Let's See Who This Really Is

2017image macroclassic

Published September 5, 2026

Let's See Who This Really Is, also known as Scooby Doo Reveal, pulls a still from a 1969 Scooby-Doo episode where the gang unmasks a fake ghost and rebuilds it as a two-panel joke about which meme or character is secretly behind another. What began as a Twitter photoshop in July 2017 grew into a go-to format for calling out lookalikes, rip-offs, and recycled ideas across Reddit and Twitter.

exploitable templatestwo panel memeshidden identity memesphotoshop memes2017 memes

Overview

The gag works because the Scooby-Doo panel already sets up a reveal on its own. Editors swap the ghost for one meme, character, or franchise, then swap the unmasked face for whatever they claim is really underneath4. The joke lands when the true identity is either a well-known rip-off source, a recycled meme, or something absurd enough to feel like a punchline in itself2.

Most versions run as a stacked pair of panels or a small comic, keeping the yellow ghost mask and the Mystery Inc. gang intact for the reveal shot. Common targets are game series accused of copying Dark Souls, viral audio memes with unclear origins, and edits where the unmasker exposes a political figure or another meme in disguise3. The tone leans smug or accusatory, which fits the deadpan faces of the gang standing around the exposed villain.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter (source edit) / Reddit (viral spread)
Creator
@SmashBros_Nin
Date
2017

The source scene aired on September 27, 1969, in the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! episode Hassle in the Castle, where the gang catches an ex-magician named Bluestone the Great posing as a ghost4. The unmasking shot sat in cartoon reruns for decades before anyone turned it into an exploitable image macro.

The first widely shared photoshop came from Twitter user @SmashBros_Nin on July 16, 2017, who rebuilt the panel with Crash Bandicoot pulling the mask off a Dark Souls character as a callback to the It's Just Like Dark Souls joke1. That post set the two-image structure, with the reveal-panel treated as a punchline rather than a plot beat.

How It Spread

On October 11, 2017, r/dankmemes user alex2800 posted a version showing Pingu's Noot Noot being unmasked as the Skull Trumpet audio meme. Before the thread was archived, it pulled in over 4,300 points at 98% upvoted with 30 comments2. The audio-meme angle showed the format could work for sound memes, not just character rip-offs.

By April 18, 2018, the template jumped to r/MemeEconomy, where user Patterninterrupt posted a variant that unmasked Who Killed Hannibal? to reveal the Baton Roue dance-floor image underneath. The post gathered over 8,800 points and 100 comments in its first 24 hours at 83% upvoted3. After it hit r/MemeEconomy, other subreddits started tracking the format as a live template rather than a one-off joke.

Discussion kept going in smaller communities, including r/MGTOW, where users repurposed the panel for their own targets5. The layout kept its shape across every iteration, with the reveal always framed as an accusation of similarity or recycled content.

How to Use This Meme

The standard build is two panels or a short strip. Panel one shows something in the yellow ghost mask, panel two shows the mask coming off and a caption naming the real identity underneath. Creators typically keep the original Mystery Inc. characters in frame so the joke reads without extra text, and often add a short caption on the reveal panel to name the target.

Frequently Asked Questions

Let's See Who This Really Is

2017image macroclassic

Published September 5, 2026

Let's See Who This Really Is, also known as Scooby Doo Reveal, pulls a still from a 1969 Scooby-Doo episode where the gang unmasks a fake ghost and rebuilds it as a two-panel joke about which meme or character is secretly behind another. What began as a Twitter photoshop in July 2017 grew into a go-to format for calling out lookalikes, rip-offs, and recycled ideas across Reddit and Twitter.

exploitable templates two panel memes hidden identity memes photoshop memes 2017 memes

Overview

The gag works because the Scooby-Doo panel already sets up a reveal on its own. Editors swap the ghost for one meme, character, or franchise, then swap the unmasked face for whatever they claim is really underneath4. The joke lands when the true identity is either a well-known rip-off source, a recycled meme, or something absurd enough to feel like a punchline in itself2.

Most versions run as a stacked pair of panels or a small comic, keeping the yellow ghost mask and the Mystery Inc. gang intact for the reveal shot. Common targets are game series accused of copying Dark Souls, viral audio memes with unclear origins, and edits where the unmasker exposes a political figure or another meme in disguise3. The tone leans smug or accusatory, which fits the deadpan faces of the gang standing around the exposed villain.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter (source edit) / Reddit (viral spread)
Creator
@SmashBros_Nin
Date
2017

The source scene aired on September 27, 1969, in the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! episode Hassle in the Castle, where the gang catches an ex-magician named Bluestone the Great posing as a ghost4. The unmasking shot sat in cartoon reruns for decades before anyone turned it into an exploitable image macro.

The first widely shared photoshop came from Twitter user @SmashBros_Nin on July 16, 2017, who rebuilt the panel with Crash Bandicoot pulling the mask off a Dark Souls character as a callback to the It's Just Like Dark Souls joke1. That post set the two-image structure, with the reveal-panel treated as a punchline rather than a plot beat.

How It Spread

On October 11, 2017, r/dankmemes user alex2800 posted a version showing Pingu's Noot Noot being unmasked as the Skull Trumpet audio meme. Before the thread was archived, it pulled in over 4,300 points at 98% upvoted with 30 comments2. The audio-meme angle showed the format could work for sound memes, not just character rip-offs.

By April 18, 2018, the template jumped to r/MemeEconomy, where user Patterninterrupt posted a variant that unmasked Who Killed Hannibal? to reveal the Baton Roue dance-floor image underneath. The post gathered over 8,800 points and 100 comments in its first 24 hours at 83% upvoted3. After it hit r/MemeEconomy, other subreddits started tracking the format as a live template rather than a one-off joke.

Discussion kept going in smaller communities, including r/MGTOW, where users repurposed the panel for their own targets5. The layout kept its shape across every iteration, with the reveal always framed as an accusation of similarity or recycled content.

How to Use This Meme

The standard build is two panels or a short strip. Panel one shows something in the yellow ghost mask, panel two shows the mask coming off and a caption naming the real identity underneath. Creators typically keep the original Mystery Inc. characters in frame so the joke reads without extra text, and often add a short caption on the reveal panel to name the target.

Frequently Asked Questions