# Business Baby

> Business Baby is a 2014 image-macro meme featuring a stern-looking toddler speaking on a toy phone at breakfast, captioned as a serious corporate executive.

Business Baby is an image macro meme from February 2014 featuring a stern-looking toddler eating breakfast while appearing to talk on a red toy phone. The photo was posted to Reddit by user C0LDBLUERIBB0N and quickly spawned captions imagining the baby as a no-nonsense corporate executive handling serious business calls[2].

## Origin
The original photo was taken of a young boy eating breakfast and uploaded to Facebook on a Monday night in February 2014[1]. A friend of the family, Reddit user C0LDBLUERIBB0N, saw the photo and posted it to Reddit with permission from the baby's father[1]. The image caught fire almost immediately thanks to the boy's unusually serious expression[2].

According to BuzzFeed, the baby's dad was fine with the photo being posted to Reddit initially but found it strange when his son's face started appearing all over the internet[1]. Mashable described the meme as a cross between Business Cat and Success Kid, two established image macros that Business Baby drew obvious comparisons to[2].

- **Platform:** Facebook (source photo), Reddit (meme format)
- **Creator:** C0LDBLUERIBB0N (Reddit poster, friend of the family)
- **Date:** 2014

## Overview
Business Baby uses a single photograph of a young boy sitting at a breakfast table with a serious, almost irritated expression on his face. He appears to be holding or near a red toy phone, which became the central joke: captions frame the baby as a hard-nosed businessperson fielding important calls. The humor comes from placing adult corporate dialogue over a toddler's mundane breakfast scene[2].

The format follows standard image macro conventions with white Impact font text, usually with a setup line at the top and a punchline at the bottom. Most captions revolve around the baby negotiating deals, demanding diaper changes in corporate lingo, or making stern demands over the phone[2].

## How It Spread
Reddit users latched onto the photo and began flooding the site with captioned versions. The joke coalesced quickly around the red toy phone: users imagined what the baby might be saying during his very important call[2]. Popular captions included scenarios like negotiating "one-figure business deals," demanding someone "put a round peg in a square hole," and calling someone to change his diaper[2].

Mashable covered the meme on February 18, 2014, calling it "the hottest new meme of 2014"[2]. BuzzFeed also picked up the story, framing it as a cautionary tale for parents who post funny photos of their kids on Facebook[1]. The coverage pushed Business Baby beyond Reddit into broader internet awareness, though it never reached the lasting cultural footprint of its inspirations like Success Kid.

## How to Use
Business Baby follows a straightforward image macro template:
1. Use the original photo of the stern baby at the breakfast table
2. Add a top line setting up a business scenario (meeting, phone call, negotiation)
3. Add a bottom punchline that reveals the "business" is actually something a toddler would do

## Fun Facts
- The baby's father gave permission for the Reddit post but was reportedly "weirded out" when his son went viral[1].
- Mashable explicitly compared Business Baby to both Business Cat and Success Kid, placing it in a lineage of "serious expression" image macros[2].
- BuzzFeed used the meme as a warning to parents: "If you take a funny photo of your baby and put it on Facebook... there is a very good chance that strangers will write things on it"[1].
- Nobody ever found out what actually had the baby making that face at his cereal[2].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Business Baby?
Business Baby is an image macro meme featuring a stern-faced toddler at a breakfast table who appears to be making serious business phone calls on a red toy phone[2].

### Where did Business Baby come from?
The original photo was posted to Facebook by the baby's family, then shared to Reddit by family friend C0LDBLUERIBB0N in February 2014[1].

### What does Business Baby mean?
The meme imagines a toddler as a tough corporate executive. Captions apply business jargon to baby situations for comedic contrast[2].

### How do you use Business Baby?
Add top and bottom text to the original photo, framing the baby's stern expression as a reaction to some corporate scenario or important phone call[2].

### Is Business Baby still popular?
No. Business Baby peaked in early 2014 and faded as newer image macros took over. It's a recognizable artifact of mid-2010s meme culture but rarely gets new content[2].

### Who is the baby in Business Baby?
The baby's identity was never publicly revealed. His father gave permission for the Reddit post but was uncomfortable with the viral attention[1].

### Did the baby's parents consent to the meme?
The father was OK with the photo being posted to Reddit by a family friend, though he was "definitely weirded out" by how far it spread[1].

## References
1. [This Is What Happens When You Upload A Funny Photo Of Your Baby To Facebook](<https://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/the-internet-turned-this-baby-into-a-meme-after-a-photo-of-h>)
2. [Reddit's Newest Meme is All Business, Baby | Mashable](<https://mashable.com/2014/02/18/reddit-meme-business-baby/>)
3. [6-7 meme](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6-7_meme>)
4. [Business Baby - Urban Dictionary](<https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Business%20Baby>)

---
Source: https://meme.com/memes/business-baby
Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library