meme-review
The Weekly Meme Roundup: Alarmo, Hurricane Milton And More
Autumn is in full swing, and the memes are getting … chillier?
Listen, it was a decent week of memes, don't get us wrong, but it wasn't the sort of week that lends itself to a snappy introduction. Best we just forget about this and hop right into the memes, yeah?
Nintendo Alarmo
Leave it to Nintendo to make a massive meme splash a month before the United States Presidential election by announcing a $100 alarm clock.
Wake up! Nintendo Sound Clock: #Alarmo is available for early access for Nintendo Switch Online members in the US and Canada! This interactive alarm clock lets you set a time and select from 35 scenes from across 5 Nintendo titles. More titles to be added later! pic.twitter.com/PzwoYn1xy3
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) October 9, 2024
This isn't just your ordinary Nintendo-branded, "slap Mario on a regular alarm clock" clock, though. Alarmo is a sleep-watching, smart alarm clock that integrates with Nintendo products to give consumers a "bing bing wahoo" morning.
That alone would be ripe for memes, but Alarmo got an additional heap of attention because it was announced at a time when every Nintendo fan is waiting with bated breath for the ever-imminent Switch 2 announcement, making the Alarmo announcement extra amusing.
Examples
Hurricane Milton
While Nintendo introduced a new way to wake up this week, some online were trying to "wake up" the masses with claims that the government controls the weather. It does not, but the claims certainly got discourse about Hurricane Milton off to a bizarre start.
Milton was significantly hyped as one of the most dangerous hurricanes ever as it formed in the Gulf of Mexico, but most of the memes regarding it revolved around the name "Milton" not sounding so threatening (like Milton Waddams from the film Office Space and his red stapler), while others used AI to mock gullible Facebook readers. The hurricane definitely did a number on Central Florida, but the memes it inspired were definitely more bizarre than other hurricane-related memes.
Examples
Elon Musk Jumping
Prior to Milton and Alarmo, the internet got a kick out of Elon Musk jumping like a schoolboy at a Pennsylvania rally for Donald Trump last weekend (not to be confused with his other jumping-related meme).
The moment crystallized quite a bit for Musk's critics, namely that he is fully partisan towards the American right, and second that he has become exceptionally cringe. This led to a healthy dollop of memes at Musk's expense, as the early half of the week was largely dedicated to dunking on Elon Musk that was further fueled by his so-called "Kubrick Stare."
Examples
Winter Arc
Meanwhile, in the bizarro world of TikTok fitness trends, a new bulking trend and slang term popped up dubbed "Winter Arc."
@sleven.kvn Winter arc ready. #winterarc #darcsport #winterarcchallenge #motivation ♬ original sound – fairiesofthenight
Winter Arc involves bulking up and shaving one's head (for some reason) with the intent of prepping to look one's most fit by summertime. Some might argue that the overly dramatic videos about locking in for "Winter Arc" are corny, and maybe those people are right, but … actually, there's no "but," they're pretty corny.
Examples
@parkercant the vids got me laughing tho
@packyourstuf #fyp #fypシ #balkan #trollface #skibiditoilet #winterarc ♬ som original – 乃ㄥㄖㄖᗪㄚ ✦ 乇ㄚ乇丂
@noahlifts5 Time to turn calories into muscles and excuses into gains.💀🥶#gymtok #winterarc #buzzcut ♬ original sound – fairiesofthenight
@wissamnabulsii The Winter Arc. #gym #winterarc ♬ original sound – Wissam
Cuckstoel
Finally, we return to the wonderful Dutch language, where this week, the "Cuckstoel" became a meme as it sparked jokes around Twitter / X and went viral.
"Cuckstoel" is Dutch for "Cuck Chair," which was already a meme, but rewritten in Dutch, it's obviously funnier to English speakers, much like "We Hebben Een Serieus Probleem" was months ago — even if, at the end of the day, it's just a single chair on a train.
Examples
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We'll be back next Friday with another edition of our Weekly Meme Roundup series, so stay tuned!
