# 420 Blaze It > 420 Blaze It is a 2012 ironic image-macro meme pairing the cannabis slang "420" and "blaze" that transformed a sincere stoner rallying cry into widespread internet mockery of weed culture. "420 Blaze It" is a catchphrase celebrating marijuana smoking that became an ironic internet meme in 2012. The phrase combines "420," a decades-old cannabis culture code word originating from a group of California high school students in 1971, with the verb "blaze," slang for smoking. What started as a sincere stoner rallying cry on Tumblr quickly became a punchline used to mock weed culture stereotypes across Reddit, 4chan, and Facebook. ## Origin The number 420 itself traces back to 1971, when five students at San Rafael High School in California coined it as a code word. The group, who called themselves the "Waldos" because they hung out by a wall outside the school, originally used "4:20 Louis" to mark the time and place they'd meet near the Louis Pasteur statue to search for an abandoned cannabis crop[1]. After repeated failed searches, "4:20" simply became their shorthand for smoking weed. Steven Hager of *High Times* magazine later popularized the Waldos' story, with the first mention of 4:20 appearing in the magazine in May 1991[1]. The meme itself began with a Belgian comic. On October 20, 2011, the website for the Belgian magazine *Humo* published a single-panel comic depicting a father explaining to his daughter that she cannot contract AIDS from a mosquito bite[3]. On July 8, 2012, Tumblr user welcometothedankside posted an edited version of the comic, altering the dialogue so the father tells the six-year-old to "420 blaze it faggot"[3]. The post picked up over 48,300 notes within seven months. The phrase may also have roots in the song "Blaze it Up (420 Anthem)" by rappers K57, Bez Da Boss, and Akki Bo. A music video uploaded to YouTube on March 22, 2011, by user Anthony Jacob featured the track alongside scenes of marijuana use[3]. - **Platform:** Belgian magazine Humo (source comic), Tumblr (meme format) - **Creator:** welcometothedankside (Tumblr user, meme creator), Humo magazine (original comic) - **Date:** 2012 ## Overview "420 Blaze It" is a catchphrase built on the long-running association between the number 420 and cannabis culture[1]. In meme form, the phrase is almost always used ironically, poking fun at people who make marijuana consumption a core part of their identity[3]. The most recognizable version features a crude edit of a Belgian comic panel showing a father figure aggressively telling a child to smoke weed, captioned with "420 blaze it faggot." The phrase spread far beyond that single image, becoming a go-to punchline for absurdist humor, montage parodies, and shitposts throughout the early-to-mid 2010s. ## How It Spread The meme moved fast after the Tumblr post took off. On August 5, 2012, a Facebook page titled "420 Blaze it Fagut" appeared and picked up over 280 likes in six months[3]. Six days later, on August 11, Forum Korner member Aiden reposted welcometothedankside's comic in the site's marijuana subforum[3]. 4chan got hold of it by September 23, 2012, when an anonymous user posted a cropped image of the father's face from the comic to the /x/ (paranormal) board with the caption "420 blaze it faggot"[3]. The phrase found its biggest early audience on Reddit. On December 28, 2012, Redditor HoagieTime submitted a post to r/circlejerk joking that "420 blaze it" were the last words of Carl Sagan[3]. That post earned over 5,900 upvotes and 190 comments. By February 2013, r/circlejerk alone had over 300 posts containing the keywords "blaze it"[3]. The phrase also became a staple of montage parody videos on YouTube, where creators would layer MLG graphics, airhorn sound effects, and "420 blaze it" text over mundane footage for comedic effect. The ironic usage dominated. Most people posting "420 blaze it" online weren't celebrating weed; they were making fun of the people who would say it sincerely[3]. Meanwhile, the underlying 420 culture kept growing in the real world. April 20 became an international counterculture holiday with public gatherings in cities from San Francisco's "Hippie Hill" to London's Hyde Park[1]. In the U.S., highway departments started replacing Mile Marker 420 signs because they kept getting stolen. Colorado's Department of Transportation swapped its I-70 marker for one reading "419.99"[1]. ## How to Use The phrase works in a few common ways: - **As a standalone punchline:** Drop "420 blaze it" into any unrelated conversation for absurdist humor. The less appropriate the context, the funnier it lands. - **As an image macro:** Typically features the cropped comic father face, weed leaf graphics, or MLG-style editing with neon text reading "420 BLAZE IT." - **In montage parodies:** Layer the phrase (often in Impact font or with lens flare effects) over gameplay footage or mundane clips, alongside airhorns and hit markers. - **As ironic commentary:** Respond to anyone taking weed culture too seriously with a deadpan "420 blaze it" to signal you're mocking, not endorsing. The tone is almost always ironic. Using it sincerely marks you as exactly the type of person the meme makes fun of[3]. ## Cultural Impact The 420 Blaze It meme rode a wave of broader cultural shifts around cannabis. As marijuana legalization expanded across U.S. states in the 2010s, cannabis activist Steve DeAngelo noted in 2017 that "even if our activist work were complete, 420 morphs from a statement of conscience to a celebration of acceptance"[1]. The meme captured this transition perfectly: 420 was moving from countercultural code to mainstream punchline. The real-world 420 holiday grew alongside the meme's popularity. Annual gatherings at locations like Denver's Civic Center Park, Vancouver's Art Gallery, and the University of Colorado Boulder campus drew thousands[1]. Vivian McPeak, a founder of Seattle's Hempfest, described 4/20 as "half celebration and half call to action"[1]. The phrase also became a fixture of gaming culture through montage parodies, where "420 blaze it" was one of several running gags alongside "no scope" and MLG branding. This connected the stoner catchphrase to an entirely separate internet subculture that had little to do with actual marijuana use. ## Fun Facts - Colorado replaced its Mile Marker 420 sign on I-70 with one reading "419.99" because the original kept getting stolen[1]. - Idaho did the same thing on U.S. Highway 95, swapping mile marker 420 for 419.9[1]. - The Waldos, who coined "420" in 1971, got the term into wider circulation through the Grateful Dead. Waldo Dave Reddix became a roadie for Dead bassist Phil Lesh[1]. - The first *High Times* mention of 420 in 1991 incorrectly attributed its origin to a police code[1]. - Despite popular belief that fatal car crashes increase on April 20, further analysis found the evidence didn't support the claim[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is 420 Blaze It? "420 Blaze It" is a catchphrase referencing marijuana smoking that became an ironic internet meme in 2012. It's used mostly to mock stoner culture rather than celebrate it[3]. ### Where did 420 Blaze It come from? The meme version originated from a July 2012 Tumblr post by user welcometothedankside, who edited a Belgian comic panel to include the phrase "420 blaze it faggot"[3]. The number 420 itself dates to 1971 California high school students[1]. ### What does 420 Blaze It mean? Literally, it means "smoke marijuana" (420 being cannabis slang, "blaze" meaning to smoke). In meme usage, it's almost always ironic, mocking people who define themselves by weed culture[3][2]. ### How do you use 420 Blaze It? Drop the phrase ironically into unrelated contexts, pair it with MLG-style graphics in image edits, or use the cropped comic face as a reaction image. The humor comes from absurd overenthusiasm about weed[3]. ### Is 420 Blaze It still popular? The phrase peaked in the early-to-mid 2010s alongside montage parody culture. It's still widely recognized and used occasionally, but its peak ironic usage has passed, making it a classic meme from that era[3]. ### Who were the Waldos? Five students at San Rafael High School in California (Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich) who coined "4:20" in 1971 as a code for their after-school cannabis searches[1]. ### Why is 420 associated with weed? The Waldos chose 4:20 p.m. as their meeting time to search for an abandoned cannabis crop near their school. The term spread through Grateful Dead fan culture before *High Times* popularized it nationally[1]. ### What is April 20 (4/20)? April 20 is an international cannabis culture holiday featuring public gatherings and protests advocating for marijuana legalization, held in cities worldwide from San Francisco to London[1]. ### Why do highway 420 signs get stolen? Cannabis enthusiasts steal Mile Marker 420 signs as souvenirs. Multiple U.S. state transportation departments have replaced them with markers reading "419.99" or "419.9" to discourage theft[1]. ### What are montage parodies? A YouTube genre from the early-to-mid 2010s that layered MLG graphics, airhorns, hit markers, and phrases like "420 blaze it" over mundane footage. The genre was a major vehicle for spreading the catchphrase[3]. ## References 1. [Welcome to forumkorner.com]() 2. [420 Blaze It - Know Your Meme]() 3. [420 (cannabis culture)]() 4. [420 Blaze It - Urban Dictionary]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/420-blaze-it Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library