What's 'Charlie, The Steak' And Is It 'Lost Media'? The 2013 iOS App Game And Steak With Eyes Meme Explained

Have you ever played Charlie, The Steak? It's a 2013 iOS app game that some are calling "lost media" because it's no longer available for download.

The game and its main character, a raw piece of meat named Charlie, are quickly amassing a new fandom this year because of memes on Twitter / X and TikTok. The search for Charlie, The Steak's IPA file and download link is trending en masse, and someone on the Internet Archive might have the answer.

Curious about this old mobile app game and the weird memes surrounding Charlie, the steak with teeth and blue eyes? Let's explain.

What's The 'Charlie, The Steak' App Game?

Charlie, The Steak was released on the iOS App Store in April 2013. The game was advertised as the "ultimate stress-breaker," allowing the user to relieve their anger on Charlie, the steak. "You will punch him, cut him, hurt him in every various and the most creative ways possible — safely from your mobile device. Isn’t that just great?" the original website read.

The gameplay for Charlie, The Steak is simple. You basically torture the steak character by burning him, stabbing him, cutting him, pulling his eyes out and even putting a bomb in his mouth. Other features include a "Photo mode" and a "Video mode" in which the user can make Charlie read messages, similar to Talking Tom.

Who Created 'Charlie, The Steak' And Why?

A Prague-based app developer named DynaimcDust created Charlie, The Steak back in 2013. Recently, one of the developers behind DynaimcDust did an AMA on /r/CharlieTheSteak following the app's resurgence in popularity.

In the post and subsequent comments, the developer said that Charlie was inspired by a joke on a Czech radio show about a talking steak. The developer also admitted that Charlie, The Steak took a "darker twist" than anticipated. It somehow became "a bit more adult-ish."

When And Why Was 'Charlie, The Steak' Removed From The App Store?

Charlie, The Steak was delisted from the iOS App Store sometime before 2021. In November 2021, the DynaimcDust website became inactive. Before then, the website was still advertising the game.

It's currently unclear why the game was delisted. Many YouTubers, TikTokers and other talking heads are saying that the game was too gory and Apple struck it down after many years. This is ultimately an unconfirmed claim.

What Are The 'Charlie, The Steak' Memes?

Charlie, The Steak gained a resurgence in memes mostly because of the E E Ei meme that showed Charlie singing "Vacation" by Dirty Heads like the Gegagedigedagedago chicken nugget. Other memes posted this year have called him "Meaty Michael" and followed the "John Pork is calling" format.

@avviso662 ei ei ei, I'm on vacation #meat #eieie #meatmeme #imonvacation #lakaka ♬ E e ei – user67982440154

@senor_skibidi9975

Meaty Michael is calling.

♬ original sound – John Pork

The memes continued into last month but took a new shape, centering on the "lost media" angle of Charlie's lore. As gameplay footage surfaced on Twitter / X, people joked, "How do you lose this?"

What’s a food opinion that will have you like this? 👀 pic.twitter.com/me0picmwkW

— plimboner 🇦🇷 (@plimboner) July 29, 2024

Is 'Charlie, The Steak' Coming Back To The App Store?

In the AMA post on /r/CharlieThe Steak, the DynamicDust developer said that they were going to upload a new version of Charlie, The Steak to the app store in two weeks. Fans of the game are hyped.

For now, some are downloading a link on the Internet Archive created earlier this week. A user named dipper gaming somehow downloaded the game's old IPA file and people can torrent it from there. But… maybe you just want to wait for the official drop later this month.

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For the full history of 'Charlie, The Steak,' be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.