This Poster Is A Skeleton

2014Image macro / forum weaponsemi-active

Also known as: Do Not Trust What He Says · This Poster Is a [X]

This Poster Is A Skeleton is a 2014 4chan image macro with a downward arrow proclaiming "do not trust what he says," remixed endlessly across imageboards with different accusations.

"This Poster Is a Skeleton" is a 4chan image macro featuring a downward-pointing arrow and the warning "this poster is a skeleton / do not trust what he says." First posted in August 2014, the format became a go-to forum weapon on imageboards, letting users mock whoever posted directly below them by labeling them as something untrustworthy. The template's flexibility made it easy to remix with different characters and accusations.

4chan memesexploitable templatessnowclone memestrolling memesimageboard memes

Overview

The meme is a simple image macro built around a downward-pointing arrow and a two-line caption following the pattern "This poster is a [X] / Do not trust what he says"3. The arrow points to whatever post appears directly below it in a thread, making the insult land on the next person to reply. The original version accuses the next poster of being a skeleton, implying they're somehow inhuman and therefore unreliable3.

What makes the format work is its placement-dependent humor. On imageboards like 4chan, where posts stack vertically, the arrow creates an automatic call-and-response. You don't even need to know who's going to reply next. The joke writes itself.

On August 13, 2014, an anonymous user posted the original image macro to a 4chan thread3. The macro featured a simple downward-pointing arrow with the caption "This poster is a skeleton / Do not trust what he says." That same day, a screenshot of the thread was captured and submitted to the r/4chan subreddit on Reddit1.

The image's design was deliberately bare-bones (no pun intended). Just an arrow, two lines of text, and the implication that whatever the next poster said was suspect because they were secretly a skeleton. The stripped-down format made it instantly remixable.

Origin & Background

Platform
4chan
Creator
Unknown
Date
2014

On August 13, 2014, an anonymous user posted the original image macro to a 4chan thread. The macro featured a simple downward-pointing arrow with the caption "This poster is a skeleton / Do not trust what he says." That same day, a screenshot of the thread was captured and submitted to the r/4chan subreddit on Reddit.

The image's design was deliberately bare-bones (no pun intended). Just an arrow, two lines of text, and the implication that whatever the next poster said was suspect because they were secretly a skeleton. The stripped-down format made it instantly remixable.

How It Spread

The meme picked up its first notable variations within months of the original post. On November 18, 2014, someone posted a version on 4chan's /b/ (Random) board that swapped "skeleton" for "spider," warning other users not to trust the next poster because they were secretly an arachnid. This appeared in a thread unrelated to the meme itself, showing the format had already become a general-purpose derailment tool.

By September 2015, the format had jumped to Reddit. On September 6, user notcreative77 posted a version featuring Randy Bobandy from *Trailer Park Boys* to r/trailerparkboys. That post pulled in more than 650 upvotes at a 91% approval rate and 50 comments over four months.

Later that month, on September 22, FunnyJunk user Anetheril posted a meta version that accused the next poster of being "a poster," collapsing the joke into a self-referential loop. And on November 22, Tumblr user Oshama-Scramble contributed a variation featuring Jerry from *Undertale*, tapping into the game's massive fandom at the time.

How to Use This Meme

The format is straightforward:

1

Pick a noun to replace "skeleton" (spider, poster, furry, whatever fits the thread's vibe)

2

Create or find an image with a downward-pointing arrow

3

Add the two-line caption: "This poster is a [X] / Do not trust what he says"

4

Post it in a thread where sequential replies are visible, so the arrow points at the next person

Fun Facts

The original format is anonymous by design. Because it targets whoever posts next, the "victim" is random, which made it a favorite chaos tool on fast-moving boards.

The Randy Bobandy version's 91% upvote rate on r/trailerparkboys suggests the format translates well when paired with a community's beloved characters.

The meta "this poster is a poster" variant on FunnyJunk is one of the earliest examples of the format eating itself.

Despite originating on 4chan, the meme spread to at least four distinct platforms (Reddit, FunnyJunk, Tumblr, and 4chan's various boards) within 15 months of its creation.

Derivatives & Variations

Spider variation:

An early November 2014 edit warning the next poster was secretly a spider, posted on 4chan's /b/ board[3].

Randy Bobandy version:

A *Trailer Park Boys*-themed edit posted to r/trailerparkboys in September 2015 that became the meme's most upvoted Reddit instance.

"This poster is a poster":

A meta, self-referential version by FunnyJunk user Anetheril that turned the format in on itself[2].

Undertale Jerry version:

A November 2015 Tumblr edit featuring the notoriously annoying Jerry character from *Undertale*.

Frequently Asked Questions

This Poster Is A Skeleton

2014Image macro / forum weaponsemi-active

Also known as: Do Not Trust What He Says · This Poster Is a [X]

This Poster Is A Skeleton is a 2014 4chan image macro with a downward arrow proclaiming "do not trust what he says," remixed endlessly across imageboards with different accusations.

"This Poster Is a Skeleton" is a 4chan image macro featuring a downward-pointing arrow and the warning "this poster is a skeleton / do not trust what he says." First posted in August 2014, the format became a go-to forum weapon on imageboards, letting users mock whoever posted directly below them by labeling them as something untrustworthy. The template's flexibility made it easy to remix with different characters and accusations.

4chan memes exploitable templates snowclone memes trolling memes imageboard memes

Overview

The meme is a simple image macro built around a downward-pointing arrow and a two-line caption following the pattern "This poster is a [X] / Do not trust what he says". The arrow points to whatever post appears directly below it in a thread, making the insult land on the next person to reply. The original version accuses the next poster of being a skeleton, implying they're somehow inhuman and therefore unreliable.

What makes the format work is its placement-dependent humor. On imageboards like 4chan, where posts stack vertically, the arrow creates an automatic call-and-response. You don't even need to know who's going to reply next. The joke writes itself.

On August 13, 2014, an anonymous user posted the original image macro to a 4chan thread. The macro featured a simple downward-pointing arrow with the caption "This poster is a skeleton / Do not trust what he says." That same day, a screenshot of the thread was captured and submitted to the r/4chan subreddit on Reddit.

The image's design was deliberately bare-bones (no pun intended). Just an arrow, two lines of text, and the implication that whatever the next poster said was suspect because they were secretly a skeleton. The stripped-down format made it instantly remixable.

Origin & Background

Platform
4chan
Creator
Unknown
Date
2014

On August 13, 2014, an anonymous user posted the original image macro to a 4chan thread. The macro featured a simple downward-pointing arrow with the caption "This poster is a skeleton / Do not trust what he says." That same day, a screenshot of the thread was captured and submitted to the r/4chan subreddit on Reddit.

The image's design was deliberately bare-bones (no pun intended). Just an arrow, two lines of text, and the implication that whatever the next poster said was suspect because they were secretly a skeleton. The stripped-down format made it instantly remixable.

How It Spread

The meme picked up its first notable variations within months of the original post. On November 18, 2014, someone posted a version on 4chan's /b/ (Random) board that swapped "skeleton" for "spider," warning other users not to trust the next poster because they were secretly an arachnid. This appeared in a thread unrelated to the meme itself, showing the format had already become a general-purpose derailment tool.

By September 2015, the format had jumped to Reddit. On September 6, user notcreative77 posted a version featuring Randy Bobandy from *Trailer Park Boys* to r/trailerparkboys. That post pulled in more than 650 upvotes at a 91% approval rate and 50 comments over four months.

Later that month, on September 22, FunnyJunk user Anetheril posted a meta version that accused the next poster of being "a poster," collapsing the joke into a self-referential loop. And on November 22, Tumblr user Oshama-Scramble contributed a variation featuring Jerry from *Undertale*, tapping into the game's massive fandom at the time.

How to Use This Meme

The format is straightforward:

1

Pick a noun to replace "skeleton" (spider, poster, furry, whatever fits the thread's vibe)

2

Create or find an image with a downward-pointing arrow

3

Add the two-line caption: "This poster is a [X] / Do not trust what he says"

4

Post it in a thread where sequential replies are visible, so the arrow points at the next person

Fun Facts

The original format is anonymous by design. Because it targets whoever posts next, the "victim" is random, which made it a favorite chaos tool on fast-moving boards.

The Randy Bobandy version's 91% upvote rate on r/trailerparkboys suggests the format translates well when paired with a community's beloved characters.

The meta "this poster is a poster" variant on FunnyJunk is one of the earliest examples of the format eating itself.

Despite originating on 4chan, the meme spread to at least four distinct platforms (Reddit, FunnyJunk, Tumblr, and 4chan's various boards) within 15 months of its creation.

Derivatives & Variations

Spider variation:

An early November 2014 edit warning the next poster was secretly a spider, posted on 4chan's /b/ board[3].

Randy Bobandy version:

A *Trailer Park Boys*-themed edit posted to r/trailerparkboys in September 2015 that became the meme's most upvoted Reddit instance.

"This poster is a poster":

A meta, self-referential version by FunnyJunk user Anetheril that turned the format in on itself[2].

Undertale Jerry version:

A November 2015 Tumblr edit featuring the notoriously annoying Jerry character from *Undertale*.

Frequently Asked Questions