Hello There! Have you ever seen a meme and wondered what it meant? Well, wonder no more! In this article, we will be explaining the meaning behind some of the most popular memes out there.
“Hello There” is a famous quotation spoken by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the 2005 science fiction action film Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith. The sequence has been used to make numerous remix videos and image macros online.
“Goodnight sweet prince” is a line spoken by Hamlet in the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. The phrase has been used online as an expression of sadness or sympathy after someone has died.
The “pepper spray cop” meme features a photo of a police officer spraying pepper spray into the face of a student protester at the University of California, Davis. The meme typically features text on the top and bottom of the image, making fun of the situation.
“Gonna Tell My Kids” is a series of image macros featuring pictures of various people and animals with captions that begin with the phrase “Gonna tell my kids.” The memes are typically used to for humorous or heartwarming purposes.
“Y U NO Guy” is an image macro featuring a stick figure with arms outstretched and the phrase “Y U NO” written above the character’s head. The meme typically features text on the bottom of the image, making fun of a particular situation.
How Hello There Meme spread?
On March 25th, 2014, Tumblr user suzcatonmars reblogged a post containing several Obi-Wan GIFs from Revenge of the Sith, including the “Hello There” sequence (shown below, right). In five years, the post received more than 2,100 notes (left).
On January 29th, 2017, Imgur user Spatzz uploaded a photoshopped version of Obi-Wan saying the line in a “dump of 50 prequel memes.” The post received more than 1,600 points and 96,000 views (center). Around this time, the image and phrase became a popular meme on the Star Wars meme subreddit /r/PrequelMemes. For example, on February 24th, 2017, Redditor zenthegod posted a photoshopped version of the meme as a shitpost. The post receive more than 1,300 points (97% upvoted) and 30 comments in two years (shown below, right).
The meme became one of the most-referenced moments on Reddit over time. On July 23rd, 2018, Redditor RealShooterMcGavin edited a clip from the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series into a scene from Parks and Recreation (shown above). The post received more than 42,000 points (92% upvoted) and 395 comments (shown below).
