# Skeleton War Skeleton War is an annual online event that turns October into a month-long skeleton posting spree, kicked off by a 2013 @dril tweet about being drafted into an undead army. What started as an absurdist Twitter joke turned into a Tumblr tradition that spread to Reddit, Buzzfeed and even a party game, becoming one of Halloween season's defining internet rituals. ## Origin The Skeleton War traces back to a July 27, 2013 tweet from Twitter user @dril reading, 'if your grave doesnt say "rest in peace" on it you are automatically drafted into the skeleton war[1].' The tweet accumulated thousands of retweets and likes over the following years and became one of @dril's more-quoted lines[1]. The joke did not become a seasonal event until October 2014, when Tumblr picked it up. On October 4, 2014, the Tumblr blog theskeletonwar published an explainer post treating the war as a genuine ongoing conflict, which pulled in over 30,000 notes within two weeks and effectively coded the format as an October thing[3]. - **Platform:** Twitter (source tweet) / Tumblr (viral spread) - **Creator:** @dril - **Date:** 2013 ## Overview Skeleton War is a yearly October ritual where users flood Tumblr, Reddit and Imgur with skeleton pictures, GIFs and jokes about being conscripted into an undead army. The bit hinges on treating skeletons like a real military faction, complete with battles, drafts and rival factions such as the so-called 'fuckboys' the skeletons are supposedly at war with[1][3]. The format is loose on purpose. Posts range from single-line jokes riffing on the original tweet to elaborate propaganda edits, skeleton reaction GIFs, and mock recruitment posters[2]. The Daily Dot described it as one of Tumblr's stranger seasonal in-jokes, tied to the site's broader love of 'spooky scary skeletons' and October posting culture[9]. Because there is no fixed template, participation is basically 'post a skeleton in October and tag it accordingly.' ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Skeleton War? An annual October event where users post skeleton images and jokes about being drafted into an undead army, popularized on Tumblr in the run-up to Halloween[2][3]. ### Where did Skeleton War come from? The phrase started with a July 27, 2013 tweet by @dril declaring anyone whose grave doesn't say 'rest in peace' is automatically drafted[1]. ### What does Skeleton War mean? Users treat the war as an ongoing fictional conflict between skeletons and, per one Urban Dictionary entry, 'the fuckboys,' framing October posting as recruitment for the skeleton side[4]. ### How do you use Skeleton War? Post a skeleton image, GIF or joke during October, often tagged 'skeleton war,' or riff on the draft framing from the original @dril tweet[1][6]. ### Is Skeleton War still popular? It became a recurring Tumblr and Imgur ritual through the mid-2010s, with a 2016 r/OutOfTheLoop thread still fielding questions about it and a 2017 Dark Souls edit racking up 18,000 views[8][10]. ## References 1. [https://twitter.com/dril/status/361282749086175234]() 2. [https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/tumblr-skeleton-war/]() 3. [http://theskeletonwar.tumblr.com/post/99172970643/the-skeleton-war-is-slowly-becoming-a-meme-and-i-have]() 4. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=skeleton%20war]() 5. [https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/2inivm/what_is_this_skeleton_war_going_on_right_now/]() 6. [http://sugoiiwara.tumblr.com/post/98864868405]() 7. [http://buzzfeed.tumblr.com/post/99319732397/whats-your-opinion-on-the-skeleton-war]() 8. [https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/54l68b/could_somebody_please_explain_the_skeleton_war/]() 9. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/skeleton-war]() 10. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RckbA-fdKJo]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/skeleton-war Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library