The 90’s was a good era. It was the transition between analog to digital. No where was this more present than in children’s television. Although children of previous generations had television, it was filled with puppets, such as in “Howdy Doody” or “Sesame Street.” The 90’s kids were a generation characterized by cartoons; few as iconic as “Arthur.” This is likely why this show has inspired a variety of memes such as the ones below.
The first meme is a satirical take on young adult’s money situation. Arthur is pictured during one of his dreams of rolling in cash. This meme is funny because it dramatically lowers the standard of what having money means. It also has some bleak optimism of survival for 90’s kids.
Taking a closer look at this meme, we can extrapolate some more information. First, most of us are poor. Income inequality is at an all time high. Memes like these are a constant reminder of the struggles that young adults must overcome.
Being poor and hungry doesn’t really help any situation. And the more food you can save, the more money you save. In this meme, Arthur has his famed curled fist. It clear that offering food does not necessarily imply that it was meant to be accepted. The fist represents irritation when things just don’t the way they were planned.
I would argue that the connotations of this meme are simply an extension of the previous memes. In popular culture, one common theme among young people is being poor and hungry. Being poor and hungry is also a result of lack of opportunity and income inequality.
Speaking about food, is pineapple acceptable in pizza? Again, we see that famed curled fist of Arthur over one of the most debated questions of the decade. The fist displays a state of frustration over moments when someone orders pineapple on pizza. There is an implied judgement that pizza is not meant to have pineapple on it.
Meme’s are bound to intertwine and here we see Arthur and the pineapple pizza question. This just goes to show how quickly small social debates can spread. Something as simple as pizza toppings can become viral thanks to the digital web.
In this meme, we see DW sitting in frustration. The captions read “Send me a pic that’s not on Twitter or IG.” This could imply that the reader wants a personalized picture. Something that is not available for the public which could be used to emphasize a deeper relationship than that of their Twitter and Instagram followers.
This meme shows just how vital social media are in popular culture. Furthermore, it could also describe the barrier that Instagram and Twitter users have between themselves and their followers. A photo that has not been seen by the public holds more value than that posted for the world to see.
Arthur memes give great small insights into the minds of 90’s kids. Whether it be our lack of income, social debates, or relationship tips, Arthur has a meme for each of them with the added bonus of nostalgia.
The Evolution of Memes 