Has this chill mushroom been taking over your social media feeds recently? Shroomjak or Mushroom Wojak is a variation of the base Wojak character that resembles a mushroom, adorned with a smiling face. The Wojak was first posted to 4chan's /b/ board in January 2021, becoming popularized later in the year as it was shared around social media and spread to other platforms. For more info on Shroomjack: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/shroom...
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.
In case the internet's long term anti-boomer crusade hasn't made it clear enough, younger generations haven't had it so great for a while. Between rising living costs, stagnant wages and a society hellbent on making things harder for the little guy, it can be easy to look at coming of age a few decades earlier with rose-tinted glasses.
This is an attitude that has been expressed repeatedly in memes, most notably last year when the 'My Parents At Age 29' format humorously compared the life paths of millennials and their parents with a Wojak comic. In fact, it was so popular that it has recently experienced a remix in the form of the 'My Parents In Their 30s' meme.
While the two reflect on similar themes, there are some key changes. Where the older meme focused more on the varying maturity levels between generations, the revamp underlines the large material differences. This time around, 'My Parents In My 30s' is there to remind you that no, you are not getting on the property ladder any time soon. The original setup may not be that believable (how many people have parents that own a second home?), but the anxiety behind it still stands. Nothing says relatability like going into debt with your grocery shop.
At first the lonely wojak stood in the corner at a party, watching everyone have fun while thinking, 'I wish I was at home playing video games.' Well, the meme is back but he's no longer the introvert feeling regretful at a social gathering. Now he's quietly lamenting the fact that no one in the room knows that he's got a mildly notable internet following. Social environments are pretty different for this wojak IRL, and perhaps some very online people can relate.
Whoever revived this meme meant to reference the surreal nature of living two disparate social lives—the one where you ostentatiously post online and the normal, boring IRL one. Other memelords have taken off with the trend and subverted the meaning even further into absurdity, sometimes even combining it with other popular memes. We've selected some of the best 'they don't know X' memes for you to post to your mildly popular meme page.
It's really, really easy to come up with memes about "stuff that is bad" or "stuff that is good." This Wojak comic format is no exception. The meme features Trad Girl thanking someone or something for changing her life. The response generally indicates that it's dumb to give the hobby or interest that much credit. The meme focuses mainly on movies/tv, beloved characters, and music - and there's lots to be roasted. While some of the examples are definitely laughable (ahem, Folklore), we do think it's important to let people have their fun in 2020. There's not much of it to be had.
We know the whole Girls vs. Boys trend in a lot of Reddit memes has gotten a bit tired. But this trending format about how the sexes would approach time machines has breathed some life into the slightly sexist memes. Fortunately, the memes are so good we can't get too mad. We've put a bunch here for your consideration, but as the meme goes deeper into Wojak comic territory, we'll probably start seeing a lot more. And we're happily awaiting them.
Behold, potentially the most layered, convoluted meme that we've seen so far in 2020. The meme, known more collectively as "Wojak Comics," features various well-known shitpost-y characters including Wojak, Doomer Girl, and Yes Chad. Head on over to Know Your Meme for a far better explanation, because honestly this meme is just that ridiculous.
Back in 2018 we started seeing dank memes featuring a version of Wojak who was later given the name "Doomer." The character is a depressed 23 year old chain smoker with a decidedly dark view of life. Earlier this week we started to see a resurgence of these Doomer memes featuring a new face - a goth girl sporting an edgy choker and rosy cheeks. These "Doomer Girl" or "Doomerette" memes started popping up everywhere, even on some pretty basic Instagram accounts. The jokes range range from gaming to painfully ironic anti-memes. And they're all pretty good.
