An Explanation Of The Unicycling Frog, For Those of Us Who Don't Get The Joke

by N/A, 8 years ago | 2 min read

There are two kinds of people in this world: People that get the unicycle frog, and people that don't.

meme Internet memes Humor

So, you've recently encountered a unicycling frog? Us too. The meme that's been creeping into our Facebook feeds is known as Dat Boi (colloquial pronunciation of "that boy.") You've probably also noticed the frog is frequently accompanied by two captions: "here comes dat boi!" and "o shit waddup!" This....thing, for lack of a better word, has gone looney tunes online, and people are either all: "YASSSSSS HAHAHAHHA!" or "....?" Unfortunately, I identify with the latter.

I hate to be the low-toned fart in the room, but it's my understanding that in order to get this "joke," you've got to turn the volume WAY down on your brain. We're talking, stoned out of your mind—like, eating the pizza still frozen, kind of stoned. It's like the meme version of Grandma's Boy, which I also didn't find funny.

Now that I've officially solidified my title as uncool old fart and internet traitor, I will say that I still find myself enamored by this talented amphibian. Who could expect such fame for such a simple, poorly animated web 1.0 image? What a triumph he's made. I found myself asking: How did this become a thing? Who did this to me? And, Why? So I set out to find out exactly that.

If you're feeling the same way, please follow along, because learning how this urban unicycling wonder has become an internet sensation is a satisfying process.

It all started on what was probably a beautiful sunny afternoon, in July 2014. It was on this day, before the frog was even a tadpole, that he received his name.

Content aggregator FunnyJunk received a really genius contribution from user, tehbestever. The Image was that of a young felon, by the name of Dat Boi. Dat Boi (the human), was named Most Wanted Criminal. Because the internet needed this.

OK, so where's the frog? We'll get there, I promise— but first, there was this dancing ~~booger~~ Pac Man.

About a year later, Tumblr user phalania posted a message, "here come dat boi!!" accompanied by an image of a Pac-Man with the caption, "o shit waddup!" Over the next year, the image was reblogged more than 75,800 times (because the internet has VERY weird humor).

Enter Unicycling Frog:

On April 3, 2016, Facebook users joined in. Facebook page "Fresh Memes About the Mojave Desert and Other Delectable Cuisines (wowowowow!)," posted the meme that now clogs our Instagram feeds: A green frog, riding a unicycle, with the caption, "Here come dat boi!!!!!/ o shit waddup!" The frog graphic originates from Animation Factory Essential Collection 3.

So, how did it become a thing in MY life?

Basically how you'd expect—internet Darwinism. In February of 2016, user gollypon posted an image on Tumblr featuring the Pac-Man image, along with the captions we've come to know and feel indifferent about. Then, in April, Tumblr account Browse Dank Memes posted a poorly crafted comic, featuring the unicycling frog in a scene from the 2012 film, The Avengers.

And the rest is really internet history.

People went GANGBUSTERS, mashing up the frog and his two popular catch phrases with random themes, sensical or otherwise.

The good news (for fuddy duddy's like me) is that since the meme has now gone "so memestreme," it's slowly dying. Such a short-lived, but very full life Dat Boi had. I've no doubt, in several months, years, decades from now, Dat Boi will live again (as these things do with the internet).

Until then, here is just a peek into the very full life Dat Boi has lived, in such a short time.