Meme Encyclopedia
Media
Editorials
More

Popular right now

What Celebs Would Look Like Without Fame and Wealth Trend image examples.

What Celebs Look Like Without Fame

Mateus Lima

Mateus Lima • 2 days ago

Want a Macaron meme and drawing.

Want a Macaron?

Owen Carry

Owen Carry • 5 days ago

Italian Brainrot / AI Italian Animals image and meme examples.

Italian Brainrot Animals

Mateus Lima

Mateus Lima • 2 months ago

Deriod slang term and meme examples from tiktok.

Deriod (Slang)

Mateus Lima

Mateus Lima • 23 days ago

Want a Taco meme.

Want a Taco?

Owen Carry

Owen Carry • 3 days ago

Know Your Meme is the property of Literally Media ©2024 Literally Media. All Rights Reserved.

Guides

Who Is Pagliacci The Clown? 'But Doctor, I Am Pagliacci' Meme Explained

Who Is Pagliacci The Clown? 'But Doctor, I Am Pagliacci' Meme Explained

2113 views
Published April 12, 2023

Published April 12, 2023

The Watchmen comics have always been a source ripe for memes, whether it be the innumerable Dr. Manhattan templates (Source? I Made It Up) or the iconic scene where Rorschach gets blitzed, often after a ligma-esque joke.

There is one joke, however, that has become so synonymous with the Watchmen comics that some forget that it predates them. Here's the lore behind But Doctor, I Am Pagliacci!

Where Does The "But Doctor" Joke Come From?

The joke set up wherein a sad clown sees a doctor, only to be told to go to his own show has been noted in the literature as early as the 1800s, often with the comic Grimaldi in place of Pagliacci. However, the joke is best popularised by the iconic Watchmen comic where Rorschach can be seen narrating the joke over panels depicting the Comedian's death.

How Is The Joke Used In Memes?

The joke was reinvigorated sometime in the 2010s in the form of people trying to subvert riff on its premise. Twitter was a popular platform for such wordsmiths, with early variations of the meme depicting people rephrasing both the doctor and the clown's lines.

What Are Other Riffs On The Meme?

Some memes combined the Pagliacci joke with other iconic memes, such as Ironic Da Baby memes, or Are Ya Winning Son drawings.


For the full history of the Pagliacci Joke, be sure to check out our entry on it here for even more information.

Tags: watchmen, the watchmen, rorschach, pagliacci, but doctor, but doctor i am, go see the clown, clown joke,



Comments ( 1 )

Sorry, but you must activate your account to post a comment.
    Meme Encyclopedia
    Media
    Editorials
    More