)\n- [Condé Nast Store](https:\/\/condenaststore.com\/)\n- [User Agreement](https:\/\/www.condenast.com\/user-agreement\/)\n- [Privacy Policy](http:\/\/www.condenast.com\/privacy-policy#privacypolicy)\n- [Your California Privacy Rights](http:\/\/www.condenast.com\/privacy-policy#privacypolicy-california)\n\n© 2026 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. *WIRED* may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. [Ad Choices](http:\/\/www.aboutads.info\/)\n\n###### Select international site\nUnited States\n\n- [Italia](https:\/\/www.wired.it\/)\n- [Japón](https:\/\/wired.jp\/)\n- [Czech Republic & Slovakia](https:\/\/www.wired.cz\/)\n\nYour Privacy Choices","attrs_readable_markdown":"Nowadays, memes go through the internet like excrement through the titular character of the [*The Untitled Goose Game*](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/untitled-goose-game-review-honnnnnnk\/). As we’re rocketing through this information superhighway like fish in a tube (remember when the people of Twitter longed to be [salmon](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/fish-tube-meme\/)?), clasping onto bits of digital detritus just long enough to see if they spark joy before discarding them, trying to remember even last week’s best meme can feel hilariously futile. (You know, like a [woman yelling at a cat](https:\/\/knowyourmeme.com\/memes\/woman-yelling-at-a-cat).) Once you start scrolling back through the year in memes, though, it’s a bit like [trying kombucha](https:\/\/knowyourmeme.com\/memes\/trying-kombucha-for-the-first-time) for the first time—by turns, disorienting and potentially gross, then rather pleasing.\n\nThe year 2019 has been a difficult and uneven one. Online, political memes flew back and forth like spitballs, and even some of the most innocent ones (like that fish tube) took on a sense of ecstatic nihilism. People also had fun this year, finding joy in the mundanely bizarre—like watching [hundreds of gummy bears](https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@davidkasprak\/video\/6640342878226763014) appear to be singing along with Adele. Here are some of the year’s most important memes, great and gross alike.\n\n30 to 50 Feral Hogs\n\nIn early August, the nation was grieving two back-to-back mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, and country musician Jason Isbell tweeted in support of banning assault weapons. In response, Arkansas dad Willie McNabb authored a now-famous [tweet](https:\/\/twitter.com\/williemcnabb\/status\/1158045307562856448?lang=en): “Legit question for rural Americans,” he wrote. “How do I kill the 30-50 feral hogs that run into my yard within 3-5 mins while my small kids play?\" The phrase “30 to 50 feral hogs” swiftly became a meme, a kind of latter-day “thoughts and prayers,” a way to express frustration with America’s gun-control laws in the face of preventable violence. As I [wrote](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/feral-hogs-meme\/) at the time, “The banality of mass shootings and politicians' callous response is brain-breaking, and so is the diversity of experience in America. It's hard to find consensus when one person's absurdist image is another person's backyard.”\n\nBaby Yoda\n\nIf the internet had a favorite child in 2019, it was the Child: the breakout star of *The Mandalorian*, the tiniest, greenest, most lovably bat-eared Force user in the Star Wars universe, Baby Yoda. Without a word (and with some very cute [sips of soup](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/julie-benson-baby-yoda\/)), Baby Yoda conquered the internet with memes. People Photoshopped the little cherub into every situation you can imagine, went mad captioning screenshots, professed undying love, and then—as things hit Peak Weird—people started admitting that they wanted to breastfeed it. Baby Yoda is still a young meme and the *The Mandalorian* isn’t over, so this internet culture moment’s future is hard to see. One thing remains clear: Love Baby Yoda, [you must](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/baby-yoda-internet\/).\n\nEpstein Didn’t Kill Himself\n\nDisgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein took his own life in prison last August while awaiting trial for trafficking minors. Because Epstein was connected with powerful figures, and because the guards outside his door were asleep and the cell contained no cameras, his death sparked conspiracy theories repeated by journalists and politicians alike. The theories (which suppose anyone from President Donald Trump and the Clintons to “the deep state” might have wanted the guy dead) are united by a single sentence that has become a meme: \"Epstein didn’t kill himself.\" It’s appeared in news clips, on sweatshirts, and most recently, [defacing](https:\/\/www.bostonmagazine.com\/news\/2019\/12\/09\/epstein-didnt-kill-himself-art-basel-banana-wall-rod-webber\/) a piece of art valued at \\$120,000 that happens to be a banana duct-taped to a wall. “It’s like a billboard for disillusionment and mistrust,” I [wrote](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/epstein-didnt-kill-himself-conspiracy\/) this November. “And it’s everywhere.”\n\nStorm Area 51\n\nWhen Matty Roberts created a Facebook event this June proposing that the American people [storm Area 51](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/dont-storm-area-51-begs-the-webmaster-of-the-ufo-kingdom\/), notorious fount of alien-related conspiracy theories, because “they can’t stop us all,” he was joking. Then 2 million people said they were “going,” and 1.5 million more were “interested.” The flurry generated media attention, stern warnings from the US military, and so many alien memes you hoped somebody would beam you up to get away from it all. When the scheduled date for the event arrived this September, only 134 people showed up and none made it inside, though about 1,500 more attended Storm Area 51 meme-themed music festivals that day. [No aliens were discovered](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/the-area-51-raid-was-the-worst-way-to-spot-an-alien-or-ufo\/), but it was a lesson in the power—and at times, strange pretendness—of internet culture.\n\nOK Boomer\n\nIf you’re over 40 and have displeased a teen this year, you may have even heard this meme aloud. After years of stuffy, out-of-touch articles about how millennials (and now Gen Z) are killing off industries from diamonds and real estate to napkins with their frivolous ways and politics-infused complaints, younger generations came up with this blunt dismissal of their own. It’s [intergenerational tension](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/arson-frog-meme\/) boiled down to a single phrase: “OK boomer.” It’s been used to protest racism and climate change denialism almost as often as it’s been a snippy response to an uncle. Each time, though, it hits the mark.\n\nHot Girl Summer\n\nEveryone—men and women, young and old, from the Kardashians to Tom Hanks—had a “[hot girl summer](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/hot-girl-summer-meme\/)” this year thanks to Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion. The MC’s catchphrase became a go-to Instagram caption, YouTube video title, tweet, headline, IRL quip, and marketing slogan. It was a chance for everyone to embrace their own sexy in a season often filled with potential body shaming, and for Megan Thee Stallion, it was a business opportunity. Embracing a trend among meme creators (and meme creators of color in particular), she quickly trademarked the phrase, avoiding the all-too-common fate [her predecessors](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2017\/03\/on-fleek-meme-monetization-gap\/) have faced: a corporation something you created and monetizing the crap out of it by selling merchandise without offering you a cent. Her fans were thrilled.\n\nSorry to This Man\n\nThe setup sounds like internet culture *Mad Libs*: *Hustlers* star Keke Palmer was taking a lie detector test as part of a *Vanity Fair* interview when she was asked if her character True Jackson from *True Jackson, VP* was a better vice president than Dick Cheney, and then was shown a photo of Cheney. Palmer genuinely had no idea who the former vice president was. “I don't know who this man is,” she said. “I mean, he could be walking down the street, I wouldn't know a thing. Sorry to this man.” The phrase became a meme, used as a stock reply to anything confusing or worthy of dismissal, a wholly unapologetic sort of apology often with a feminist bent. It’s easy to see why it went viral: “Sometimes,” I [wrote](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/sorry-to-this-man-meme\/) this September, “ignorance is diss.”\n\nThe *Game of Thrones* Cup\n\nOf all the many memes that accompanied the final season of *Game of Thrones*, none was quite so emblematic of the experience of watching the show as the very anachronistic white coffee cup viewers spotted on a table beside Daenerys Targaryen. It was a crowning embarrassment for HBO in an already poorly received season, and a bitter disappointment for fans who felt that a story they had been invested in for a decade was being given a slapdash finish. It was also Photoshopped into oblivion and sparked a great many jokes: Was it a flat wight, or perhaps a Lord of the Light roast? [At the time](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/game-of-thrones-coffee-cup-meme\/), the only winner I saw was Starbucks, who many assumed were the purveyors of the cup: “They've gotten an estimated \\$2.3 billion in free advertising, and the cup isn't even theirs.” As for the rest of us, our watch is over.\n***\nMore Great WIRED Stories\n\n- Everything you need to [know about genetic testing](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/what-is-genetic-testing\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)\n- What we get wrong [about “people of color](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/rethinking-phrase-people-of-color\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)”\n- Half-plant, half-beef burgers [are not ... a good idea](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/the-not-future-of-meat\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)\n- Meet the immigrants [who took on Amazon](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/meet-the-immigrants-who-took-on-amazon\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)\n- To train foreign service agents, [you must build a fake town](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/state-department-virginia-training-center\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)\n- 👁 Will AI as a field [\"hit the wall\" soon](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/facebooks-ai-says-field-hit-wall\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)? Plus, the [latest news on artificial intelligence](https:\/\/www.wired.com\/category\/business\/artificial-intelligence\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)\n- 📱 Torn between the latest phones? Never fear—check out our [iPhone buying guide](https:\/\/wired.com\/gallery\/iphone-buying-guide\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories) and [favorite Android phones](https:\/\/wired.com\/gallery\/best-android-phones\/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories)","meta_canonical":null}

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Meta Title	The 8 Most Important Memes of 2019 \| WIRED
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Boilerpipe Text	Nowadays, memes go through the internet like excrement through the titular character of the The Untitled Goose Game . As we’re rocketing through this information superhighway like fish in a tube (remember when the people of Twitter longed to be salmon ?), clasping onto bits of digital detritus just long enough to see if they spark joy before discarding them, trying to remember even last week’s best meme can feel hilariously futile. (You know, like a woman yelling at a cat .) Once you start scrolling back through the year in memes, though, it’s a bit like trying kombucha for the first time—by turns, disorienting and potentially gross, then rather pleasing. The year 2019 has been a difficult and uneven one. Online, political memes flew back and forth like spitballs, and even some of the most innocent ones (like that fish tube) took on a sense of ecstatic nihilism. People also had fun this year, finding joy in the mundanely bizarre—like watching hundreds of gummy bears appear to be singing along with Adele. Here are some of the year’s most important memes, great and gross alike. 30 to 50 Feral Hogs In early August, the nation was grieving two back-to-back mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, and country musician Jason Isbell tweeted in support of banning assault weapons. In response, Arkansas dad Willie McNabb authored a now-famous tweet : “Legit question for rural Americans,” he wrote. “How do I kill the 30-50 feral hogs that run into my yard within 3-5 mins while my small kids play?" The phrase “30 to 50 feral hogs” swiftly became a meme, a kind of latter-day “thoughts and prayers,” a way to express frustration with America’s gun-control laws in the face of preventable violence. As I wrote at the time, “The banality of mass shootings and politicians' callous response is brain-breaking, and so is the diversity of experience in America. It's hard to find consensus when one person's absurdist image is another person's backyard.” Baby Yoda If the internet had a favorite child in 2019, it was the Child: the breakout star of The Mandalorian , the tiniest, greenest, most lovably bat-eared Force user in the Star Wars universe, Baby Yoda. Without a word (and with some very cute sips of soup ), Baby Yoda conquered the internet with memes. People Photoshopped the little cherub into every situation you can imagine, went mad captioning screenshots, professed undying love, and then—as things hit Peak Weird—people started admitting that they wanted to breastfeed it. Baby Yoda is still a young meme and the The Mandalorian isn’t over, so this internet culture moment’s future is hard to see. One thing remains clear: Love Baby Yoda, you must . Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself Disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein took his own life in prison last August while awaiting trial for trafficking minors. Because Epstein was connected with powerful figures, and because the guards outside his door were asleep and the cell contained no cameras, his death sparked conspiracy theories repeated by journalists and politicians alike. The theories (which suppose anyone from President Donald Trump and the Clintons to “the deep state” might have wanted the guy dead) are united by a single sentence that has become a meme: "Epstein didn’t kill himself." It’s appeared in news clips, on sweatshirts, and most recently, defacing a piece of art valued at $120,000 that happens to be a banana duct-taped to a wall. “It’s like a billboard for disillusionment and mistrust,” I wrote this November. “And it’s everywhere.” Storm Area 51 When Matty Roberts created a Facebook event this June proposing that the American people storm Area 51 , notorious fount of alien-related conspiracy theories, because “they can’t stop us all,” he was joking. Then 2 million people said they were “going,” and 1.5 million more were “interested.” The flurry generated media attention, stern warnings from the US military, and so many alien memes you hoped somebody would beam you up to get away from it all. When the scheduled date for the event arrived this September, only 134 people showed up and none made it inside, though about 1,500 more attended Storm Area 51 meme-themed music festivals that day. No aliens were discovered , but it was a lesson in the power—and at times, strange pretendness—of internet culture. OK Boomer If you’re over 40 and have displeased a teen this year, you may have even heard this meme aloud. After years of stuffy, out-of-touch articles about how millennials (and now Gen Z) are killing off industries from diamonds and real estate to napkins with their frivolous ways and politics-infused complaints, younger generations came up with this blunt dismissal of their own. It’s intergenerational tension boiled down to a single phrase: “OK boomer.” It’s been used to protest racism and climate change denialism almost as often as it’s been a snippy response to an uncle. Each time, though, it hits the mark. Hot Girl Summer Everyone—men and women, young and old, from the Kardashians to Tom Hanks—had a “ hot girl summer ” this year thanks to Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion. The MC’s catchphrase became a go-to Instagram caption, YouTube video title, tweet, headline, IRL quip, and marketing slogan. It was a chance for everyone to embrace their own sexy in a season often filled with potential body shaming, and for Megan Thee Stallion, it was a business opportunity. Embracing a trend among meme creators (and meme creators of color in particular), she quickly trademarked the phrase, avoiding the all-too-common fate her predecessors have faced: a corporation something you created and monetizing the crap out of it by selling merchandise without offering you a cent. Her fans were thrilled. Sorry to This Man The setup sounds like internet culture Mad Libs : Hustlers star Keke Palmer was taking a lie detector test as part of a Vanity Fair interview when she was asked if her character True Jackson from True Jackson, VP was a better vice president than Dick Cheney, and then was shown a photo of Cheney. Palmer genuinely had no idea who the former vice president was. “I don't know who this man is,” she said. “I mean, he could be walking down the street, I wouldn't know a thing. Sorry to this man.” The phrase became a meme, used as a stock reply to anything confusing or worthy of dismissal, a wholly unapologetic sort of apology often with a feminist bent. It’s easy to see why it went viral: “Sometimes,” I wrote this September, “ignorance is diss.” The Game of Thrones Cup Of all the many memes that accompanied the final season of Game of Thrones , none was quite so emblematic of the experience of watching the show as the very anachronistic white coffee cup viewers spotted on a table beside Daenerys Targaryen. It was a crowning embarrassment for HBO in an already poorly received season, and a bitter disappointment for fans who felt that a story they had been invested in for a decade was being given a slapdash finish. It was also Photoshopped into oblivion and sparked a great many jokes: Was it a flat wight, or perhaps a Lord of the Light roast? At the time , the only winner I saw was Starbucks, who many assumed were the purveyors of the cup: “They've gotten an estimated $2.3 billion in free advertising, and the cup isn't even theirs.” As for the rest of us, our watch is over. More Great WIRED Stories Everything you need to know about genetic testing What we get wrong about “people of color ” Half-plant, half-beef burgers are not ... a good idea Meet the immigrants who took on Amazon To train foreign service agents, you must build a fake town 👁 Will AI as a field "hit the wall" soon ? Plus, the latest news on artificial intelligence 📱 Torn between the latest phones? Never fear—check out our iPhone buying guide and favorite Android phones
Markdown	[Skip to main content](https://www.wired.com/story/best-memes-2019/#main-content) [SECURITY](https://www.wired.com/category/security/) [POLITICS](https://www.wired.com/category/politics/) [THE BIG STORY](https://www.wired.com/category/big-story/) [BUSINESS](https://www.wired.com/category/business/) [SCIENCE](https://www.wired.com/category/science/) [CULTURE](https://www.wired.com/category/culture/) [REVIEWS](https://www.wired.com/category/gear/) [SUBSCRIBE](https://www.wired.com/v2/offers/wira01035?source=Site_0_JNY_WIR_DESKTOP_NAV_CTA_0_US_ACQ_NLI_QUICK_PAY_GENERIC_ZZ_PANELB) [Newsletters](https://www.wired.com/newsletter?sourceCode=hamburgernav) [SUBSCRIBE](https://www.wired.com/v2/offers/wira01035?source=Site_0_JNY_WIR_DESKTOP_NAV_CTA_0_US_ACQ_NLI_QUICK_PAY_GENERIC_ZZ_PANELB) [Security](https://www.wired.com/category/security/) [Politics](https://www.wired.com/category/politics/) [The Big Story](https://www.wired.com/category/big-story/) [Business](https://www.wired.com/category/business/) [Science](https://www.wired.com/category/science/) [Culture](https://www.wired.com/category/culture/) [Reviews](https://www.wired.com/category/gear/) More [The Big Interview](https://www.wired.com/the-big-interview/)[Magazine](https://www.wired.com/magazine/)[Events](https://www.wired.com/tag/wired-events/)[WIRED Insider](https://www.wired.com/collection/wiredinsider/)[WIRED Consulting](https://www.wired.com/tag/wired-consulting/) [Newsletters](https://www.wired.com/newsletter?sourceCode=hamburgernav) [Podcasts](https://www.wired.com/podcasts/) [Video](https://www.wired.com/video/) [Livestreams](https://www.wired.com/livestreams) [Merch](https://shop.wired.com/) [Search](https://www.wired.com/search/) [Sign In](https://www.wired.com/auth/initiate?redirectURL=%2Fstory%2Fbest-memes-2019%2F&source=VERSO_NAVIGATION) [START FREE TRIAL](https://www.wired.com/v2/offers/wira01035?source=Site_0_JNY_WIR_DESKTOP_JNY_WIR_GLOBAL_NAV_DRAWER_0_US_ACQ_NLI_QUICK_PAY_GENERIC_ZZ_PANELB) [![ZOOM IN \<br\> Subscribe today for only \<del\>\$4\</del\> \<strong\>\$2/month\</strong\> and get access to exclusive benefits including \<strong\>5 all-new premium newsletters.\</strong\> CTA:SUBSCRIBE](https://assets.bonappetit.com/photos/686ea38fcb59aaabef7a795d/original/pass/Wired_Zoom_Rollover_300x200_v2a_Shorter.gif?format=original)](https://www.wired.com/v2/offers/wira01035?source=Site_0_JNY_WIR_DESKTOP_NAV_ROLLOVER_0_US_ACQ_NLI_QUICK_PAY_GENERIC_ZZ_PANELB) [Sign In](https://www.wired.com/auth/initiate?redirectURL=%2Fstory%2Fbest-memes-2019%2F&source=VERSO_NAVIGATION) The intersection of technology, power, and culture. Start your free trial and get access to 5 all-new premium newsletters. [START FREE TRIAL](https://www.wired.com/v2/offers/wira01035?source=Site_0_JNY_WIR_DESKTOP_PAYWALL_THIN_METER_ARTICLE_1_0_US_ACQ_NLI_QUICK_PAY_GENERIC_ZZ_PANELB) [Emma Grey Ellis](https://www.wired.com/author/emma-grey-ellis/) [Culture](https://www.wired.com/category/culture) Dec 21, 2019 7:00 AM # The 8 Most Important Memes of 2019 From feral hogs to Baby Yoda, these are the internet fodders that truly made an impact this year. ![Baby Yoda standing alone](https://media.wired.com/photos/5dfab61ea0be3d000890aa28/3:2/w_2560%2Cc_limit/Cul-babyyoda-TCDMAND-G5025.jpg) Just when it seemed like 2019 wasn't going to have enough cute memes, along came Baby Yoda. Photograph: Disney+/Lucasfilm/Everett Collection Comments Save this story Comments Save this story Nowadays, memes go through the internet like excrement through the titular character of the [The Untitled Goose Game](https://www.wired.com/story/untitled-goose-game-review-honnnnnnk/). As we’re rocketing through this information superhighway like fish in a tube (remember when the people of Twitter longed to be [salmon](https://www.wired.com/story/fish-tube-meme/)?), clasping onto bits of digital detritus just long enough to see if they spark joy before discarding them, trying to remember even last week’s best meme can feel hilariously futile. (You know, like a [woman yelling at a cat](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/woman-yelling-at-a-cat).) Once you start scrolling back through the year in memes, though, it’s a bit like [trying kombucha](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/trying-kombucha-for-the-first-time) for the first time—by turns, disorienting and potentially gross, then rather pleasing. Related Stories [!['Sorry to This Man' Is the Perfect Meme for Right Now](https://media.wired.com/photos/5d82849dc96e6300090b26bf/master/w_775%2Cc_limit/CULTURE_kekepalmer_1061174948.jpg)](https://www.wired.com/story/sorry-to-this-man-meme/) Digital Culture ['Sorry to This Man' Is the Perfect Meme for Right Now](https://www.wired.com/story/sorry-to-this-man-meme/) Emma Grey Ellis [![The Sad Meaning Behind the Game of Thrones Coffee Cup Meme](https://media.wired.com/photos/5cd363c12c90a35c66b7da0a/master/w_775%2Cc_limit/Culture_MemeColumn_GOTStarbucks.jpg)](https://www.wired.com/story/game-of-thrones-coffee-cup-meme/) Gaffes [The Sad Meaning Behind the Game of Thrones Coffee Cup Meme](https://www.wired.com/story/game-of-thrones-coffee-cup-meme/) Emma Grey Ellis [![How ‘30-50 Feral Hogs’ Became the New ‘Thoughts and Prayers’](https://media.wired.com/photos/5d49c7546e37da0008c9e92f/master/w_775%2Cc_limit/Culture_hogmeme_h_20.91361148.jpg)](https://www.wired.com/story/feral-hogs-meme/) Memes [How ‘30-50 Feral Hogs’ Became the New ‘Thoughts and Prayers’](https://www.wired.com/story/feral-hogs-meme/) Emma Grey Ellis The year 2019 has been a difficult and uneven one. Online, political memes flew back and forth like spitballs, and even some of the most innocent ones (like that fish tube) took on a sense of ecstatic nihilism. People also had fun this year, finding joy in the mundanely bizarre—like watching [hundreds of gummy bears](https://www.tiktok.com/@davidkasprak/video/6640342878226763014) appear to be singing along with Adele. Here are some of the year’s most important memes, great and gross alike. ### Don't just keep up. Get ahead—with our biggest stories, handpicked for you each day. By signing up, you agree to our [user agreement](https://www.condenast.com/user-agreement) (including [class action waiver and arbitration provisions](https://www.condenast.com/user-agreement#introduction-arbitration-notice)), and acknowledge our [privacy policy](https://www.condenast.com/privacy-policy). 30 to 50 Feral Hogs In early August, the nation was grieving two back-to-back mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, and country musician Jason Isbell tweeted in support of banning assault weapons. In response, Arkansas dad Willie McNabb authored a now-famous [tweet](https://twitter.com/williemcnabb/status/1158045307562856448?lang=en): “Legit question for rural Americans,” he wrote. “How do I kill the 30-50 feral hogs that run into my yard within 3-5 mins while my small kids play?" The phrase “30 to 50 feral hogs” swiftly became a meme, a kind of latter-day “thoughts and prayers,” a way to express frustration with America’s gun-control laws in the face of preventable violence. As I [wrote](https://www.wired.com/story/feral-hogs-meme/) at the time, “The banality of mass shootings and politicians' callous response is brain-breaking, and so is the diversity of experience in America. It's hard to find consensus when one person's absurdist image is another person's backyard.” Baby Yoda If the internet had a favorite child in 2019, it was the Child: the breakout star of The Mandalorian, the tiniest, greenest, most lovably bat-eared Force user in the Star Wars universe, Baby Yoda. Without a word (and with some very cute [sips of soup](https://www.wired.com/story/julie-benson-baby-yoda/)), Baby Yoda conquered the internet with memes. People Photoshopped the little cherub into every situation you can imagine, went mad captioning screenshots, professed undying love, and then—as things hit Peak Weird—people started admitting that they wanted to breastfeed it. Baby Yoda is still a young meme and the The Mandalorian isn’t over, so this internet culture moment’s future is hard to see. One thing remains clear: Love Baby Yoda, [you must](https://www.wired.com/story/baby-yoda-internet/). Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself Disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein took his own life in prison last August while awaiting trial for trafficking minors. Because Epstein was connected with powerful figures, and because the guards outside his door were asleep and the cell contained no cameras, his death sparked conspiracy theories repeated by journalists and politicians alike. The theories (which suppose anyone from President Donald Trump and the Clintons to “the deep state” might have wanted the guy dead) are united by a single sentence that has become a meme: "Epstein didn’t kill himself." It’s appeared in news clips, on sweatshirts, and most recently, [defacing](https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2019/12/09/epstein-didnt-kill-himself-art-basel-banana-wall-rod-webber/) a piece of art valued at \$120,000 that happens to be a banana duct-taped to a wall. “It’s like a billboard for disillusionment and mistrust,” I [wrote](https://www.wired.com/story/epstein-didnt-kill-himself-conspiracy/) this November. “And it’s everywhere.” Year in Review ![earth rotating around the sun to represent a year](https://media.wired.com/photos/5dfa83256b7bec0008cda7bb/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/End-of-Year_Badge_v2.jpg) What WIRED learned from [tech, science, culture, and more in 2019](https://www.wired.com/tag/year-in-review/?CarveLeft_YearInReview) Storm Area 51 When Matty Roberts created a Facebook event this June proposing that the American people [storm Area 51](https://www.wired.com/story/dont-storm-area-51-begs-the-webmaster-of-the-ufo-kingdom/), notorious fount of alien-related conspiracy theories, because “they can’t stop us all,” he was joking. Then 2 million people said they were “going,” and 1.5 million more were “interested.” The flurry generated media attention, stern warnings from the US military, and so many alien memes you hoped somebody would beam you up to get away from it all. When the scheduled date for the event arrived this September, only 134 people showed up and none made it inside, though about 1,500 more attended Storm Area 51 meme-themed music festivals that day. [No aliens were discovered](https://www.wired.com/story/the-area-51-raid-was-the-worst-way-to-spot-an-alien-or-ufo/), but it was a lesson in the power—and at times, strange pretendness—of internet culture. OK Boomer If you’re over 40 and have displeased a teen this year, you may have even heard this meme aloud. After years of stuffy, out-of-touch articles about how millennials (and now Gen Z) are killing off industries from diamonds and real estate to napkins with their frivolous ways and politics-infused complaints, younger generations came up with this blunt dismissal of their own. It’s [intergenerational tension](https://www.wired.com/story/arson-frog-meme/) boiled down to a single phrase: “OK boomer.” It’s been used to protest racism and climate change denialism almost as often as it’s been a snippy response to an uncle. Each time, though, it hits the mark. Hot Girl Summer Everyone—men and women, young and old, from the Kardashians to Tom Hanks—had a “[hot girl summer](https://www.wired.com/story/hot-girl-summer-meme/)” this year thanks to Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion. The MC’s catchphrase became a go-to Instagram caption, YouTube video title, tweet, headline, IRL quip, and marketing slogan. It was a chance for everyone to embrace their own sexy in a season often filled with potential body shaming, and for Megan Thee Stallion, it was a business opportunity. Embracing a trend among meme creators (and meme creators of color in particular), she quickly trademarked the phrase, avoiding the all-too-common fate [her predecessors](https://www.wired.com/2017/03/on-fleek-meme-monetization-gap/) have faced: a corporation something you created and monetizing the crap out of it by selling merchandise without offering you a cent. Her fans were thrilled. LEARN MORE ![The 8 Most Important Memes of 2019](https://media.wired.com/photos/5c00d664181b3205129cbb0a/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/carve_memes.jpg) The WIRED Guide to [Memes](https://www.wired.com/story/guide-memes/?itm_campaign=GuideCarveLeft) Sorry to This Man The setup sounds like internet culture Mad Libs: Hustlers star Keke Palmer was taking a lie detector test as part of a Vanity Fair interview when she was asked if her character True Jackson from True Jackson, VP was a better vice president than Dick Cheney, and then was shown a photo of Cheney. Palmer genuinely had no idea who the former vice president was. “I don't know who this man is,” she said. “I mean, he could be walking down the street, I wouldn't know a thing. Sorry to this man.” The phrase became a meme, used as a stock reply to anything confusing or worthy of dismissal, a wholly unapologetic sort of apology often with a feminist bent. It’s easy to see why it went viral: “Sometimes,” I [wrote](https://www.wired.com/story/sorry-to-this-man-meme/) this September, “ignorance is diss.” The Game of Thrones Cup Of all the many memes that accompanied the final season of Game of Thrones, none was quite so emblematic of the experience of watching the show as the very anachronistic white coffee cup viewers spotted on a table beside Daenerys Targaryen. It was a crowning embarrassment for HBO in an already poorly received season, and a bitter disappointment for fans who felt that a story they had been invested in for a decade was being given a slapdash finish. It was also Photoshopped into oblivion and sparked a great many jokes: Was it a flat wight, or perhaps a Lord of the Light roast? [At the time](https://www.wired.com/story/game-of-thrones-coffee-cup-meme/), the only winner I saw was Starbucks, who many assumed were the purveyors of the cup: “They've gotten an estimated \$2.3 billion in free advertising, and the cup isn't even theirs.” As for the rest of us, our watch is over. *** More Great WIRED Stories - Everything you need to [know about genetic testing](https://www.wired.com/story/what-is-genetic-testing/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4) - What we get wrong [about “people of color](https://www.wired.com/story/rethinking-phrase-people-of-color/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)” - Half-plant, half-beef burgers [are not ... a good idea](https://www.wired.com/story/the-not-future-of-meat/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4) - Meet the immigrants [who took on Amazon](https://www.wired.com/story/meet-the-immigrants-who-took-on-amazon/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4) - To train foreign service agents, [you must build a fake town](https://www.wired.com/story/state-department-virginia-training-center/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4) - 👁 Will AI as a field ["hit the wall" soon](https://www.wired.com/story/facebooks-ai-says-field-hit-wall/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)? Plus, the [latest news on artificial intelligence](https://www.wired.com/category/business/artificial-intelligence/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4) - 📱 Torn between the latest phones? Never fear—check out our [iPhone buying guide](https://wired.com/gallery/iphone-buying-guide/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories) and [favorite Android phones](https://wired.com/gallery/best-android-phones/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories) Most Popular - [![Iran Threatens to Start Attacking Major US Tech Firms on April 1](https://media.wired.com/photos/69cbf5d389cbdc32deb6bcdf/1:1/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.wired.com/story/iran-threatens-to-start-attacking-major-us-tech-firms-on-april-1/#intcid=_wired-right-rail_5c922da7-6b5e-486d-aa3f-a3f6d5399cb9_popular4-2) Security News [Iran Threatens to Start Attacking Major US Tech Firms on April 1](https://www.wired.com/story/iran-threatens-to-start-attacking-major-us-tech-firms-on-april-1/#intcid=_wired-right-rail_5c922da7-6b5e-486d-aa3f-a3f6d5399cb9_popular4-2) By Louise Matsakis - [![A School District Tried to Help Train Waymos to Stop for School Buses. 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It Could Also Ruin Your Life](https://www.wired.com/story/opposing-ice-might-save-the-country-could-also-ruin-your-life/#intcid=_wired-right-rail_5c922da7-6b5e-486d-aa3f-a3f6d5399cb9_popular4-2) By Brendan I. Koerner - [![‘She’s Never Going to Age’: Porn Stars Are Embracing AI Clones to Stay Forever Young](https://media.wired.com/photos/69c34605b292103938c0401f/1:1/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.wired.com/story/shes-never-going-to-age-porn-stars-are-embracing-ai-clones-to-stay-forever-young/#intcid=_wired-right-rail_5c922da7-6b5e-486d-aa3f-a3f6d5399cb9_popular4-2) Digital Culture [‘She’s Never Going to Age’: Porn Stars Are Embracing AI Clones to Stay Forever Young](https://www.wired.com/story/shes-never-going-to-age-porn-stars-are-embracing-ai-clones-to-stay-forever-young/#intcid=_wired-right-rail_5c922da7-6b5e-486d-aa3f-a3f6d5399cb9_popular4-2) By Jason Parham ## Comments [Back to top](https://www.wired.com/story/best-memes-2019/#main-content) There aren’t any comments yet. Be the first to start the conversation\! You need an account to add or like comments. [Sign in or create account](https://www.wired.com/auth/initiate?redirectURL=%2Fstory%2Fbest-memes-2019%2F%3Fsource%3DCOMMUNITY_LOGIN%23leave-a-rating&source=COMMUNITY_LOGIN) [![](https://media.wired.com/photos/65e83854c9d1003a19b298ac/1:1/w_90%2Cc_limit/Emma%2520Grey%2520Ellis%2520copy.jpg)](https://www.wired.com/author/emma-grey-ellis/) [Emma Grey Ellis](https://www.wired.com/author/emma-grey-ellis/) is a staff writer at WIRED, specializing in internet culture and propaganda, as well as writing about planetary science and other things space-related. She graduated from Colgate University with a degree in English, and she resides in San Francisco. ... [Read More](https://www.wired.com/author/emma-grey-ellis) Staff Writer Topics[Year in Review](https://www.wired.com/tag/year-in-review/)[memes](https://www.wired.com/tag/memes/) ### Don't Just Keep Up. Get Ahead Sign up for the Daily newsletter to get our biggest stories, handpicked for you each day. Read More [![That Ex-CIA Agent in All Your Feeds Is After a Pardon From Donald Trump](https://media.wired.com/photos/69c2ea7b141776fd70b33ca4/16:9/w_640%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.wired.com/story/that-ex-cia-agent-in-all-your-feeds-is-after-a-pardon-from-donald-trump/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) [That Ex-CIA Agent in All Your Feeds Is After a Pardon From Donald Trump](https://www.wired.com/story/that-ex-cia-agent-in-all-your-feeds-is-after-a-pardon-from-donald-trump/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) John Kiriakou went to prison after exposing the CIA's torture program. Now he's going viral as he campaigns to get his name cleared and his pension restored. Makena Kelly [![Louis Theroux on the Manosphere: ‘It’s Highly Profitable to Be a Dick on the Internet’](https://media.wired.com/photos/69a606ef0d38d32cc52a3201/16:9/w_640%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.wired.com/story/louis-theroux-on-the-manosphere-its-highly-profitable-to-be-a-dick-on-the-internet/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) [Louis Theroux on the Manosphere: ‘It’s Highly Profitable to Be a Dick on the Internet’](https://www.wired.com/story/louis-theroux-on-the-manosphere-its-highly-profitable-to-be-a-dick-on-the-internet/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) With the release of his Netflix documentary Inside the Manosphere, the director talked to WIRED about why so many young men are drawn to toxic influencers. David Gilbert [![The Comedy Club at the End of the Metaverse](https://media.wired.com/photos/69bd9da339b05cf60afa5405/16:9/w_640%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.wired.com/story/the-last-comedy-club-at-the-end-of-the-metaverse/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) [The Comedy Club at the End of the Metaverse](https://www.wired.com/story/the-last-comedy-club-at-the-end-of-the-metaverse/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) “This is my home”: At a VR comedy club in Horizon Worlds, users mourn Meta's plans for the platform. Boone Ashworth [![Anduril Wants to Own the Future of War Tech. Mishaps, Delays, and Challenges Abound](https://media.wired.com/photos/69c2bfbc5854d831d24bbc07/16:9/w_640%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.wired.com/story/andurils-real-war-is-with-itself/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) [Anduril Wants to Own the Future of War Tech. Mishaps, Delays, and Challenges Abound](https://www.wired.com/story/andurils-real-war-is-with-itself/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) From drones to missiles to submarines, the \$30.5 billion defense startup wants to transform how the tools of war are made. It’s not all going as planned. Paresh Dave [![This Is the Next Wave of Political Fundraising](https://media.wired.com/photos/69b09927e0b42af7e5e1b5e5/16:9/w_640%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.wired.com/story/this-is-the-next-wave-of-political-fundraising/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) [This Is the Next Wave of Political Fundraising](https://www.wired.com/story/this-is-the-next-wave-of-political-fundraising/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) In Discord servers and Instagram DMs, content creators are organizing, turning followings in the millions into millions of dollars in political giving. Makena Kelly [![\$3 Paramount Plus Is the Best New Streaming Deal of 2026](https://media.wired.com/photos/69af45deac57452caf2d2531/16:9/w_640%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.wired.com/story/best-streaming-deals-and-streaming-bundles/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) [\$3 Paramount Plus Is the Best New Streaming Deal of 2026](https://www.wired.com/story/best-streaming-deals-and-streaming-bundles/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) Here are the current best bundles from the most popular services. 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Brian Barrett [![MyMove Is the US Government’s Shittiest Website](https://media.wired.com/photos/69c44b8aa8ef1ae045a7c51c/16:9/w_640%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.wired.com/story/the-governments-shittiest-website/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) [MyMove Is the US Government’s Shittiest Website](https://www.wired.com/story/the-governments-shittiest-website/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) For more than 30 years, the US Postal Service has sent people who need to change their addresses to MyMove. 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Leah Feiger [![Uncanny Valley: Nvidia’s ‘Super Bowl of AI,’ Tesla Disappoints, and Meta’s VR Metaverse ‘Shutdown’](https://media.wired.com/photos/69bb27db20b5c90983327a6a/16:9/w_640%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.wired.com/story/uncanny-valley-podcast-nvidia-gtc-tesla-disappointed-fans-meta-horizon-worlds/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) [Uncanny Valley: Nvidia’s ‘Super Bowl of AI,’ Tesla Disappoints, and Meta’s VR Metaverse ‘Shutdown’](https://www.wired.com/story/uncanny-valley-podcast-nvidia-gtc-tesla-disappointed-fans-meta-horizon-worlds/#intcid=_wired-article-bottom-recirc_6af66b78-2451-42ea-a9c9-d2767c85ce8b_roberta-similarity1) In this episode, we dive into Nvidia’s annual developer conference and what CEO Jensen Huang is saying about the future of the company. 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Readable Markdown	Nowadays, memes go through the internet like excrement through the titular character of the [The Untitled Goose Game](https://www.wired.com/story/untitled-goose-game-review-honnnnnnk/). As we’re rocketing through this information superhighway like fish in a tube (remember when the people of Twitter longed to be [salmon](https://www.wired.com/story/fish-tube-meme/)?), clasping onto bits of digital detritus just long enough to see if they spark joy before discarding them, trying to remember even last week’s best meme can feel hilariously futile. (You know, like a [woman yelling at a cat](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/woman-yelling-at-a-cat).) Once you start scrolling back through the year in memes, though, it’s a bit like [trying kombucha](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/trying-kombucha-for-the-first-time) for the first time—by turns, disorienting and potentially gross, then rather pleasing. The year 2019 has been a difficult and uneven one. Online, political memes flew back and forth like spitballs, and even some of the most innocent ones (like that fish tube) took on a sense of ecstatic nihilism. People also had fun this year, finding joy in the mundanely bizarre—like watching [hundreds of gummy bears](https://www.tiktok.com/@davidkasprak/video/6640342878226763014) appear to be singing along with Adele. Here are some of the year’s most important memes, great and gross alike. 30 to 50 Feral Hogs In early August, the nation was grieving two back-to-back mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, and country musician Jason Isbell tweeted in support of banning assault weapons. In response, Arkansas dad Willie McNabb authored a now-famous [tweet](https://twitter.com/williemcnabb/status/1158045307562856448?lang=en): “Legit question for rural Americans,” he wrote. “How do I kill the 30-50 feral hogs that run into my yard within 3-5 mins while my small kids play?" The phrase “30 to 50 feral hogs” swiftly became a meme, a kind of latter-day “thoughts and prayers,” a way to express frustration with America’s gun-control laws in the face of preventable violence. As I [wrote](https://www.wired.com/story/feral-hogs-meme/) at the time, “The banality of mass shootings and politicians' callous response is brain-breaking, and so is the diversity of experience in America. It's hard to find consensus when one person's absurdist image is another person's backyard.” Baby Yoda If the internet had a favorite child in 2019, it was the Child: the breakout star of The Mandalorian, the tiniest, greenest, most lovably bat-eared Force user in the Star Wars universe, Baby Yoda. Without a word (and with some very cute [sips of soup](https://www.wired.com/story/julie-benson-baby-yoda/)), Baby Yoda conquered the internet with memes. People Photoshopped the little cherub into every situation you can imagine, went mad captioning screenshots, professed undying love, and then—as things hit Peak Weird—people started admitting that they wanted to breastfeed it. Baby Yoda is still a young meme and the The Mandalorian isn’t over, so this internet culture moment’s future is hard to see. One thing remains clear: Love Baby Yoda, [you must](https://www.wired.com/story/baby-yoda-internet/). Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself Disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein took his own life in prison last August while awaiting trial for trafficking minors. Because Epstein was connected with powerful figures, and because the guards outside his door were asleep and the cell contained no cameras, his death sparked conspiracy theories repeated by journalists and politicians alike. The theories (which suppose anyone from President Donald Trump and the Clintons to “the deep state” might have wanted the guy dead) are united by a single sentence that has become a meme: "Epstein didn’t kill himself." It’s appeared in news clips, on sweatshirts, and most recently, [defacing](https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2019/12/09/epstein-didnt-kill-himself-art-basel-banana-wall-rod-webber/) a piece of art valued at \$120,000 that happens to be a banana duct-taped to a wall. “It’s like a billboard for disillusionment and mistrust,” I [wrote](https://www.wired.com/story/epstein-didnt-kill-himself-conspiracy/) this November. “And it’s everywhere.” Storm Area 51 When Matty Roberts created a Facebook event this June proposing that the American people [storm Area 51](https://www.wired.com/story/dont-storm-area-51-begs-the-webmaster-of-the-ufo-kingdom/), notorious fount of alien-related conspiracy theories, because “they can’t stop us all,” he was joking. Then 2 million people said they were “going,” and 1.5 million more were “interested.” The flurry generated media attention, stern warnings from the US military, and so many alien memes you hoped somebody would beam you up to get away from it all. When the scheduled date for the event arrived this September, only 134 people showed up and none made it inside, though about 1,500 more attended Storm Area 51 meme-themed music festivals that day. [No aliens were discovered](https://www.wired.com/story/the-area-51-raid-was-the-worst-way-to-spot-an-alien-or-ufo/), but it was a lesson in the power—and at times, strange pretendness—of internet culture. OK Boomer If you’re over 40 and have displeased a teen this year, you may have even heard this meme aloud. After years of stuffy, out-of-touch articles about how millennials (and now Gen Z) are killing off industries from diamonds and real estate to napkins with their frivolous ways and politics-infused complaints, younger generations came up with this blunt dismissal of their own. It’s [intergenerational tension](https://www.wired.com/story/arson-frog-meme/) boiled down to a single phrase: “OK boomer.” It’s been used to protest racism and climate change denialism almost as often as it’s been a snippy response to an uncle. Each time, though, it hits the mark. Hot Girl Summer Everyone—men and women, young and old, from the Kardashians to Tom Hanks—had a “[hot girl summer](https://www.wired.com/story/hot-girl-summer-meme/)” this year thanks to Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion. The MC’s catchphrase became a go-to Instagram caption, YouTube video title, tweet, headline, IRL quip, and marketing slogan. It was a chance for everyone to embrace their own sexy in a season often filled with potential body shaming, and for Megan Thee Stallion, it was a business opportunity. Embracing a trend among meme creators (and meme creators of color in particular), she quickly trademarked the phrase, avoiding the all-too-common fate [her predecessors](https://www.wired.com/2017/03/on-fleek-meme-monetization-gap/) have faced: a corporation something you created and monetizing the crap out of it by selling merchandise without offering you a cent. Her fans were thrilled. Sorry to This Man The setup sounds like internet culture Mad Libs: Hustlers star Keke Palmer was taking a lie detector test as part of a Vanity Fair interview when she was asked if her character True Jackson from True Jackson, VP was a better vice president than Dick Cheney, and then was shown a photo of Cheney. Palmer genuinely had no idea who the former vice president was. “I don't know who this man is,” she said. “I mean, he could be walking down the street, I wouldn't know a thing. Sorry to this man.” The phrase became a meme, used as a stock reply to anything confusing or worthy of dismissal, a wholly unapologetic sort of apology often with a feminist bent. It’s easy to see why it went viral: “Sometimes,” I [wrote](https://www.wired.com/story/sorry-to-this-man-meme/) this September, “ignorance is diss.” The Game of Thrones Cup Of all the many memes that accompanied the final season of Game of Thrones, none was quite so emblematic of the experience of watching the show as the very anachronistic white coffee cup viewers spotted on a table beside Daenerys Targaryen. It was a crowning embarrassment for HBO in an already poorly received season, and a bitter disappointment for fans who felt that a story they had been invested in for a decade was being given a slapdash finish. It was also Photoshopped into oblivion and sparked a great many jokes: Was it a flat wight, or perhaps a Lord of the Light roast? [At the time](https://www.wired.com/story/game-of-thrones-coffee-cup-meme/), the only winner I saw was Starbucks, who many assumed were the purveyors of the cup: “They've gotten an estimated \$2.3 billion in free advertising, and the cup isn't even theirs.” As for the rest of us, our watch is over. *** More Great WIRED Stories - Everything you need to [know about genetic testing](https://www.wired.com/story/what-is-genetic-testing/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4) - What we get wrong [about “people of color](https://www.wired.com/story/rethinking-phrase-people-of-color/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)” - Half-plant, half-beef burgers [are not ... a good idea](https://www.wired.com/story/the-not-future-of-meat/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4) - Meet the immigrants [who took on Amazon](https://www.wired.com/story/meet-the-immigrants-who-took-on-amazon/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4) - To train foreign service agents, [you must build a fake town](https://www.wired.com/story/state-department-virginia-training-center/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4) - 👁 Will AI as a field ["hit the wall" soon](https://www.wired.com/story/facebooks-ai-says-field-hit-wall/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4)? Plus, the [latest news on artificial intelligence](https://www.wired.com/category/business/artificial-intelligence/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories_Sections_4) - 📱 Torn between the latest phones? Never fear—check out our [iPhone buying guide](https://wired.com/gallery/iphone-buying-guide/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories) and [favorite Android phones](https://wired.com/gallery/best-android-phones/?itm_campaign=BottomRelatedStories)
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