# Wholesome Memes > Wholesome Memes are a 2015 image-macro subgenre pairing cynical templates with genuine positivity, affection, and sincere warmth to reject ironic detachment. Wholesome memes are a subgenre of image macros where creators take established, often cynical meme templates and repurpose them to express genuine positivity, affection, and support. The trend took shape on Tumblr in early 2016, exploded on Reddit later that year through r/wholesomememes, and grew into one of the internet's most recognizable content categories. They represent a deliberate rejection of ironic detachment in favor of sincerity, warmth, and self-love. ## Origin Pinning down the exact first wholesome meme is tricky, but Know Your Meme identifies one of the earliest examples as a post to the Feminist Reddit offshoot Fempire on August 8, 2015[4]. It featured a Photoshopped picture of Pepe the Frog smiling in a construction hat with the caption "When bae says we need to work on our relationship." The post barely registered, pulling only 21 upvotes over a year[4]. The format's spiritual predecessor was Actual Advice Mallard, an Advice Animal from 2013 that offered genuine helpful tips instead of the absurd or terrible advice typical of the format[4]. But the wholesome meme as a distinct genre didn't coalesce until Tumblr users started making them in bulk. On January 30, 2016, Tumblr user shako-makko posted a smiling Pepe with the caption "when your crush posts a new picture." It racked up over 144,000 notes[4]. That post, along with a wave of "I love my gf" edits appearing across Tumblr, marked the moment wholesome memes became a recognizable thing. On April 6, 2016, Tumblr user dateagirlwhosuggestion compiled a masterpost of wholesome girlfriend memes that pulled over 75,000 notes[10]. - **Platform:** Reddit's Fempire (earliest known post), Tumblr (viral spread), Reddit r/wholesomememes (community hub) - **Creator:** u/Poppwall (subreddit founder), u/ilegalimigrants (co-founder), shako-makko (early viral Tumblr post) - **Date:** 2015–2016 ## Overview Wholesome memes flip the script on traditional internet humor. Where most meme formats rely on sarcasm, self-deprecation, or dark punchlines, wholesome memes use those same templates to deliver messages of kindness, encouragement, and genuine emotion[3]. The format works by setting up the audience to expect the typical cynical twist, then subverting that expectation with something genuinely nice[9]. The memes take many forms. A "the floor is" meme might read "the floor is self-care." A Liam Neeson Taken template might swap the threatening monologue for a declaration of love[3]. The crude Photoshop quality is often part of the appeal, suggesting someone put in a small, heartfelt effort to make something sweet for a friend or partner[3]. New York Magazine's Brian Feldman classified them as "post-ironic," meaning the creators understand the jokes these meme formats normally represent but deliberately use them to display warmth and empathy instead[3]. The r/wholesomememes community defined the term more directly: "a meme that conveys support, positivity, compassion, understanding, love, affection, and genuine friendship by re-contextualizing classic meme formats"[6]. ## How It Spread The movement organized fast. A Tumblr blog called wholesomememes-archive launched on April 19, 2016, collecting and reposting the best examples[4]. A Facebook page called "Wholesome Memes" followed on May 10, gaining over 44,000 likes[4]. In early August, the Twitter account @WholesomeMeme launched and quickly amassed over 35,000 followers[4]. Media noticed almost immediately. On August 10, 2016, both New York Magazine and Smosh published pieces analyzing and compiling wholesome memes[3][1]. BuzzFeed ran a listicle the next day titled "21 Memes That Are Too Pure For This World"[2]. Feldman's New York Magazine piece offered the most substantive analysis, arguing that wholesome memes represented a third genre alongside "relatable" and "ironic" memes[3]. The real explosion came on Reddit. On September 17, 2016, a 20-year-old college student from Pennsylvania named u/Poppwall created r/wholesomememes, submitting a simple feel-good image as the inaugural post[6]. He'd originally titled the community "Internet for the Spirit"[6]. Working with co-founder u/ilegalimigrants, the two spent early days editing popular memes in MS Paint to make them wholesome and asking other subreddits for advice[6]. Growth was staggering. The subreddit hit 4,368 subscribers after one month, 57,102 after two months, and 169,640 after three months[6]. Within four months it had over 275,000 members, making it one of Reddit's fastest-growing communities[6]. The subreddit r/MemeEconomy tracked the trend's rise, with users first wondering if wholesome memes could "become a thing" before declaring them a "rock-solid investment"[6]. ## How to Use The basic formula for a wholesome meme is straightforward: 1. **Pick a well-known meme template** that normally carries a negative, sarcastic, or edgy punchline 2. **Replace the expected punchline** with something genuinely kind, supportive, or affectionate 3. **Keep the editing rough.** MS Paint quality and visible Photoshop seams are part of the charm. Overproduced wholesome memes tend to feel corporate 4. **Common themes** include loving your friends, appreciating small things, supporting your partner, encouraging self-care, and being kind to yourself ## Cultural Impact Wholesome memes shifted how people talk about internet content. The word "wholesome" went from an old-fashioned descriptor to a mainstream Gen Z compliment applied to everything from Pedro Pascal to monkeys riding piglets[7]. The New York Times profiled the linguistic shift in 2023, noting that young people use "wholesome" as a single-word reaction meaning "sincere, nice or cute"[7]. The format also challenged assumptions about what internet culture had to be. The Daily Dot argued that wholesome memes functioned as "an antidote to cynicism and negative thoughts" and helped people "digest whatever terrible thing you just saw on the internet"[9]. New York Magazine positioned them as a genuine third genre of meme alongside relatable and ironic formats, calling them "the first type to admit that it's not embarrassing to communicate through memes"[3]. The trend influenced platform design as well. Reddit's 2017 spotlight on r/wholesomememes highlighted it as one of the site's fastest-growing communities[6]. The concept of "The Wholesome Network" on Reddit showed how a single meme ethos could generate an entire interconnected ecosystem of communities[6]. ## Fun Facts - u/Poppwall, who created r/wholesomememes, had never started a subreddit before. He mainly used Reddit to follow the Philadelphia 76ers[6]. - The subreddit's working title was "Internet for the Spirit" before settling on r/wholesomememes[6]. - One of the earliest and most popular wholesome memes was a smiling Pepe the Frog on Tumblr. While Pepe was being co-opted by darker corners of the internet in 2016, wholesome meme creators were simultaneously reclaiming him as a symbol of positivity[4][3]. - Urban Dictionary has multiple competing definitions of wholesome memes, with one describing them as "actually non-ironic memes that contradict the fun part of memes"[5]. - The r/MemeEconomy subreddit tracked wholesome memes like a stock, with users debating their investment potential before declaring them "rock-solid"[6]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What are wholesome memes? Wholesome memes are a subgenre of image macros that take established meme templates, normally used for sarcasm or dark humor, and repurpose them to express genuine positivity, kindness, and support[4]. The r/wholesomememes community defines them as memes that are "pure of heart, devoid of corruption or malice"[6]. ### Where did wholesome memes come from? One of the earliest known wholesome memes was posted to a feminist Reddit community on August 8, 2015, featuring a smiling Pepe the Frog[4]. The format gained traction on Tumblr in early 2016 and organized into a movement when u/Poppwall created r/wholesomememes on September 17, 2016[6]. ### What does "wholesome meme" mean? It means a meme that conveys support, compassion, and genuine friendship by taking a meme format that usually delivers a cynical or self-deprecating punchline and replacing it with something sincerely kind[3][9]. ### How do you use wholesome memes? Pick a well-known meme template with a typically negative punchline, then replace that punchline with something genuinely kind or supportive. Rough, MS Paint-style editing is part of the charm[3]. ### Are wholesome memes still popular? By 2023, the Wholesome Memes Twitter account had three million followers and a Facebook group had over 566,000 members[7][8]. The word "wholesome" itself became a Gen Z compliment applied broadly to anything sincere or cute[7]. ### Who created r/wholesomememes? A 20-year-old college student from Pennsylvania who goes by u/Poppwall on Reddit. He created the subreddit on September 17, 2016, with help from co-founder u/ilegalimigrants[6]. ### Why did wholesome memes get so popular in 2016? Many pointed to the negative mood around the 2016 U.S. election and celebrity deaths, but the subreddit's founder argued the appeal was more basic: people want to be happy and love themselves, and wholesome memes gave that feeling a familiar meme format[6]. ### How fast did r/wholesomememes grow? The subreddit went from zero to 4,368 subscribers in its first month, 57,102 in two months, and over 275,000 in four months, making it one of Reddit's fastest-growing communities of 2016–2017[6]. ### Are wholesome memes ironic or sincere? New York Magazine described them as "post-ironic," meaning creators understand the ironic meme formats they're using but deliberately deploy them to express genuine warmth[3]. The sincerity is the point. ### What's the difference between wholesome memes and regular positive content? Wholesome memes specifically subvert existing meme templates. A random cute photo isn't a wholesome meme. A Liam Neeson Taken template edited to say "I will find you and I will hug you" is[3][9]. ### What was the Wholesome Network on Reddit? A collection of offshoot subreddits including r/wholesomegifs and r/wholesomecomics that branched off from r/wholesomememes, all dedicated to positive content in different formats[6]. ## References 1. [23 Wholesome Memes That Are Pure and Nice | SMOSH]() 2. [21 Memes That Are Too Pure For This World]() 3. [The Next Frontier in Internet Culture Is Wholesome Memes]() 4. [Wholesome Memes - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Bongo Cat]() 6. [Wholesome Memes - Urban Dictionary]() 7. [The Rise and Rise of Wholesome Memes - Upvoted]() 8. [When Did ‘Wholesome’ Become a Gen Z Compliment? - The New York Times]() 9. [83 'Wholesome Memes' To Warm Your Heart Today, As Shared By This 500K-Member FB Group - Art-Sheep]() 10. [Why the Internet Loves Wholesome Memes Nowadays]() 11. [a masterpost of all the wholesome gf memes i have... - date a girl who...?]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/wholesome-memes Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library