A Plentiful Pile of Dank & Dumb Memes

What was the first meme? Many believe "baby cha-cha" (also known as the dancing baby) was the first viral internet meme to ever exist. The 3D rendered animation of a creepy dancing baby first appeared in 1996 on several episodes of Ally McBeal and various local news broadcasts. For nearly 30 years, baby cha-cha has been an internet icon. But some argue that there's an even older meme—a cartoon from 1921 that is perhaps the earliest expression of the classic "expectation vs. reality" meme.
The cartoon first resurfaced in 2018 after Twitter user @YoRHaw shared the image along with a caption that read, "this comic strip from 1921 is really relatable to this day." The image was sourced from a 1920s literary magazine called The Judge. @YoRHaw's tweet went viral and the cartoon has since been heralded as the first meme ever. Whether the cartoon can be considered a meme or not, the image expresses something timelessly universal through humor. One can argue that this is what makes a meme good.

To honor the history of memes, we've put together a random collection of dank content, both new and old.

Advertisement

Stay entertained and up to date by following us on Facebook and Instagram!

Tags

relatable memes meme dump random memes dumb memes funny memes dank memes Memes lol funny

Scroll down for the next article

Also From Memebase

Trending Now

Married couple asks their 30-year-old roommate to leave the apartment for a week so they can have a "staycation" while their kid is at his grandparents: 'They want me to stay at their parent's house'

Married couple asks their 30-year-old roommate to leave the apartment for a week so they can have a "staycation" while their kid is at his grandparents: 'They want me to stay at their parent's house'

40 of the Freshest and Funniest Tweets of the Week (March 22, 2025)

40 of the Freshest and Funniest Tweets of the Week (March 22, 2025)

14-year-old niece claims aunt's expensive birthday gift is ‘lame’, aunt takes the gift back and gives it to 10-year-old nephew instead: ‘Maybe she’ll learn from this'

14-year-old niece claims aunt's expensive birthday gift is ‘lame’, aunt takes the gift back and gives it to 10-year-old nephew instead: ‘Maybe she’ll learn from this'

Parents refuse to name their baby 'Henry' after his paternal grandfather, grandmother berates them for not following family tradition of naming male heirs 'James' or 'Henry': 'She said I was breaking a tradition that went back hundreds of years'

Parents refuse to name their baby 'Henry' after his paternal grandfather, grandmother berates them for not following family tradition of naming male heirs 'James' or 'Henry': 'She said I was breaking a tradition that went back hundreds of years'

'She says I am denying her "her baby"': 21-year-old pregnant woman tells mother-in-law who insists on being in the delivery room that she can't see the baby for at least 3 weeks after she is born, adding a week every time she asks about the babies name

'She says I am denying her "her baby"': 21-year-old pregnant woman tells mother-in-law who insists on being in the delivery room that she can't see the baby for at least 3 weeks after she is born, adding a week every time she asks about the babies name

Meddling mother-in-law tries to secretly test grandchild’s DNA, forcing daughter-in-law to ban access to the baby: ‘She went full drama mode, telling everyone I was "tearing the family apart"’

Meddling mother-in-law tries to secretly test grandchild’s DNA, forcing daughter-in-law to ban access to the baby: ‘She went full drama mode, telling everyone I was "tearing the family apart"’

Advertisement