# Then Perish 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. ## Origin 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 Tumblr[3]. 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 circulation[3]. - **Platform:** Tumblr (viral spread) - **Creator:** Spooky-Grimwhoire - **Date:** 2017 ## 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 ahead[1]. 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 order[3]. 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 machine[5] or on characters from indie properties like Homestar Runner[6]. The joke is always the mismatch: the smaller and sweeter the plea, the funnier the flat refusal. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Then Perish? Then Perish is a two-panel reaction meme that pairs a baby-talk text message with a red-tinted photo of Barack Obama and the reply "Then perish"[3]. ### Where did Then Perish come from? It originated on August 17, 2017, from a Tumblr role-play post by user Spooky-Grimwhoire that gained over 133,000 notes[1]. ### What does Then Perish mean? The phrase works as a theatrically cold dismissal, flatly refusing to help someone with a request in the most melodramatic way possible[7]. ### How do you use Then Perish? Typically, people recreate a text screenshot where one side sends a pleading or cutesy message in hewwo-speak and the other replies with the red Obama image captioned "Then perish"[5]. ### Is Then Perish still popular? The format is a classic Tumblr-era reaction image that still gets reused in remixes applying the Obama panel to new helpless subjects[6]. ## References 1. [https://web.archive.org/web/20171011032901/https://spooky-grimwhoire.tumblr.com/post/164287418504]() 2. [https://mindfulwrath.tumblr.com/post/164529836223/honestly-ill-do-whatever-you-want-then-perish]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/then-perish]() 4. [https://www.reddit.com/r/tumblr/comments/6xvjbe/then_perish/]() 5. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190204170850/http://chantosakura.tumblr.com:80/post/166663259947/memeberd-pwease-hewp-me-im-dwowning]() 6. [https://web.archive.org/web/20181118153137/http://tomatomagica.tumblr.com:80/post/166747215820/i-had-to-do-it-to-em]() 7. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Then%20Perish]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/then-perish Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library