20+ Tributes & Classic Memes Dedicated to the Late, Great Harambe

On this day in 2016, Harambe was tragically killed after a child fell into the gorilla enclosure. Harambe didn't harm the kid or even exhibit aggressive behavior; he simply existed. The iconic ape was immediately memeified into immortality, and even five years later, he is not forgotten. It's interesting to see how the Harambe memes have shifted over time. A lot can happen in five years—global pandemic, devastating forest fires, economic crisis, widespread unemployment—and many have ironically marked Harambe's death as the start of the downfall of Western civilization. At once, Harambe represents injustice, the failures of humanity and of course, ironic internet culture. Harambe memes are both cringe and based. Blessed and cursed. Harambe is the perfect meme and the worst meme. He's truly an internet legend.

We've put together some classic Harambe memes and Twitter tributes to the late, great ape. RIP king.

Posted by Mel Dawn