fsjal

About

Fsjal refers to a series of MS paint-style artworks centered around a simple cartoon character with his arms bent in anticipation and eyes pointing up in eagerness. Since its viral takeoff on 4chan in July 2009, the drawing fad has spawned thousands of user-generated character sprites.

Origin

This highly exploitable character originates from a web comic entitled “SMASH BROTERS”^[1] or “BROTERSTORY” originally posted by DeviantArt user “burgertime” on March 27th, 2008.

click on image for the full-length strip

Spread on 4chan

On July 25th, 2009, the comic was reposted to 4chan’s /v/ (videogames) board over a year later as an image contest thread with a condition that the “post [ID number] ending in 69 names this meme.” The reply post ending in 69 simply stated “fsjal” and thus in accordance to the unwritten rule of GET, a new 4chan meme was born. Within hours, the thread accumulated hundreds of customized “Fsjal” drawings.

The Artist’s Response

According to a DeviantArt journal post^[2] from August 10th, 2009, the illustrator behind the original SMASH BROTER comic also became aware of its usage and apparently, the artist wasn’t pleased to hear about his artwork getting branded as a “4chan” meme in the absence of proper credit.

Notable Examples

Search Interest

External References

^[1] DeviantART – SMASH BROTERS by Burgertime

^[2] DeviantART – Burgertime’s Journal Entry