# Shitty Charmander Shitty Charmander is a poorly inked homemade tattoo of the Pokemon Charmander that went viral in April 2015 after a photo of it hit Reddit. Done by a drunk 27-year-old on Xanax with no artistic training, the crude image spawned days of fan art, mock merchandise, and a lasting nickname for any so-bad-it's-good drawing. ## Origin On April 14th, 2015, Reddit user Yllwsnow2 posted a photo of the tattoo to r/funny with the caption saying his friend was "drunk and on Xanax when he decided to tattoo a black face Charmander with no experience or artistic ability" and adding that "the flame saves it"[1]. The image climbed past 2.4 million views on Imgur inside 48 hours, and the Reddit post reached the front page with more than 5,108 points and 1,200 comments[4]. The tattooer, a 27-year-old friend of the poster, later admitted he woke up regretting it and asked why nobody stopped him, to which Yllwsnow2 replied that they had tried multiple times[2]. - **Platform:** Reddit / Imgur (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown (anonymous 27-year-old tattooer, posted by Reddit user Yllwsnow2) - **Date:** 2015 ## Overview The image shows the Fire-type starter Charmander with a solid black face, jagged outlines, no color fill, and a shrunken tail flame that fans agreed was the only redeeming detail of the piece[1]. Reddit commenters compared it to a Tim Burton-styled Charmander fan drawing by Tumblr artist Hatboy, joking that the tattoo looked less like a mistake and more like an intentional goth redesign[4]. The format that grew around Shitty Charmander treated the crude drawing as if it were legitimate character art. Users digitized the tattoo, dropped it into official-looking Pokemon merch mockups, and produced hoodies, water bottles, T-shirts, car decals, and framed prints of the image[3]. The tattoo also picked up the alternate names Shitmander, Shartmander, and Sharmander, with jokes usually treating the messy drawing with the reverence normally reserved for polished fan work[2]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Shitty Charmander? It's the nickname for a badly self-inked tattoo of the Pokemon Charmander, given by a drunk friend in April 2015, that went viral on Reddit[1]. ### Where did Shitty Charmander come from? Reddit user Yllwsnow2 posted the photo to r/funny on April 14th, 2015, and it hit over 2.4 million Imgur views within 48 hours[4]. ### What does Shitty Charmander mean? It refers both to the specific tattoo and to the wider joke that its ugly, black-faced design is charming in a Tim Burton-styled, so-bad-it's-good way[2]. ### How do you use Shitty Charmander? Fans typically remix the crude drawing onto mock merch like hoodies, decals, and framed prints, often with a straight-faced "I don't know why, but..." caption[3]. ### Is Shitty Charmander still popular? It's a classic 2015 viral moment tied to that one tattoo rather than an active format, though the r/shartmander subreddit and the Shartmander nickname preserve the joke[4]. ## References 1. [https://metro.co.uk/2015/04/16/man-gets-drunk-inks-worst-ever-pokemon-tattoo-on-his-stomach-5153506/]() 2. [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/weird-news/this-is-what-happens-when-you-tattoo-charmander-from-pokemon-on-yourself-with-no-experience-10180370.html]() 3. [https://www.complex.com/style/2015/04/man-gets-awful-pokemon-tattoo-while-drunk-and-high-on-xanax]() 4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/shitty-charmander]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/shitty-charmander Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library