# Pot Boy Pot Friend > Pot Boy, or Pot Friend, is a 2021 character meme based on FromSoftware's Elden Ring walking pot creatures, which instantly won fans' hearts and sparked prolific fan art and memes. Pot Boy, also called Pot Friend, is a fan nickname for the walking pot creatures in FromSoftware's 2022 action RPG *Elden Ring*. The characters first appeared in the game's June 2021 gameplay reveal trailer and instantly won over the community, spawning a wave of fan art, memes, and the affectionate early nickname "Pot Goblin"[1]. The name "Pot Friend" was later coined by Geoff Keighley at the 2021 Game Awards, while "Pot Boy" emerged organically from social media[2]. ## Origin On June 10, 2021, FromSoftware released the gameplay reveal trailer for *Elden Ring*[2]. The trailer included a brief shot of two walking pot enemies, and the internet lost it. Within hours, fans on Twitter were posting reactions and fan art. User @VladaDraws shared fan art of the pot enemy that day, picking up over 470 retweets and 2,400 likes[2]. The community's first instinct was to name the creature. Early Twitter reactions latched onto "Pot Goblin," which Windows Central's Brendan Lowry called "downright hilarious"[1]. Multiple artists, including @Lumensflower, @ericcarpe_, @wildarrowart, @MakoDoodles, and @KoriKoritas, posted fan art within the first 24 hours of the trailer dropping[1]. By June 11, 2021, the name "potboy" had taken hold. The subreddit r/potboy was created that same day to collect memes and fan art about the creature[2]. - **Platform:** Twitter (fan reaction), YouTube (gameplay trailer) - **Creator:** Unknown (community-created from Elden Ring), Geoff Keighley (coined "Pot Friend") - **Date:** 2021 ## Overview The Pot Boy meme centers on a specific enemy design from *Elden Ring*: a large clay pot with stubby legs and long, lanky arms that walks around the game world[1]. These creatures, officially called Living Jars in-game, look absurd next to the dark fantasy setting FromSoftware is known for. That contrast between the grim world and the goofy pot with limbs is exactly what made the internet latch onto them so hard. The meme expanded further when players discovered Iron Fist Alexander, a friendly NPC who is himself a sentient pot. Alexander gets stuck in the ground at various points in the story and needs the player to whack him free[2]. Between the enemy Living Jars and the lovable Alexander, the pot characters became some of the most beloved figures in the entire *Elden Ring* fandom. ## How It Spread Fan art and memes about the Living Jars picked up steadily through the rest of 2021. Some players speculated the pots might function like Mimics from the *Dark Souls* series, appearing lifeless before attacking anyone who touched them[2]. On November 8, 2021, Redditor M_Snail posted art imagining a Living Jar and a Mimic as a family unit on r/potboy[2]. The meme hit a key milestone at the 2021 Game Awards. During the ceremony, a pot puppet was used to deliver the "Most Anticipated Game" award envelope to host Geoff Keighley. Keighley referred to the puppet as "my pot friend," giving the character its second major nickname[2]. As the game's January 2022 release approached, pot-related content kept flowing. On December 9, 2021, Redditor theboz2303 posted a "Mom Said It's My Turn On The Xbox" meme featuring a Living Jar on r/EldenRing, earning over 800 upvotes[2]. When *Elden Ring* finally launched on February 25, 2022, players met Iron Fist Alexander and fell in love all over again. Alexander's questline, where he keeps getting stuck and needs rescuing, gave the pot characters an emotional anchor beyond the goofy enemy design[2]. The combination of the silly enemy pots and the endearing Alexander cemented the Pot Boy as one of *Elden Ring*'s most iconic elements. ## How to Use Pot Boy memes typically fall into a few categories: - **Fan art:** Draw the pot characters in cute, wholesome, or absurd situations. The most common approach puts them in friendly scenarios despite being enemies in-game. - **Reaction images:** Use screenshots or fan art of the Living Jars or Alexander to express emotions like confusion, determination, or being stuck (literally or metaphorically). - **Object labeling:** Place the pot character in meme templates, labeling them to represent something the creator finds endearingly stupid or stubbornly lovable. - **Crossover art:** Pair the pot with other FromSoftware creatures like Mimics, or put them in non-*Elden Ring* contexts. The core joke usually plays on the contrast between the pot's goofy appearance and the brutal difficulty of FromSoftware games. The humor comes from treating these round little guys with outsized affection. ## Cultural Impact FromSoftware clearly noticed how much the community loved the pot design. The fact that a pot puppet appeared at the Game Awards to present an award showed the character had crossed from fan meme into official marketing[2]. The studio leaned into the joke rather than ignoring it. Windows Central noted that the Pot Goblin obsession was especially funny because "the Pot Goblin will probably murder players in an extremely grotesque and violent way," pointing out how fans were projecting friendliness onto what would almost certainly be a hostile enemy[1]. This dynamic, where the community adopts an enemy as a friend before the game even launches, was somewhat unusual for a FromSoftware title. The dedicated r/potboy subreddit grew to over 720 members by March 2022[2], a modest but dedicated community for a single enemy type from a game that had hundreds of creatures. ## Fun Facts - The very first fan nickname was "Pot Goblin," not "Pot Boy." The name shift happened gradually as the community settled on softer, more affectionate terms[1][2]. - The r/potboy subreddit was created just one day after the gameplay trailer dropped, on June 11, 2021[2]. - Geoff Keighley's casual phrase "my pot friend" during the 2021 Game Awards accidentally coined one of the character's two main nicknames[2]. - FromSoftware is known for bizarre enemy designs going back to the Mimics in *Dark Souls* and the Winter Lanterns in *Bloodborne*, but the walking pot might be the first one fans wanted to protect rather than fear[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Pot Boy / Pot Friend? Pot Boy and Pot Friend are fan nicknames for the walking pot creatures in *Elden Ring*, including both enemy Living Jars and the friendly NPC Iron Fist Alexander[2]. ### Where did Pot Boy come from? The meme started on June 10, 2021, when the *Elden Ring* gameplay reveal trailer showed two walking pot enemies, and fans immediately began creating art and memes about them[1]. ### What does Pot Boy mean? The name is a simple, affectionate label for the pot-shaped creatures in *Elden Ring*. "Pot Friend" specifically came from Geoff Keighley's comment at the 2021 Game Awards[2]. ### How do you use the Pot Boy meme? Most people create fan art of the pot characters in cute or absurd situations, or use images of them as reaction memes expressing emotions like determination or lovable stupidity[1]. ### Is Pot Boy still popular? The meme peaked around *Elden Ring*'s February 2022 launch. It still circulates within the FromSoftware fan community, particularly when new *Elden Ring* content is discussed[2]. ### What was the first nickname for the pot character? The community initially called it "Pot Goblin" after the June 2021 trailer, before "Pot Boy" and "Pot Friend" became the dominant names[1]. ### Who coined the name "Pot Friend"? Geoff Keighley used the phrase "my pot friend" during the 2021 Game Awards ceremony when a pot puppet delivered an award envelope[2]. ### What is Iron Fist Alexander? Iron Fist Alexander is a friendly NPC in *Elden Ring* who is a sentient pot. Players find him stuck in the ground at various points and must hit him to free him[2]. ### Is there a subreddit for Pot Boy? Yes, r/potboy was created on June 11, 2021, one day after the gameplay trailer. It had over 720 members by March 2022[2]. ### Are the pot creatures enemies or friends in Elden Ring? Both. The enemy versions, called Living Jars, attack players, while Iron Fist Alexander is a friendly NPC with his own questline[2]. ## References 1. [Elden Ring fans are going crazy for the 'Pot Goblin' enemy | Windows Central]() 2. [Pot Boy / Pot Friend - Know Your Meme]() 3. [Winnie-the-Pooh]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/pot-boy-pot-friend Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library