Zoomed-in orange-tinted close-up of Obama's eyes with the caption 'THEN PERISH' in large white text

Then Perish

2017reaction image / catchphraseclassic

Published October 2, 2026

Then Perish is a dismissive catchphrase paired with a red-tinted image of former U.S. President Barack Obama, usually dropped into mock text message screenshots as a brutal retort to overly cute requests. It originated from a Tumblr role-play post in August 2017 and became a go-to reaction format for shutting down baby-talk pleas with maximum theatrical cruelty.

dismissal memes obama memes tumblr memes catchphrase memes celebrity reaction memes

Overview

The format pairs two elements: a cutesy, baby-talk opener (often written in hewwo-speak with letters swapped for Ws, like "pwease hewp me") and a cold reply consisting of the words "Then perish" alongside a red-filtered photo of Barack Obama staring stoically ahead1. The visual gag works because the Obama image reads as grim, judgmental, and completely out of proportion to whatever tiny request triggered it. The red tint pushes the picture past serious into melodramatic, giving the response the energy of a death sentence handed down over a lunch order3.

Variations swap the sender for cartoon characters, animals in distress, or video game sprites while keeping the Obama panel intact as the punchline. Posts regularly used the format on helpless subjects like a cute animal pleading for help from a washing machine5 or on characters from indie properties like Homestar Runner6. The joke is always the mismatch: the smaller and sweeter the plea, the funnier the flat refusal.

Origin & Background

Platform
Tumblr (viral spread)
Creator
Spooky-Grimwhoire
Date
2017

On August 17, 2017, Tumblr user Spooky-Grimwhoire posted a short role-play screenshot thread in which one character texts in exaggerated hewwo-speak and the other replies with the red-tinted Obama photo and the words "Then perish"1. The post picked up more than 133,000 notes on Tumblr3. The red filter and the specific stock photo of Obama became the fixed visual element every later remix would reuse.

Six days later, on August 23, 2017, Tumblr user Mindfulwrath reblogged a derivative version that read "honestly i'll do whatever you want" followed by the Obama image and "Then perish"2. That post climbed past 237,000 notes and pushed the format out of the original role-play thread into general Tumblr circulation3.

How It Spread

The jump off Tumblr happened on September 3, 2017, when Redditor urmomlolroasted posted screenshots of Mindfulwrath's version and its reblogs to r/tumblr, where it collected over 550 upvotes4. From there the Obama panel detached from its original caption and started getting pasted onto unrelated setups, with Tumblr users treating it as a reusable reaction image rather than a one-off joke3.

Two notable October 2017 remixes locked in the template. On October 22, Tumblr user chantosakura paired the image with a photo of a small animal trapped in a washing machine begging for rescue, and the post gained more than 83,000 notes5. Five days later, on October 27, tomatomagica rewrote the exchange using characters from the web cartoon Homestar Runner, hitting roughly 1,300 notes6. These versions proved the format worked with any helpless subject swapped into the first panel.

The meme stayed firmly in reaction-image territory rather than crossing into political commentary, since the Obama photo functioned as a visual mood rather than a reference to his politics3. Urban Dictionary entries from the period show the phrase getting detached from the image entirely and used as standalone slang for a flat dismissal7.

Timeline

2017-08-17

Tumblr user Spooky-Grimwhoire posts the original role-play screenshots featuring the red-tinted Obama image and "Then perish" reply, gathering over 133,000 notes.

2017-08-23

Tumblr user Mindfulwrath posts a derivative text version that gains more than 237,000 notes, pushing the format into wider Tumblr circulation.

2017-09-03

Redditor urmomlolroasted cross-posts Mindfulwrath's screenshot to r/tumblr, earning over 550 upvotes and extending reach beyond Tumblr.

2017-10-22

Tumblr user chantosakura applies the Obama panel to an image of a small animal stuck in a washing machine, racking up over 83,000 notes.

2017-10-27

Tumblr user tomatomagica remixes the format using Homestar Runner characters, scoring around 1,300 notes.

Frequently Asked Questions