How Standing On The Gravitron Became The Ultimate Meme Of Rebellion

Have you ever heard the tragic tale of the man who stood up on the Gravitron machine? Legend has it that he leaned too far back and "rippen" right through the canvas ceiling above him. I guess it fling him about a block away before he landed in somebody’s yard. They still use the same machine, but there’s a huge duct-tapped patch over one of those triangles in the ceiling.

At least, that’s the story you’ll hear if you hang around on 4chan's paranormal (/x/) board for any extended period of time. You’ll also likely see an image alongside the story which some say is cursed, showing a man with a fabulous mullet and classic town-fair aesthetic, now famously known as "Rippen" (although not the same man), standing ominously on the Gravitron, completely unfazed by the merciless spinning and chaos around him.

The story of Rippen was first told by an anonymous user of 4chan’s /x/ board on March 16th, 2018, in what was meant to be a simple cursed image thread. OP offered the image of the man standing on the Gravitron to start the tread off, shortly after inspiring another anonymous user to tell the tale. Readers were immediately skeptical of the story but enjoyed it nonetheless, turning it into a now unstoppable copypasta on the board three years later. Most users just copy-paste the story and photo on random cursed image threads as an act of shitposting, while others edit the text of the story to fit a new context, usually offering a new cursed image along with it (example shown below).

While the format is mostly confined to 4chan, it occasionally leaks out to other social media platforms, making the tale of Rippen a mysterious and funny one to learn about for those outside the know. On the surface level, the story is funny because of the misspelling of “ripped” as “rippen” and the idea of a man flying through a Gravitron ceiling and landing a block away. Fake or not, it’s a classic 4chan post. The cursed image, however, famous in its own right with or without the story, is what really seals the deal.

There’s something incredibly intriguing about the cursed image of the man standing on the Gravitron. The quality and ominous stance of the man (not to mention just how high up he's standing and the strength in his back) inarguably gives off a cursed aura, but it also ignites a sense of rebellion, as if saying, “Hey, you can actually stand up on the Gravitron despite the warnings and it does make for a great photograph, and it does make you feel like a total chad.” People have tried to claim the image is photoshopped before, thinking it some impossible act, but they’re wrong. Although the true origin, date and authenticity of the cursed Gravitron image are unknown, the man pictured is far from the first to express rebellion through the act of standing on the Gravitron machine, and far from the first to record it. Standing on the Gravitron can even be seen as an IRL meme that spread naturally, supported greatly by videos showing the immense joy it inevitably brings to those who experience it, and the legendary status awarded to them by commenters online.

One of the earliest videos showing someone standing on a Gravitron was uploaded to YouTube on February 4th, 2012. In the video, a man in baggy shorts, an unbuttoned collared tee, big sunglasses and a Superman hat first struggles and then succeeds to stand on a spinning Gravitron ride. The moment he manages to stand on the ride, he looks up toward the camera and gives off a double “peace” sign, an unshakable smile plastered on his face. This man is clearly feeling a sense of pride that many only dream about, and the feeling is immediately infectious to those around him, particularly one young boy. Throughout the video, the camera operator pans to the left, showing a small child attempting to mimic the man and stand alongside him. The kid tries his hardest, but it doesn’t come easy; we never find out if he was triumphant or not.

On one hand, this video shows us a big reason why you shouldn’t stand on the Gravitron: you could inspire kids to do it, which could obviously result in them getting hurt. That’s not good. On the other hand, it shows us the infectious quality and violent temptation of mindless and ill-advised rebellion, giving us a peek into niche happiness many of us never get to experience: breaking the rules of the ride and getting away with it. That same emotion is mimicked in nearly every video of someone standing on a Gravitron out there (please don’t try this on your local Gravitron machine, though).

On August 2nd, 2014, YouTuber Connor Gregory uploaded a video titled ‘9 year old kid stands up on carnival ride’ in which a 9-year-old boy, as you may have guessed it, stands up on a Gravitron. The video speaks for itself, and the kid manages to stand for a pretty impressive length of time. His stance is a little more hunched than that of the cursed rider, and the look on his face shows joy even after he sits back down safely. The comments section is filled with praise for the stander in posts calling him a legend and a god (shown below). Some even recount their own stories of standing on the Gravitron, sharing in the pride.

An interesting comment string in which someone claims that “9 times out of 10 they close the ride when someone does this” sees the OP reveal that it was the operator of the ride who filmed the video, adding a strange layer of intrigue to the video. How often is it that carnival riders simply stop caring about the safety of their riders? Could this act be considered “safe” since it was sanctioned and supervised by a ride operator? Are the rumors of Gravitron rides being unsafe to stand on greatly exaggerated?

The amusement park ride fandom seems incredibly mixed on the safety and practice of standing on the Gravitron. Way back in February 2006, a user of the amusement park ride forum Coaster Buzz named TheKid shared a link to a now, unfortunately, lost video under the title “Gravitron Disaster,” showing someone standing on a Gravitron. The OP writes, “This guy is the reason people want to put so many restrictions on rides,” obviously upset over the video. Many commenters express similar anger and frustration over the video, some placing blame on the ride operators for allowing it to happen and stating that most would never even attempt it.

However, others claim operators performing tricks and walking around the Gravitron is a normal occurrence and nothing to worry about. Soon enough, the thread becomes a debate about the speed at which the Gravitron spins with users trying to determine what kind of damage it could do, most saying the danger comes if the rider is still standing or doing a trick when the machine stops. An article published by NASA claims Gravitrons can go up to 3Gs, although riders on the forum seem to think regular Gravitrons reach around 1.5 to 2, which is much less harmful.

Regardless, any machine with the base purpose of spinning you around so fast it alters your gravity is inarguably dangerous to mess around with — it just seems safer than other rides. For example, nobody is trying to stand up on a rollercoaster. Likely it’s because the Gravitron is enclosed, and because so many people have already proven you can get away with it, unlike a rollercoaster. What's more, many ride operators seem to downright not care, making the risk-to-reward ratio pretty great in the minds of most troublemakers. That unknown and seemingly unlikely danger level is what makes curious thrill-seekers into Gravitron standers.

Obviously, standing on the Gravitron isn’t always a successful experience. A video uploaded to YouTube in 2019 (shown below) shows a rider standing on the Gravitron, only to let go near the end and fall aggressively against the machine, resulting in laughter from the camera operator and those around. The man laughs it off and the video ends, but it could have been worse.

One of the most famous Gravitron standing videos was uploaded to TikTok that same year, gaining over 3 million views and offering one of the most stable, high-quality examples of the trend to date (seen below). Not only is the quality fantastic, but the stance is immaculate, with the man staying incredibly balanced the whole time to the entertainment of those around him as he soaks in the laughs.

The further you dig online, the more images, videos and stories about standing on the Gravitron you'll find. No matter what the medium, the act always divides commenters into camps, either propping the stander as a legend or bashing them for endangering themselves and others. Considering this, standing on the Gravitron isn't just an act of rebellion, it's also an act of trolling, likely going back to the invention of the ride itself.

It's a controversial act that is rightly discouraged and can't be recommended, but also doesn't need to be. Where there is a sign telling a troll not to stand on a potentially dangerous machine, and prior evidence that disobeying the sign will get laughs and attention despite the danger, that sign might as well not exist at all. Ultimately, people will continue to stand on Gravitron machines for years to come, perhaps leading us closer and closer to an IRL Rippen event. Until then, all we can do is sit back, watch the videos and push back those violent urges to stand next time you get on the Gravitron.

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