Who Created The Most Famous Kissing Meme Template?

I still grin when I think about how delightfully goofy the whole 'stonks' thing is. The original template image that kicked off the meme — the CGI-smooth businessman in front of a rising stock chart with the big blocky caption 'STONKS' — was popularized by the Facebook meme page Special Meme Fresh back in June 2017. They posted that particular edit and the internet quickly took the visual shorthand and ran with it. What I love about this origin is how layered it is: the character in the image is the now-iconic 'Meme Man', a low-poly 3D head that had been floating around surreal meme circles before being plopped into a mock-stock photo background. The combination of a deliberately misspelled caption, the absurd sculpted face, and the clichéd financial backdrop created a perfect vessel for mocking illogical or overconfident financial takes. It’s a great example of remix culture — a handful of visual elements get recombined into a tiny cultural weapon of humor. I still chuckle when I spot a creative spin on it.

Kissing memes have this weirdly universal appeal that makes them spread like wildfire. Maybe it's because they tap into something deeply human—everyone has either experienced that awkward first kiss or witnessed one in movies. The best ones usually take a relatable scenario, like the 'surprised Pikachu' face during an unexpected smooch, and pair it with a caption that hits home. TikTok and Twitter are especially good at amplifying these because short, visual jokes thrive there. Another thing is the remix culture—people love putting their own spin on a trending format. Once a kissing meme template gains traction, you'll see endless variations, from anime characters to historical paintings getting the meme treatment. It's like a creative challenge: 'How can I make this even funnier?' That keeps the cycle going until the next big thing takes over.

The Coroika meme explosion feels like it came out of nowhere, but if I had to pinpoint its origins, I'd trace it back to the early fan art communities around 'Splatoon 2'. There was this one artist—handle long lost to the depths of Tumblr reblogs—who started drawing Octolings with exaggerated, almost cartoonishly dramatic expressions. Their style was so distinct that it became a template for others to riff on. Over time, the 'woomy' and 'veemo' sound effects got mashed up with these hyper-expressive faces, and bam—Coroika memes took over Twitter like a tidal wave. What's wild is how the meme evolved beyond Splatoon fans. People who'd never touched the game started using Coroika reactions in totally unrelated contexts, from politics to cat videos. The original creator probably never expected their doodles to become a universal language of chaos. I love how internet culture can turn niche art into something everyone understands, even if the roots get buried under layers of reposts.

Lately, my TikTok feed has been flooded with those hilarious kissing memes, and I couldn't resist digging into their origins. The most viral one right now is definitely the awkward kiss from 'The Room'—you know, the one where Tommy Wiseau's character delivers that cringe-worthy "Oh hi Mark" line. It's been remixed into everything from romantic parodies to absurdist edits. But the meme-verse also rediscovered that over-the-top lip-lock from 'Spider-Man' (2002), where Tobey Maguire upside-down kisses Kirsten Dunst in the rain. People love juxtaposing it with mundane scenarios like eating messy burgers or getting caught in sprinklers. Another unexpected contender? The passionate kiss from 'Pride and Prejudice' (2005), where Mr. Darcy flexes his hand mid-embrace. That hand flex sparked countless reaction memes about repressed emotions. And let's not forget anime contributions—the dramatic nosebleed kisses from 'Kaguya-sama: Love Is War' keep resurfacing in edits about exaggerated crushes. Honestly, half the fun is seeing how creatively people recontextualize these moments.

The internet's love for Pokémon memes feels like a collective inside joke that just keeps evolving. While no single creator springs to mind as 'the' meme king, I've always associated the chaotic energy of 'Pokémon Rusty' with the fandom's meme renaissance. That parody series birthed so many reaction faces and absurd quotes that bled into mainstream meme culture. Then there's the whole 'Mudkipz' phenomenon—remember those? Originating from 4chan's /vp/ board around 2004, it became one of the first viral Pokémon memes with its deliberately misspelled, surreal humor. What fascinates me is how these memes mutate; 'Twitch Plays Pokémon' spawned endless Helix Fossil worship, proving even inanimate pixels can become deities in the right community.

Kissing memes have absolutely taken over my feeds this year, and I can't scroll for five minutes without stumbling on some new hilarious or heart-melting variation. I think their popularity boils down to how universally relatable they are—everyone's either experienced that awkward first kiss, the dramatic cinematic moment, or the 'oops we bumped heads' chaos. The meme format exaggerates these moments to either comedy gold or swoon-worthy perfection, making them endlessly shareable. What's fascinating is how they've evolved beyond just couples. Now you've got pets 'kissing,' anime characters in outrageous scenarios, even inanimate objects photoshopped into lip-locks. It's this playful, low-stakes way to celebrate affection without taking romance too seriously. Plus, with so many people feeling disconnected post-pandemic, these memes feel like a collective hug—or smooch—from the internet.

Kissing scenes in media have spawned some legendary memes, and my personal favorites are the ones that play with dramatic context. Take the 'Distracted Boyfriend' meme, where the guy glances at another woman while his girlfriend looks on in disapproval—people swapped the characters for iconic kissing scenes like 'Titanic''s Jack and Rose, with the iceberg as the 'other woman.' It’s hilarious because it turns romance into a joke about temptation. Another gem is the 'Kermit the Frog Sipping Tea' meme superimposed onto awkward kissing moments, like when two characters barely miss each other’s lips. It’s perfect for mocking poorly choreographed scenes, especially in telenovelas or low-budget films. And let’s not forget the 'Michael Jackson Eating Popcorn' meme used during overly intense kisses, like in 'Twilight'—it amplifies the cringe factor to absurd levels. Memes like these remind me that even the most serious love stories can be turned into pure comedy gold.

I still get a kick out of how many different places a simple hug can come from online — the meme templates that get passed around are basically a hodgepodge of childhood cartoons, anime screenshots, sticker packs, and fan art. For me, the most obvious sources are those cozy, iconic images people already love: think 'SpongeBob SquarePants' hugging Patrick (an easy, expressive still that people slap labels on to show solidarity), the timeless warmth of 'Winnie the Pooh' art, and the sweet, round energy of 'Pusheen' curled up in a hug. Those are the kinds of visuals that lend themselves immediately to being remixable templates because their emotions read across cultures and ages. On the more dramatic side, anime contributes tons of hugging templates — emotional embrace scenes from shows like 'Clannad' or 'Toradora!' get reused when someone wants to telegraph comfort, forgiveness, or melodrama. Gaming mascots like 'Pikachu' or 'Kirby' also show up a lot in sticker packs and GIFs; their designs are so expressive and recognizable that fans make thousands of variations (face swaps, labels, etc.). Then there are film and TV stills: warm embraces from mainstream shows, a parent-and-child moment, or even a goofy hug from 'The Office' get cropped and captioned into templates because they already carry a narrative punch. What fascinates me is how the community builds around these images — people don’t just reuse the originals, they redraw them, pixelate them, or swap in logos and personas to make entirely new jokes. You’ll see webcomic panels adapted, LINE/Telegram stickers like a cartoon bear or cat turned into a hug template, and indie fan art that becomes a staple in fan groups. If you’re trying to make your own, start with a clear, high-contrast image showing two subjects in an obvious embrace, keep the background simple, and think about what each figure will represent once people start labeling them. Honestly, my favorite thing is finding a tiny, obscure hug pic and watching it catch on — there’s a real joy in seeing an intimate moment become a communal meme that comforts strangers across forums.

Deadpool memes are like a buffet of chaotic energy, and the 'chimichangas' one is my go-to for absurd humor. You know the one—where he's grinning wildly, usually paired with text like 'I hope this doesn’t awaken anything in me.' It’s perfect for those moments when you’re about to do something questionable but fully embrace it. Another classic is the 'maximum effort' template, where he’s mid-action, looking determined. I use it sarcastically for mundane tasks, like folding laundry. The juxtaposition kills me every time. Then there’s the 'leaning on an invisible wall' pose, which screams 'I’m too cool for this conversation.' It’s my favorite for shutting down awkward group chats. And let’s not forget the 'Ryan Reynolds nodding' GIF—technically from the movies, but it’s become a meme staple for sarcastic agreement. Deadpool’s fourth-wall breaks translate so well to meme culture; it’s like he was designed for it.

I’ve spent way too many late nights scrolling through old Tumblr and Reddit threads, and the hugging meme is one of those soft, oddly specific trends that didn’t have a single birthplace so much as a thousand little springs feeding the same river. Early on, Tumblr microblogs and fandom art pages were full of gentle, hand-drawn hugging panels and GIF edits — people would take a still from an anime or show, loop a gentle embrace, and add a caption about comfort or mental health. Those posts set the tone: hugs as both reaction image and emotional shorthand. From there, imageboards and early meme hubs like 4chan’s /r9k/ and later Reddit communities (r/wholesomememes, r/memes) recycled and remixed the idea. The real accelerants were the big aggregator accounts on Instagram and Twitter — pages like 'Daquan', 'FuckJerry', and 'TheFatJewish' (for better or worse) were exceptional at taking grassroots formats and dropping them into mainstream timelines. They didn’t invent the hugging meme, but they turned a widespread vibe into a viral template. If you trace popular hugging images back, you’ll often find credit lines leading to Tumblr artists or obscure Twitter creators. If you’re trying to pin down the earliest poster, start with reverse image search and timestamps on Tumblr posts or artist signatures. My guilty pleasure is diving through the comment threads and finding the little “first posted here” notes — it’s like detective work, but for wholesome internet culture.