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]
Contents
History
Usage
Copyright Trollface
Impact
References
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 antisemitic versions of Trollface also exist, including depictions of Trollface as a Nazi, Adolf Hitler,
or a Jewish caricature,[9] which have been used by users of 4chan and similar sites as a hate symbol.[9]
Copyright
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
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]
Man in Trollface makeup at Dragon
In the Black Mirror episode "Shut Up and Dance", the blackmailers Con 2011.
send Trollface photographs after they leak the victims' secrets in spite
of their compliance.
Trollface is occasionally used as a Halloween costume and cosplay character.[8]
References
1. Hagedorn, Patrick (July 5, 2012). "Junge Zeiten: Bitte recht freundlich" (https://www.ksta.de/regi
on/region-archiv/junge-zeiten-bitte-recht-freundlich-5482250). Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (in
German). Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20200528103559/https://www.ksta.de/region/r
egion-archiv/junge-zeiten-bitte-recht-freundlich-5482250) from the original on May 28, 2020.
Retrieved May 28, 2020.
2. Connor, Tom (March 12, 2012). "Fffuuuuuuuu: The Internet anthropologist's field guide to "rage
faces" " (https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/03/the-internet-anthropologists-field-gui
de-to-rage-faces.ars). Ars Technica. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
3. Klepek, Patrick (April 8, 2015). "The Maker Of The Trollface Meme Is Counting His Money" (htt
ps://kotaku.com/the-maker-of-the-trollface-meme-is-counting-his-money-1696228810). Kotaku.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20200221101337/https://kotaku.com/the-maker-of-the-tro
llface-meme-is-counting-his-money-1696228810) from the original on February 21, 2020.
Retrieved May 28, 2020.
4. Christiansen, Axel (September 20, 2018). "Trollface: El padre de los memes cumple 10 años"
(https://www.latercera.com/mouse/trollface-memes-aniversario/). La Tercera (in Spanish).
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20200528102309/https://www.latercera.com/mouse/trollf
ace-memes-aniversario/) from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
5. Lazzaro, Sage (March 30, 2016). "The Origin Stories Behind 5 of the Internet's Most Popular
Memes" (https://observer.com/2016/03/the-origin-stories-behind-5-of-the-internets-most-popular
-memes/). Observer. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
6. Whynne (September 19, 2008). "Comic - Trolls" (https://www.deviantart.com/whynne/art/Comic-
Trolls-98357844). DeviantArt. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20200220030016/https://w
ww.deviantart.com/whynne/art/Comic-Trolls-98357844) from the original on February 20, 2020.
Retrieved May 28, 2020.
7. Price, Rob (April 8, 2015). "How the creator of the 'trollface' meme turned an MS Paint cartoon
into a six-figure payday" (https://www.businessinsider.com/trollface-carlos-ramirez-100000-kota
ku-cartoon-meme-viral-success-2015-4). Business Insider. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
8. Macale, Sherilynn (September 30, 2011). "7 memes to know: Internet culture at its finest" (http
s://thenextweb.com/shareables/2011/09/30/7-memes-to-know-internet-culture-at-its-finest/).
The Next Web. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
9. "Trollface (Racist Versions)" (https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/trollface-r
acist-versions). Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
10. Whitehead, Thomas (March 4, 2015). "Copyright Owner of 'Trollface' Image Explains Role in
Getting Meme Run Taken Down" (http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/03/copyright_owner_
of_trollface_image_explains_role_in_getting_meme_run_taken_down). Nintendo Life.
Retrieved May 28, 2020.
11. Edwards, Phil (July 24, 2015). "5 faces you never realized were trademarked" (https://www.vox.
com/2015/7/24/9022381/trademarked-faces). Vox. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
12. "Museo del Meme estará abierto solo este fin de semana en la Ciudad de México" (https://ww
w.infobae.com/america/mexico/2018/12/08/museo-del-meme-esta-abierto-y-estara-abierto-solo
-este-fin-de-semana/). infobae (in Spanish). December 8, 2018. Archived (https://web.archive.or
g/web/20181209114007/https://www.infobae.com/america/mexico/2018/12/08/museo-del-mem
e-esta-abierto-y-estara-abierto-solo-este-fin-de-semana/) from the original on December 9,
2018. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
13. Eördögh, Fruzsina (March 3, 2020). "Problem? Turkish soccer fans protest rule change with
troll face" (https://web.archive.org/web/20200528102324/https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/pr
oblem-turkish-soccer-protest-troll-face/). The Daily Dot. Archived from the original (https://www.
dailydot.com/upstream/problem-turkish-soccer-protest-troll-face/) on May 28, 2020. Retrieved
May 28, 2020.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trollface&oldid=988999072"
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