meme-review
The Weekly Meme Roundup: Triangle Factory, Every Country's Miku And More
Listen, we get it. Some days you touch grass and miss what the heck is happening online because you forgot to check Know Your Meme every 15 minutes to see what the latest meme is our award-winning* staff has covered (*the award is totally real, maybe).
That's why we're introducing a "Weekly Meme Roundup" series to give you a bite-size explainer of the hits from the past several days, just in time for the weekend's social events in which everyone discusses memes.
To kick off our series, we have a wonky triangle factory, a rainbow dolphin, a whole lot of Hatsune Miku and more.
I Guess We Doin Circles Now / Triangle Factory
Though it got its start two weeks ago, the top meme template from the past week is still I Guess We Doin Circles Now, an MS Paint comic by Twitter / X user @MeatMarket__ that took on a life of its own.
The template outlined by the original comic continues to inspire exploitable variations to this day, as social media has been inspired by the plight of the common worker at the triangle factory (side note, this meme has nothing to do with the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of the early 20th century, but it does make us think of it whenever we hear the meme referred to as "Triangle Factory," which many now call it).
Examples
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Every Country's Miku
Does every country need a Hatsune Miku? This question was answered with a resounding "yes" by users around the internet participating in the Every Country's Miku meme, a fan art trend that imagines everyone's favorite vocaloid as different nationalities.
The trend was launched on June 25th by a piece of "Brazilian Miku" fan art created by Twitter / X artist @ErinArtista and went viral after artist Doodly posted their variation on the character on August 17th.
From there, dozens of fan artists have tried their hand at drawing Miku as a representative from various countries and cultures. Hundreds of variations have come in already, proving Hatsune Miku is still one of the internet's most inspiring muses.
Examples
Symphony Dolphin / Rainbow Dolphin
Meanwhile, on TikTok, a major trend now known as Symphony Dolphin, or Rainbow Dolphin, emerged that involves putting basically any text one wants (though most are things like demotivational quotes and confessions) over a very fantastical picture of a dolphin. The trend is also set to Zara Larsson's song "Symphony," for some reason.
@_c.h.e.r.r.i.e.s Whoever made this song must be happy rn😍 #CapCut #fyp #dolpins #symphony #blowup #silly #balls #ocean #spirtuality #fypシ゚viral #FYP ♬ Symphony – Clean Bandit,Zara Larsson
The trend has baffled even the meme makers, but that seems to be the point. The idea is to confuse viewers with a barrage of conflicting stimuli, from the garish Lisa Frank-esque dolphin imagery to the blaring pop music to the jarring captions. While we can debate why this works as a meme, it's undoubtedly working, and it's taken a brainrot-like root on TikTok.
Examples
@zamuzalver “I JUST WANNA BE PART OF YOUR SYMPHONYYYYY” ahh😭 #foryou #fyp #dolphins ♬ Symphony – Zara Larsson
@_a__r_t_ #alcohol #symphony #viral #solution #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #goviral #goviraltiktok #perte ♬ Symphony – Clean Bandit,Zara Larsson
@.m4rps ayuda no se que publicar // #fyp #parati #tiktokponmeenparati #ñ #lentejas #shitpost #humor ♬ Symphony – Zara Larsson
@aishiissilly I just want to be a part of your symphony! #wap#fyp#casino#groomed#dolphins#fy#xyzbca #plsdontletthisflop #idonthavemilk#rainbow#unicorn#symphony #sea #diary ♬ Symphony – Zara Larsson
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Oasis Reunion
A less confusing cause for memes is the news that Britpop legends Oasis are reuniting for a run of shows in the U.K. in 2025. The group is beloved for its hits like "Champagne Supernova" and, of course, "Wonderwall," but infamously hasn't played together since the 2000s because the brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, the songwriting duo of Oasis, publicly can't stand each other. Thus, their ability to put their differences aside and play live was cause for celebration and memes online this week.
Oasis’s tour manager bout to have the toughest job in the world: pic.twitter.com/9D0ZC40ecg
— MCFC Tarrant (@la_tarrant) August 26, 2024
While the chance to hear some Oasis songs performed live is exciting, we'd be lying if we said people weren't also interested in the chance of seeing a historic meltdown on stage. If that happens, the memes in 2025 are going to be glorious.
Examples
Time To Play The Game
If you read "time to play the game" and thought, "Like Triple H?," you're sort of right.
On August 19th, TikToker @marcanderson8 posted a video of himself singing WWE wrestler Triple H's theme song "The Game (Triple H)" by Motörhead. It does not sound very Motorhead-y, but it seemingly struck a chord in the meme world over the last week.
@marcanderson8 Me singing The Game(Triple H Theme by Motörhead #fyp #cover #wwe #tripleh ♬ original sound – Marc.
The sound quickly became fodder for skits on social media as users began adding Mr. marcanderson8 into various skits about times when one has to "play the game" — though the game is often some unsavory behavior.
Examples
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7406395920134180126
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7406690780770749739
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7405956236069326111
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7405704072969407775
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@chiefgreenscreens Time to play the game @Marc. #Meme #MemeCut #CapCut #wwe ♬ original sound – Chief Green Screens
We'll be back next Friday with another edition of our Weekly Meme Roundup series, so stay tuned and have a good weekend!