Two Guys On A Bus — Cartoon of two cartoon men on a bus, one sad facing a dark cliff and one happy facing a bright sunset landscape.

Two Guys On A Bus

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Published October 23, 2026

Two Guys On A Bus started as a motivational cartoon by Brazilian illustrator Genildo Ronchi in August 20136. Brazilian Twitter users began remixing it as a comparison format by 20191, and English-speaking internet users caught on in late 2021 after a Reddit post about bathroom timing before leaving the house hit around 10,000 upvotes2. By November 2021, Twitter variations like 'got a little beverage for the road' earned nearly 260,000 likes3.

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Overview

Ronchi's original cartoon shows two commuters sitting opposite each other on a bus: one stares out at a drab rock wall, the other at a bright mountain view, with overlaid Portuguese text that translates to 'Choose the Happy Side of Life!'6. In meme usage, posters remove the original caption and add a two-part label, where the sad guy's side names the worse option and the happy guy's side names the better one2.

Captions can be sincere or self-deprecating, and the humor usually sits in small daily indignities and comforts, like whether you packed a drink for the car or remembered to use the bathroom first3. The two sides can describe the same person before and after a decision, or two different people reacting to the same event, giving Two Guys On A Bus wide applicability to minor social situations1. A December 2021 spinoff called Happy Guy On A Bus Showing Sad Guy His Phone cropped Ronchi's art into a new three-element format that took off in early 20257.

Origin & Background

Platform
Genildo.com (source cartoon) / Twitter and Reddit (viral spread)
Creator
Genildo Ronchi
Date
2013

Brazilian illustrator Genildo Ronchi uploaded the cartoon to his personal site on August 24th, 2013, titled 'As vezes só depende de nós' ('Sometimes it just depends on us' translated from Portuguese), with overlaid text reading 'Escolha o Lado Feliz da Viva!' ('Choose the Happy Side of Life!' translated from Portuguese)6. Translations into English, Arabic and other languages circulated through 2014, but the image stayed in motivational-poster territory for several more years7.

The earliest documented Two Guys On A Bus remix came from Twitter user @vittor on August 14th, 2019, with Portuguese captions reading 'Não fuma cigarro / Fuma cigarro' ('Doesn't smoke cigarettes / Smokes cigarettes' translated from Portuguese). That post earned roughly 18,000 likes over two years1.

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How It Spread

In April 2021, Brazilian Twitter accounts posted more versions of the format. User @gjsccp shared one on April 23rd, 2021 that earned about 2,800 likes over seven months4, and @buuckz followed with another on September 23rd, 2021 that drew 337 likes5.

English-speaking users adopted the format on November 15th, 2021, when Redditor Elk_Strict posted a /r/me_irl version captioned 'Didn't take a shit before leaving the house / Took a shit before leaving the house.' It climbed to around 10,000 upvotes within a week2. Three days later, Twitter user @frequentpuker posted an English Twitter take, 'did not get a little beverage for the road / got a little beverage for the road,' which hit roughly 259,600 likes in four days3.

After the November 2021 breakout, the template settled into regular use on Twitter and Reddit as a two-panel comparison frame. In December 2021, a derivative format called Happy Guy On A Bus Showing Sad Guy His Phone began circulating and later became popular in early 20257.

Timeline

2013-08-24

Brazilian cartoonist Genildo Ronchi uploads 'As vezes só depende de nós' to his personal website.

2019-08-14

Twitter user @vittor posts the earliest documented remix with a smoking-themed Portuguese caption, earning about 18,000 likes.

2021-04-23

Twitter user @gjsccp shares a Portuguese version that collects roughly 2,800 likes.

2021-09-23

Twitter user @buuckz posts another Brazilian Portuguese variation.

2021-11-15

Redditor Elk_Strict uploads the breakout English version to /r/me_irl, reaching about 10,000 upvotes in a week.

2021-11-18

Twitter user @frequentpuker's 'little beverage for the road' version hits roughly 259,600 likes in four days.

2021-12

The Happy Guy On A Bus Showing Sad Guy His Phone spinoff format first appears.

2025

The Happy Guy On A Bus Showing Sad Guy His Phone spinoff becomes popular online.

How to Use This Meme

Typical posts crop or erase Ronchi's Portuguese caption, then add two text labels, one over the sad guy facing the rock wall and one over the happy guy facing the view. The common convention is to match small life choices or circumstances where one option is objectively better but still petty enough to feel relatable, like whether you remembered to grab a drink for the road3.

Frequently Asked Questions