It is a catchphrase used by LeafyIsHere fans to spam YouTube comment sections, punning on 'leave a like' and tied to a running joke about Leafy being a reptile[1].

Where did Leaf a Like come from?

The reptile joke started with LeafyIsHere's August 2015 videos 'KIDS THAT YOUTUBE 2' and 'REPTILIANS', and the spam catchphrases took off that October[1].

What does Leaf a Like mean?

It is a play on 'leave a like' using Leafy's name, paired with 'Hisss' to invoke the reptilian in-joke about the YouTuber[2].

How do you use Leaf a Like?

Fans posted short reptile phrases like 'Hisss…' or 'Reptilian Brotherhood' as top comments on big YouTube videos and in Twitch chats during October 2015[1].

Is Leaf a Like still popular?

No, the spam wave burned out after October 2015 once Leafy addressed it publicly, and the catchphrase is now treated as a dated piece of YouTube comment lore[2].

Leaf a Like

2015catchphrasedead

Published September 5, 2026

Leaf a Like, also known as Hisss, is a spam catchphrase from fans of YouTuber LeafyIsHere who flooded comment sections in October 2015 with reptilian in-jokes. What started as fan art depicting Leafy as a lizard turned into one of YouTube's most disruptive comment-spam waves of the year, spilling onto Twitch chats and forcing streamers into subscriber-only mode.

comment culture memes catchphrase memes youtube culture memes trolling memes fandom discourse memes

Overview

Leaf a Like, also known as Hisss, is a family of catchphrases wielded by fans of drama commentary YouTuber LeafyIsHere to spam the comment sections of popular videos1. The tag operates as a pun on the standard YouTube 'leave a like' request, swapping in 'leaf' as a nod to Leafy's handle, while 'Hisss…' mimics the sound of a snake and plays off jokes about Leafy being a reptile2.

The wider joke family includes 'Reptilian Brotherhood' and 'Reptilian Army', both used as self-identifiers by fans piling into comment threads1. The tone was chaotic and territorial, often positioning Leafy's audience against other creators, and the phrases tended to appear as low-effort top comments rather than genuine engagement with the video underneath3.

Origin & Background

Platform

YouTube (comment spam)

Creator

LeafyIsHere fan community

Date

2015

The reptilian in-joke traces back to August 14, 2015, when LeafyIsHere uploaded a video titled 'KIDS THAT YOUTUBE 2' in which he riffed on conspiracy-theorist YouTubers and joked about them being reptilians1. He returned to the bit on August 24, 2015, with a video titled 'REPTILIANS' where he reacted to fan art on Twitter that depicted him as a lizard1.

Those two videos seeded the running gag, but the specific 'Leaf a Like' and 'Hisss' phrasings only crystallized once fans started weaponizing the joke in other creators' comment sections weeks later1.

How It Spread

Between October 12 and October 13, 2015, Leafy's fans flooded YouTube comment sections with 'Hisss', 'Reptilian Brotherhood', and 'Reptilian Army' spam, targeting large channels and often taking the top-comment slot with minimal likes1. The wave sometimes crossed into harassment, with commenters calling for rival YouTubers to be 'overthrown' for not being as good as Leafy1.

The spam quickly jumped to Twitch, where streams filled up with 'HISSSS…' messages until some broadcasters switched their chats to subscriber-only mode, only to find their subscribers were in on the joke too1. A short clip capturing the reaction to the spam circulated on Twitter that same week3, with a follow-up video going up two days later4.

On October 13, LeafyIsHere posted a response video addressing the spam, and on October 14 he appeared on a DramaAlert segment to explain the situation2. That same day he tweeted that he never told anyone to spam and compared the fan behavior to a cult forming around him1.

How to Use This Meme

The format is simple: drop a short reptile-coded phrase such as 'Hisss…', 'Leaf a Like', 'Reptilian Brotherhood', or 'Reptilian Army' into the comment section of a popular YouTube video or into a Twitch chat, typically with no other context1. The common convention was to post it early enough to land near the top of the comments, which made the spam more visible and the in-joke more annoying to viewers who did not follow Leafy1.

Frequently Asked Questions

References (5)