# They Did Surgery on a Grape > They Did Surgery on a Grape is a 2018 absurdist copypasta and image meme built around a deadpan phrase from a 2010 da Vinci Surgical System demonstration that became an endlessly repeatable viral punchline. "They Did Surgery On a Grape" is an absurdist copypasta and image meme that went viral in November 2018, based on a 2010 video of the da Vinci Surgical System peeling a grape to demonstrate its precision. The phrase, stripped of all context, became an endlessly repeatable punchline that spawned Photoshops, crossover memes, and brand participation across Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit. Its appeal came from the sheer vagueness and deadpan delivery of the statement itself. ## Origin On August 11, 2010, Edward Hospital in Naperville, Illinois uploaded a YouTube video showing the da Vinci Surgical System peeling a grape to demonstrate its capabilities[4]. The video sat mostly unnoticed for years. On July 31, 2017, Cheddar, a business and tech media outlet, tweeted an edited version of the Edward Hospital footage with the on-screen caption "They did surgery on a grape"[4]. Producer Max Godnick wrote that now-iconic line as a simple subtitle[8]. Removed from the context of robotic surgery demonstrations, the sentence was accidentally hilarious. On January 16, 2018, Instagram user @elimgaraks posted what Know Your Meme identifies as the earliest known usage of the phrase as a meme, picking up over 1,200 likes[4]. The real explosion came on November 19, 2018, when Instagram meme account @simpledorito posted a screenshot from the Cheddar video with the caption "They did surgery on a grape." The post earned over 4,000 likes and kicked off a viral wave[13]. - **Platform:** Instagram (@simpledorito viral post), YouTube (2010 source video by Edward Hospital) - **Creator:** Max Godnick (Cheddar video producer, wrote the caption), @simpledorito (Instagram account that created the viral screenshot), @elimgaraks (earliest known meme usage) - **Date:** 2018 ## Overview The meme revolves around a single sentence: "They did surgery on a grape." The phrase comes from a screenshot of a Cheddar video showing the da Vinci Surgical System, a robotic surgery tool manufactured by Intuitive Surgical, delicately peeling a grape's skin[1]. Out of context, the caption reads like a bizarre non sequitur, which is exactly what made it funny. People repeated the phrase obsessively, layered it into other meme formats, Photoshopped grapes into hospital scenarios, and wished the grape a speedy recovery[2]. The da Vinci system itself is a real piece of medical technology. FDA-approved in 2000 and developed by Intuitive Surgical, it allows surgeons to perform minimally invasive operations using tiny robotic instruments controlled from a console[13]. Hospitals use grape demonstrations to show off the system's precision, since peeling and stitching something that small requires extraordinary dexterity[5]. The meme turned this legitimate medical showcase into internet comedy gold. ## How It Spread Two days after @simpledorito's post, on November 21, 2018, Twitter user @ScummyR tweeted an edited version of the screenshot with "they did surgery on a grape" written across it multiple times. That tweet pulled in over 9,700 retweets and 46,000 likes within eight days[4]. @simpledorito reshared the image on Instagram the following day, and it hit Reddit's r/dank_meme with over 13,000 upvotes[4]. From there, the phrase became inescapable. Twitter user @sunlitjhs posted a Photoshopped parody that earned 6,600 retweets and 32,000 likes[4]. @TheToddWilliams merged it with the Trump Yelling at Lawn-Mowing Boy format for another 1,600 retweets and 10,000 likes[6]. Adam the Creator posted a Tom Hanks version that hit 34,000 likes[4]. A dedicated subreddit appeared and gained over 440 subscribers in its first week[13]. The meme crossed over with other trending formats. People mashed it up with the "Don't Say It" meme, the ranking meme, horoscope memes, and the "coma patient" template[3]. A Twitter account called @SurgeryOnA was created with the display name "They Did" and simply posted the word "Grape," earning tens of thousands of shares[12]. Australian writer David Hughes wrote a viral thread that began "There was a grape" and concluded "And they did surgery on it"[2]. Meanwhile, footage from Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne resurfaced. Dr. Declan Murphy, the hospital's Director of Robotic Surgery, had filmed a grape operation for an Australian children's show earlier in 2018 to introduce kids to surgical technology[2]. He told BBC Three the grape was called "Grapey McGrapeface" and described his bewilderment when his Twitter feed blew up months after the original tweet[7]. On November 23, 2018, Seth Everman parodied the meme's format by creating a similar text-heavy image reading "He Played Piano Like an Epic Sir," racking up over 4,800 retweets on Twitter and 29,000 notes on Tumblr[4]. This meta-parody highlighted how the meme's humor came not from the content but from the repetition itself. ## How to Use The meme thrives on absurd repetition and inserting the phrase where it does not belong. The humor comes from the relentless, context-free repetition. 1. Post 'they did surgery on a grape' as a caption, comment, or reply to anything — the humor comes from inserting it where it does not belong 2. Photoshop grapes into medical situations: hospital beds, waiting rooms, post-surgery recovery scenes 3. Cross the phrase with other meme templates: ranking lists, horoscopes, 'don't say it' formats 4. For the text-heavy variant, layer 'they did surgery on a grape' across an image dozens of times — works best on unrelated images for maximum absurdity ## Cultural Impact The meme drew coverage from major outlets including BBC Three, BuzzFeed, The Daily Dot, and The Cut within its first week of virality[2][13][3][8]. Multiple brands including Wendy's and Burger King UK incorporated the phrase into their social media, with Wendy's using it to defend fry-dipping habits[13][6]. Dr. Declan Murphy, the Australian surgeon whose grape operation video got swept into the meme, told BBC Three that each da Vinci machine costs roughly £1.5 million and that only ten existed in the UK at the time[7]. The meme inadvertently raised public awareness of robotic surgery technology, even if most people engaging with it had zero interest in medical robotics. Wikipedia created a dedicated "Grape surgery" article covering both the meme and the legitimate medical applications of grapes in surgical training[5]. The academic angle noted grapes serve as low-cost alternatives to virtual reality simulators and cadaver eyes in ophthalmology training. ## Fun Facts - The original grape surgery video sat on YouTube for over eight years before becoming a meme[13]. - The Cheddar producer who wrote the fateful caption was Max Godnick[8]. - Dr. Declan Murphy named the grape in his Australian demonstration video "Grapey McGrapeface"[2]. - Grapes are used as legitimate surgical training models because their skin has similar mechanical tension to the lens capsule of the human eye[5]. - Intuitive Surgical, the company behind the da Vinci system, had set aside $67 million by 2014 to settle product-liability claims related to the device[9]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is "They Did Surgery On a Grape"? It's an absurdist copypasta meme from November 2018 based on a screenshot of a Cheddar video showing the da Vinci Surgical System peeling a grape. The phrase went viral through sheer repetition and lack of context[13]. ### Where did "They Did Surgery On a Grape" come from? The source footage was uploaded by Edward Hospital in Naperville, Illinois on August 11, 2010. Cheddar repackaged it in July 2017 with the caption, and Instagram account @simpledorito made it go viral on November 19, 2018[4]. ### What does "They Did Surgery On a Grape" mean? It means exactly what it says. Surgeons used a robotic system to peel and stitch a grape's skin to demonstrate the machine's precision. The humor comes from the phrase's deadpan vagueness when stripped of context[8]. ### How do you use "They Did Surgery On a Grape"? Post the phrase as a reply, caption, or standalone statement. More creative uses involve Photoshopping grapes into hospital scenarios or crossing the phrase with other meme formats like ranking lists or horoscopes[3]. ### Is "They Did Surgery On a Grape" still popular? The meme peaked in late November 2018 and burned out quickly. It's occasionally referenced as a callback to 2018 internet culture but is no longer actively spreading[13]. ### Who wrote the original caption? Max Godnick, a producer at Cheddar, wrote "They did surgery on a grape" as an on-screen subtitle for the 2017 video[8]. ### What is the da Vinci Surgical System? It's a robotic surgical system made by Intuitive Surgical, FDA-approved in 2000, used for minimally invasive procedures like hysterectomies and prostate removals. A surgeon controls it from a console[13]. ### What hospital filmed the original grape surgery? Edward Hospital in Naperville, Illinois filmed the 2010 demonstration video. A second widely shared video came from Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia in 2018[2][4]. ### Who was the Australian grape surgeon? Dr. Declan Murphy, Director of Robotic Surgery at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, performed the grape operation for an Australian children's show. He named the grape "Grapey McGrapeface"[7]. ### Did any brands participate in the meme? Yes. Wendy's tweeted "No one can ever say dipping fries in your Frosty is weird again. They did surgery on a grape." Burger King UK posted "They did surgery on a Whopper"[13][6]. ### Is the da Vinci system safe? The system has been the subject of lawsuits and was featured in the Netflix documentary *The Bleeding Edge* for complications including infections. Intuitive Surgical set aside $67 million by 2014 for product-liability settlements[9]. ### What was Seth Everman's parody? On November 23, 2018, Everman created a text-heavy image reading "He Played Piano Like an Epic Sir" in the same style as the grape meme, earning 4,800 retweets and 29,000 Tumblr notes[4]. ## References 1. ['They Did Surgery On A Grape' Meme Takes Over Twitter]() 2. [New meme alert: Did you know they did surgery on a grape? - BBC Three]() 3. ["They Did Surgery On A Grape" Is Now A Meme Because 2018 Is Ridiculous]() 4. [They Did Surgery On a Grape - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Grape surgery]() 6. [They Did Surgery On a Grape - Urban Dictionary]() 7. [Grape Meme: What is it and Why is it All Over Your Social Media Timeline? | Buzz News - News18]() 8. [New meme alert: Did you know they did surgery on a grape? - BBC Three]() 9. [Why Is Everyone Saying ‘They Did Surgery On A Grape"?]() 10. ["They Did Surgery on a Grape" Meme Began With Legally Suspect Medical Tool]() 11. [They Did Surgery On a Grape, Explained: What is the New Grape Meme? - Thrillist]() 12. [He played piano like an epic sir < Seth Everman]() 13. [They did surgery on a grape: Peculiar meme takes over social media | Irish Independent]() 14. ['They Did Surgery On A Grape' Meme Takes Over Twitter]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/they-did-surgery-on-a-grape Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library