Tunnel Snakes Rule!

About

“Tunnel Snakes Rule!” is a phrase used to insult people who talk a lot about how they enjoy something. It is also a common phrase in Fallout discussions to express how much they enjoyed Fallout 3 or the actual group.

Origin

The Tunnel Snakes are a group of teenagers/children in the 2008 video game “Fallout 3” made by Bethesda Softworks^[1]. In the early levels where you play as a teenager in Vault 101 you meet the group, at the end of the characters sentences they will exclaim “Tunnel Snakes Rule!” They are characterized in the game by wearing black leather jackets with their logo on the back, slicked back hair, and wise-guy attitude (similar to the 50’s idea of a Greaser). Though there are only three members of the “gang” each one is proud of the fact that they are The Tunnel Snakes.

Spread

On August 31, 2009 a video was uploaded to YouTube that was a remix of the words “Tunnel Snakes Rule!” “Were the Tunnel Snakes, and we rule!” from the character Butch DeLoria (The leader of the Tunnel Snakes).

A Facebook page^[2] was later made where people Roleplay as each of the Tunnel Snakes gang members and other members of the Vault they are in, a Steam Group^[3] was made with over 100 members who comment on the groups page referencing the phrase. A domain for the Tunnel Snakes was also bought, and currently holds an image of the Fallout 3s Pip-Boy 3000 showing the above video^[4]. Bethesda recognized their popularity on the internet and made the Tunnel Snakes Hoodie a purchasable item in their official online store^[5]. There have also been many Tunnel Snakes twitter accounts where people use the phrase often and make references to the vault^[6].

External References

^[1]Fallout Wiki – Tunnel Snakes

^[2]Facebook – The Tunnel Snakes

^[3]Steam Community – TUNNEL SNAKES

^[4]Tunnel Snakes – Tunnel Snakes Rule

^[5]The Bethesda Store – Tunnel Snakes Hoodie

^[6]Twitter – TUNNEL SNAKES