Hmm Today I Will

2010Multi-panel comic / exploitable templatesemi-active

Also known as: Today I Will Listen to Some X · Clueless · Boye

Hmm Today I Will is a 2010 multi-panel comic meme featuring crude MS Paint stick figures declaring intentions before facing immediate catastrophic consequences.

Hmm Today I Will is a multi-panel comic meme featuring a crudely drawn MS Paint stick figure who confidently declares an intention, only to face immediate and often catastrophic consequences. The format originated on 4chan's /mu/ (music) board in early February 2010, initially as jokes about listening to specific bands1. After years as a niche imageboard format, the meme experienced a major revival in 2018 when ironic meme communities on Instagram and Reddit's r/okbuddyretard adopted and remixed it into increasingly absurdist territory2.

ms paint memesplan goes wrong memesrage comics4chan memesironic memes

Overview

The standard Hmm Today I Will comic follows a simple two-to-four panel structure. In the first panel, a white stick figure with an oversized head and a smug, contented expression announces his plan: "Hmm today I will [do something]." The subsequent panel shows the disastrous result, with the character crushed, vaporized, or psychologically destroyed3. The art style is deliberately crude, drawn in MS Paint with squiggly lines and no perspective2. The stick figure character is sometimes referred to as "Boye" within the meme community2.

What makes the format work is the sharp contrast between the character's blissful confidence in panel one and total devastation in panel two. The drawing's minimalism makes it easy for anyone with a mouse to create their own version, keeping the barrier to entry extremely low2.

The earliest known "Hmmm Today I Will" image threads appeared on 4chan's /mu/ (music) board in early February 20101. These original comics followed a specific pattern: the stick figure would announce he was going to listen to a particular band, then the next panels showed him transforming, often adopting the dress codes and behaviors stereotypically associated with that band's fanbase1. Similar image threads kept surfacing on 4chan and related forums throughout the summer of 20101.

The format was part of the broader Rage Comic ecosystem that dominated early 2010s meme culture, though Boye's specific visual style and setup-punchline structure set it apart from Trollface or Forever Alone guy2.

Origin & Background

Platform
4chan /mu/ board
Creator
Unknown
Date
2010

The earliest known "Hmmm Today I Will" image threads appeared on 4chan's /mu/ (music) board in early February 2010. These original comics followed a specific pattern: the stick figure would announce he was going to listen to a particular band, then the next panels showed him transforming, often adopting the dress codes and behaviors stereotypically associated with that band's fanbase. Similar image threads kept surfacing on 4chan and related forums throughout the summer of 2010.

The format was part of the broader Rage Comic ecosystem that dominated early 2010s meme culture, though Boye's specific visual style and setup-punchline structure set it apart from Trollface or Forever Alone guy.

How It Spread

Most early instances of the meme originated from 4chan's /mu/ board and spread through blog posts and social bookmarking sites that shared "Today I Will Listen to X" images. For several years the format stayed relatively niche, circulating primarily among imageboard communities.

The meme's second life began in 2018, when ironic meme communities discovered and repurposed the format. Instagram meme pages and Reddit's r/okbuddyretard subreddit drove a wave of new Hmm Today I Will comics, but these versions diverged sharply from the music-themed originals. Instead of band-specific jokes, the 2018 wave pushed into post-ironic and absurdist territory. Boye wasn't just listening to music anymore. He was "walking into the fourth dimension" or "becoming a victim of the inevitable heat death of the universe". The humor became more abstract, reflecting the growing appetite for surreal and existential comedy in late 2010s internet culture.

A dedicated subreddit, r/hmmtodayiwill, also formed as a hub for new creations and variations.

How to Use This Meme

Creating a Hmm Today I Will comic typically follows this pattern:

1

Panel 1: Draw a simple stick figure with an oversized round head and a calm, slightly smug expression. Add the text "Hmm today I will [action]." The action should sound innocent or mundane.

2

Panel 2: Show the catastrophic or absurd result. The stick figure is often distorted, destroyed, or overwhelmed. The more extreme the contrast with panel one, the better the joke lands.

Fun Facts

The stick figure character's unofficial name "Boye" emerged from the community rather than from any original creator.

Despite being a spinoff of the Rage Comic era, Hmm Today I Will outlived most of its contemporaries like Trollface and Forever Alone because the format was too simple and too adaptable to become dated.

The meme's visual "jankiness" is intentional and essential. Versions drawn too cleanly or with professional tools tend to flop because they lose the amateur charm that defines the format.

Unlike Pepe the Frog, the Boye character avoided political co-option, largely because the format's humor is too absurd and self-deprecating to serve any serious agenda.

Derivatives & Variations

Clueless variant:

The character confidently enters an obviously bad situation ("Hmm today I will look at the comments on this controversial news article") and is immediately destroyed by the result[2].

Music subculture edits:

The original format, where listening to a specific band causes the character to adopt that genre's stereotypical appearance and mannerisms[1].

Existential/surreal edits:

Post-2018 versions where the consequences are cosmic or philosophical rather than physical, reflecting the ironic meme wave's influence[2].

Frequently Asked Questions

Hmm Today I Will

2010Multi-panel comic / exploitable templatesemi-active

Also known as: Today I Will Listen to Some X · Clueless · Boye

Hmm Today I Will is a 2010 multi-panel comic meme featuring crude MS Paint stick figures declaring intentions before facing immediate catastrophic consequences.

Hmm Today I Will is a multi-panel comic meme featuring a crudely drawn MS Paint stick figure who confidently declares an intention, only to face immediate and often catastrophic consequences. The format originated on 4chan's /mu/ (music) board in early February 2010, initially as jokes about listening to specific bands. After years as a niche imageboard format, the meme experienced a major revival in 2018 when ironic meme communities on Instagram and Reddit's r/okbuddyretard adopted and remixed it into increasingly absurdist territory.

ms paint memes plan goes wrong memes rage comics 4chan memes ironic memes

Overview

The standard Hmm Today I Will comic follows a simple two-to-four panel structure. In the first panel, a white stick figure with an oversized head and a smug, contented expression announces his plan: "Hmm today I will [do something]." The subsequent panel shows the disastrous result, with the character crushed, vaporized, or psychologically destroyed. The art style is deliberately crude, drawn in MS Paint with squiggly lines and no perspective. The stick figure character is sometimes referred to as "Boye" within the meme community.

What makes the format work is the sharp contrast between the character's blissful confidence in panel one and total devastation in panel two. The drawing's minimalism makes it easy for anyone with a mouse to create their own version, keeping the barrier to entry extremely low.

The earliest known "Hmmm Today I Will" image threads appeared on 4chan's /mu/ (music) board in early February 2010. These original comics followed a specific pattern: the stick figure would announce he was going to listen to a particular band, then the next panels showed him transforming, often adopting the dress codes and behaviors stereotypically associated with that band's fanbase. Similar image threads kept surfacing on 4chan and related forums throughout the summer of 2010.

The format was part of the broader Rage Comic ecosystem that dominated early 2010s meme culture, though Boye's specific visual style and setup-punchline structure set it apart from Trollface or Forever Alone guy.

Origin & Background

Platform
4chan /mu/ board
Creator
Unknown
Date
2010

The earliest known "Hmmm Today I Will" image threads appeared on 4chan's /mu/ (music) board in early February 2010. These original comics followed a specific pattern: the stick figure would announce he was going to listen to a particular band, then the next panels showed him transforming, often adopting the dress codes and behaviors stereotypically associated with that band's fanbase. Similar image threads kept surfacing on 4chan and related forums throughout the summer of 2010.

The format was part of the broader Rage Comic ecosystem that dominated early 2010s meme culture, though Boye's specific visual style and setup-punchline structure set it apart from Trollface or Forever Alone guy.

How It Spread

Most early instances of the meme originated from 4chan's /mu/ board and spread through blog posts and social bookmarking sites that shared "Today I Will Listen to X" images. For several years the format stayed relatively niche, circulating primarily among imageboard communities.

The meme's second life began in 2018, when ironic meme communities discovered and repurposed the format. Instagram meme pages and Reddit's r/okbuddyretard subreddit drove a wave of new Hmm Today I Will comics, but these versions diverged sharply from the music-themed originals. Instead of band-specific jokes, the 2018 wave pushed into post-ironic and absurdist territory. Boye wasn't just listening to music anymore. He was "walking into the fourth dimension" or "becoming a victim of the inevitable heat death of the universe". The humor became more abstract, reflecting the growing appetite for surreal and existential comedy in late 2010s internet culture.

A dedicated subreddit, r/hmmtodayiwill, also formed as a hub for new creations and variations.

How to Use This Meme

Creating a Hmm Today I Will comic typically follows this pattern:

1

Panel 1: Draw a simple stick figure with an oversized round head and a calm, slightly smug expression. Add the text "Hmm today I will [action]." The action should sound innocent or mundane.

2

Panel 2: Show the catastrophic or absurd result. The stick figure is often distorted, destroyed, or overwhelmed. The more extreme the contrast with panel one, the better the joke lands.

Fun Facts

The stick figure character's unofficial name "Boye" emerged from the community rather than from any original creator.

Despite being a spinoff of the Rage Comic era, Hmm Today I Will outlived most of its contemporaries like Trollface and Forever Alone because the format was too simple and too adaptable to become dated.

The meme's visual "jankiness" is intentional and essential. Versions drawn too cleanly or with professional tools tend to flop because they lose the amateur charm that defines the format.

Unlike Pepe the Frog, the Boye character avoided political co-option, largely because the format's humor is too absurd and self-deprecating to serve any serious agenda.

Derivatives & Variations

Clueless variant:

The character confidently enters an obviously bad situation ("Hmm today I will look at the comments on this controversial news article") and is immediately destroyed by the result[2].

Music subculture edits:

The original format, where listening to a specific band causes the character to adopt that genre's stereotypical appearance and mannerisms[1].

Existential/surreal edits:

Post-2018 versions where the consequences are cosmic or philosophical rather than physical, reflecting the ironic meme wave's influence[2].

Frequently Asked Questions