Trollface

Trollface is a 2008 rage comic meme image used to symbolize Internet trolls and Internet trolling. It is one of the oldest and most widely known rage comic faces.[1][2]

Trollface

History

Trollface was drawn in Microsoft Paint on September 19, 2008 by Carlos Ramirez, an 18-year-old Oakland college student living with his parents.[3][4] The image was published on Ramirez's DeviantArt page, "Whynne,"[4] as part of a rage comic titled Trolls, about the pointless nature of trolling.[5][6] Ramirez posted the image to the imageboard website 4chan and within a day other users of the site shared it.[7][3] From 4chan, Trollface spread to Reddit and Urban Dictionary in 2009,[4][5] eventually reaching other Internet image-sharing sites like Imgur and Facebook.[5]

Usage

Trollface shows an Internet troll, someone who annoys others on the Internet for their own amusement.[2] The original comic by Ramirez mocked trolls;[3] however, the image is widely used by trolls.[8] Trollface has been described as the Internet equivalent of the children's taunt "nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah" or sticking one's tongue out.[8] The image is often accompanied by phrases such as "Problem?" or "You mad, bro?".[9]

Racist and anti-semitic versions of Trollface also exist, such as depictions of Trollface as a Nazi, Adolf Hitler, or a Jew.[9] Such depictions are used by 4chan and similar sites as hate symbols.[9]

Ramirez registered Trolls with the United States Copyright Office July 27, 2010.[3] He says he has since received over $100,000 in licensing fees and other payouts associated with Trollface, including from licensing for shirts emblazoned with the face being sold by the retail chain Hot Topic.[3]

The video game Meme Run for Nintendo's Wii U console was taken down for copyright infringement for including Trollface as the main character.[3][10]

Trollface is not trademarked.[11]

Impact
Man in Trollface makeup at Dragon Con 2011.

Trollface was described by La Tercera as "the father of memes."[4] A bust of Trollface was exhibited at the Mexico City museum Museo del Meme.[12]

In March 2012, a viral video showed a banner emblazoned with Trollface and the word “Problem?” being used by Turkish soccer fans to protest a rule change.[13]

In the Black Mirror episode "Shut Up and Dance", the blackmailers send Trollface photographs after they leak the victims' secrets in spite of their compliance.

Trollface is a common Halloween costume and cosplay character.[8]

References
  1. Hagedorn, Patrick (2012-07-05). "Junge Zeiten: Bitte recht freundlich". Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (in German). Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  2. Staff, Ars (2012-03-12). "Fffuuuuuuuu: The Internet anthropologist's field guide to "rage faces"". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  3. Klepek, Patrick (April 8, 2015). "The Maker Of The Trollface Meme Is Counting His Money". Kotaku. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  4. Christiansen, Axel (2018-09-20). "Trollface: El padre de los memes cumple 10 años". La Tercera (in Spanish). Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  5. "The Origin Stories Behind 5 of the Internet's Most Popular Memes". Observer. 2016-03-30. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  6. "Comic - Trolls by Whynne on DeviantArt". www.deviantart.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  7. Price, Rob. "How the creator of the 'trollface' meme turned an MS Paint cartoon into a six-figure payday". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  8. Macale, Sherilynn (2011-09-30). "7 memes to know: Internet culture at its finest". The Next Web. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  9. "Trollface (Racist Versions)". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  10. Life, Nintendo (2015-03-04). "Copyright Owner of 'Trollface' Image Explains Role in Getting Meme Run Taken Down". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  11. Edwards, Phil (2015-07-24). "5 faces you never realized were trademarked". Vox. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  12. "Museo del Meme estará abierto solo este fin de semana en la Ciudad de México". infobae (in Spanish). December 8, 2018. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  13. Eördögh, Fruzsina (March 3, 2020). "Problem? Turkish soccer fans protest rule change with troll face". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
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