Each week Internet users find themselves endlessly entertained by a variety of inside jokes--many of which came out of an otherwise earnest news story, photograph, or celebrity video. These are memes—and The Daily Beast tracks down the best of the best to provide you with your end-of-the-week “LOLs.”
Kim Kardashian’s elaborate $10 million wedding, 72-day marriage, and sudden divorce prompted floods of fans taking to Twitter with the hashtag #thingslongerthankimsmarriage. The Daily Beast compiled the best unexpected things that trump the reality star’s brief stint as a married woman. Highlights include: the time it takes a Big Mac to decompose (180 days) and average time it takes to finalize a divorce (365 days).
For only one day a year, politicians reveal their true selves. No, not as power-hungry ordinary citizens, but brain-hungry monsters in really nice suits. From Ron Paul to Mitt Romney, no one is spared this incredibly realistic and terrifying undead makeover.
Tebowing has no signs of slowing down since Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow knelt to pray in the middle of the field. Along with legions of imitators, his signature position even inspired a line of T-shirts, hats, and toddler bibs. At the baggage check or fresh off the ski lift—no time is a bad time to get down on one knee and pray (for the sanity of our country).
It took no time for the campaign commercial by Mark Block, Herman Cain’s dramatic chief of staff, to dominate Facebook and Twitter conversations. The now-infamous ad in which Block takes a drag on his cigarette was quickly mocked by Jon Stewart, Jon Huntsman’s daughters, and numerous other knockoffs. Some replaced the controversial cigarette with a bottle of beer (or a heroin injection, in one), while the Huntsman girls blew bubbles at the camera.
The world was (almost) shocked when Humpdashian called it quits on the scariest day of the year. After Kim filed for divorce 72 days after saying, “I do,” the Twittersphere exploded. Even Booker Prize-winner Salman Rushdie was moved to write a limerick about the ill-fated relationship. Appropriately, a video of Kim getting thrown in the water was adapted to show her falling into the jaws of a shark or a toilet bowl.
People do weird things with fruit. This Halloween, birthing jack-o-lanterns started sprouting tykes. Pumpkin seeds for sweat. And hay for…well, you can imagine. It’s touching in a disturbing sort of way.
The techies in the Google complex must be having some fun, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. One of the biggest trends on Twitter right now is “Do a barrel roll” after users noticed an acrobatic trick the search engine performs after typing in the words of a popular meme. Try it for yourself.
It's a simple concept, Magic Cards With Googly Eyes, but it's an instant classic for the geeks. A Tumblr user simply collects Magic cards--the trading-card game made popular in the '90s--and adds googly eyes on their heads. Ravenous Rats immediately go goofy. The Amoeboid Changelings suddenly look lost. And Harbor Serpent's soul-churning scowl is turned into a grin.
Not quite a meme, but possibly the most adorable photo series to come out on the Web this week. A retired postwoman photographed a squirrel playing the piano and skateboarding down tree branches. No Photoshop necessary. Her only tool? Animal instincts and ... peanut butter.
