What was the original meme? It's a highly debated topic, but many consider Baby Cha-Cha (also known as Dancing Baby and Oogachaca Baby) to be the very first internet meme in existence. The iconic and somewhat disturbing dancing CGI baby was created in 1996 by Kinetix Character Studio. Originally meant to showcase the company's CGI software 3D Studio Max, the dancing baby would frequently pop up on various TV newscasts, and perhaps most famously on Ally McBeal. The dancing baby was parodied and referenced on shows like Third Rock From the Sun, Celebrity Deathmatch, and The Simpsons. By the time the dancing baby even reached the internet, it was already a memetic icon. It just goes to show that anything has the potential to become a viral meme. Anything.
If you're an appreciator of meme history, then you'll probably be into these delightfully dumb memes that have come a long way since Baby Cha-Cha.