What is it about Shroomjak that has the Internet enraptured? Is it his coy smile? His kind eyes? His delightful toadstool shape? Or have we fallen so deep into a pit of irony that we can't help but repost the funny mushroom man until our brains melt and all that remains is a demented memetic oblivion? All we know is that a new wojak dropped and he's taken over the shitposting realm. What he wants from us is yet to be seen.
It all started in January when someone anonymously posted the first known image of Shroomjak to 4chan's /b/ board, accompanied by a mild message: 'I made my own wojak.' In any other context, Shroomjak's pleasant, unassuming vibe paired with OP's innocuous comment might have provoked a simple 'good job' or maybe even a 'lol.' But this is 4chan, where dreams are crushed and toxicity runs high.
Being the insular 'online community' that 4chan is, Shroomjak didn't immediately escape the boards and spread to mainstream social networks, but as we all know, it only takes one tweet or Instagram post for a new meme to go viral. According to Know Your Meme, the /b/ screenshot was shared on Twitter in late June and has since been edited, remixed and shared across social media like wildfire. While many are already tired of seeing that demure expression lurking around every virtual corner, shitposters everywhere are reveling in the glorious excess of Shroomjak posts.
Unlike the crying wojaks, coomers, chads, tradwives, brainlets, npc wojaks, pink wojaks, withered wojaks and every other wojak that came before, Shroomjak stands out as the lovable everyman's wojak—a wojak without malice or political agenda. Is he even human? No, he's just a fun guy.
