Optimized GIF Dude

About

Optimized GIF Dude is a prolific yet forced meme created by Finnish deviantART user, Miika Jokinen (who is better known by his dA alias, Verdot).

Verdot is also known for creating the original “RAWR I AM A LION” image of which the JESUS CHRIST IT’S A LION GET IN THE CAR! meme is half-based on.

Origin

On June 2006, Verdot created a cartoon man on MS Paint and afterward posted it on 4chan’s /b/ board.

After making some other variations of his own (such as one that references the FGSFDS meme), other Anonymous people started joining in on creating shopped images of the cartoon figure. When multiple users began creating their own, it was safe to call this a meme.

Spread

Over 800 pages on DeviantArt make mention of Optimized GIF Dude, as do a handful of 4chan archive threads. Optimized GIF Dude’s popularity elsewhere remains to be seen.

On 4chanarchive

WARNING: 4chanarchive threads are NSFW.

• January 26th, 2007: 19647598 is an image dump of Optimized Gif Dude images..
• September 8th, 2007: 5907141 also features an Optimized Gif Dude appearance.
  Further mentions of Optimized Gif Dude on 4chanarchive available here.

Derivatives Compiled by Verdot (Some NSFW)

As progenitor of the meme, Verdot has painstakingly compiled a large collection of those created by other DA Deviants.