About

"Oh hai" is lolspeak for "oh hi."

NOTE: NEED INFO… BADLY

Unknown Origin

"Oh hai" is basic lolspeak. Cat macros often contain intentional misspellings. However, the words "Oh hai" did not originate with lolcats.

For example, the phrase "Oh Hai" appeared in the September 1999 issue of the Memphis Flyer, as a phonetic spelling meant to convey the obnoxious tone of two women speaking to one another on a train:

Sara mumbled another "Oh my God" about the 40th time she saw two women hug each other in that certain barely touching, shoulders-only way (save the makeup!) and scream at each other, "Oh HAI-eeyyy! Hahr yeewwwww? Yew look SO cewt!"

It is entirely possible that the use of "oh hai" in the creation of cat macros is a phenomenon that grew independent of other appearances of "oh hai."

For example, here is a Korean man who's name is "Oh Hai Sook" posting on the Geneology.com forums in 2000.

Trends

Searches for "Oh hai" begin in early 2007, coinciding with the peak of the popularity of Caturday and the launch of Icanhascheezburger.com