Where Did The 'Elmo Rise' Meme Come From? The Classic Image Of Elmo Surrounded By Fire Explained

One of the internet's most iconic GIFs is of Elmo, the world-famous red Muppet beloved by children all over the world, rising from the fires of hell for purposes unknown, but whatever they are, they can't be good.

While you've undoubtedly come across this image at some point if you've spent even a modicum of time browsing the internet, you may be surprised to learn that the reaction meme of the Sesame Street character has an unexpected origin you might've never seen without the flames.

Here, we'll explain where Elmo's famous, albeit off-brand GIF, known as Elmo Rise, came from.

Where Did The 'Elmo Rise' GIF Come From?

Elmo Rise originated as a cake gone horribly awry. On November 1st, 2012, CakeWrecks.com user Jen posted an unfortunate attempt at an Elmo birthday cake, writing, "If it's wearing the stricken expression of someone who will give you all the candy you want if you please just don't hurt him…then you're probably looking in a mirror. So go have some fun-size Snickers and put your feet up, my friend, because you've earned it."

The GIF version you're probably familiar with, replete with flames, is over a decade old now. It was first posted to Tumblr on February 14th, 2014, by user Gnarville, and since then, it's spread to seemingly every corner of the web.

How Is The 'Elmo Rise' Meme Used?

Elmo Rise is often used as a reaction GIF that signifies devilish joy, as though the user is expressing excitement over something they maybe shouldn't. Additionally, it's seen multiple variations over the years, as it's been adapted to fit various scenarios.

While some of these still feature Elmo, it's often edited to replace Elmo with different characters.

Oddly, the meme is one of two that feature Elmo and flames, but the two are unrelated. The other, known as "Elmo Nuclear Bomb," sees the Muppet character appearing to look in awe at an atomic blast, and it's popularly used as a reaction image to blazing hot takes.

For the full history of Elmo Rise, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.