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Bape_kid_meme

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Part of a series on A Bathing Ape. [View Related Entries]


About

Bape Kid is an image macro depicting a skinny white kid with glasses wearing a Bape, also known as A Bathing Ape, T-shirt and shorts at a sneaker convention in early 2018. Once posted by a photographer from the event on Instagram, the picture was reposted and used in memes that made fun of white people's attempts at being relevant or appropriating hip-hop culture. In 2022, rumors that the Bape Kid had been arrested on a DUI charge in Georgia surfaced on Twitter, spiking interest in the character once more.

Origin

On January 27th, 2018, a sneaker convention called Shoeniverse ATL was held in the Junior Achievement Discovery Center in Atlanta, Georgia.[1] At the event, a boy named Tighe Russell[2] traveled from the Atlanta suburb of Roswell, Georgia to attend the event. During it, a photographer approached him about his outfit, wanting to take a photo of him. The image taken at Shoeniverse ended up becoming the "Bape Kid" photograph (shown below).

-A tion GREEN LINE BAPE 19.457 SEEING THINGS

The original posting of the photo is unknown, however, the earliest known repost was made by a since-deleted Instagram[3] meme page on January 28th, 2018. The original posting and photographer are currently unknown. The aforementioned information about the Bape Kid meme origin comes from a YouTube video uploaded by Bape Kid himself on September 19th, 2018, where it received roughly 10,800 views in three and a half years (shown below).

Spread

On April 1st, 2018, the Bape Kid image was posted by Redditor AyyLoaf to the /r/streetwear[4] subreddit, captioning it, "[WDYWT] Rocking my new BAPE i just got," and earning roughly 1,300 upvotes over the course of four years. On August 15th, 2018, the photo was tweeted by Twitter[5] user lightskin25 (since-deleted), earning an unknown amount of likes.

The engagement from the aforementioned tweet inspired increased awareness of the Bape Kid meme, so much so that Bape Kid himself acknowledged it in the YouTube[6] video he posted on September 19th, 2018. He uploaded another YouTube video on January 9th, 2019, which earned roughly 2,900 views in three years (shown below). Additionally, he linked his Instagram in the video's bio, however, his account has since been deleted.

Meme content using the Bape Kid image increased most notably going into 2020. The majority of the content was posted on Twitter. For instance, on April 27th, 2020, Twitter[7] user theealexlong captioned the photo with a quote related to the Travis Scott Fortnite Event that read, "Yo that Travis Scott concert on Fortnite went soooo hard!,” earning roughly 6,900 likes over the course of two years (shown below, left). On May 26th, 2020, Twitter[8] user YZYChris_ captioned the Bape Kid image with, "These are the type of people I lose too on the SNKRS app," earning roughly 14,200 likes in two years (shown below, right).

karate kid @theealexlong Apr 27, 2020 "Yo that Travis Scott concert on Fortnite went soooo hard!" BAPE
chris @YZYChris_ These are the type of people I lose too on the SNKRS app BAPE 10:25 AM. May 26, 2020 · Twitter for iPhone calls :

Towards the end of 2020, McDonald's' release of the Travis Scott Burger inspired multiple memes using the Bape Kid as the primary image. For instance, on September 9th, 2020, Twitter[9] user Freddychini posted a tweet that received roughly 194,900 likes over the course of a year and a half (shown below).

Freddy @Freddychini "Can i get a travis scott burger with extra slime- i mean sauce. Sorry l'm sicko mode right now hahaha, anyways hold the apple pie because DONT WANT YOUR APPLE PIE MAMA hahahaha i hope there were no bystanders to see that" ВАРЕ 9:10 AM · Sep 8, 2020 · Twitter for iPhone

Bape Kid Arrested on DUI Charges

On June 4th, 2022, the Twitter[10] page staygroundead posted a tweet that included a screenshot of a mugshot placed side-by-side with the image of the Bape Kid, claiming that the person shown was purportedly him. In accordance with the tweet that earned roughly 88,300 likes in two days (shown below), the Bape Kid had recently been arrested for multiple charges related to an alleged DUI in the state of Georgia.

€ GROUNDEAD @staygroundead Bape Kid arrested in Georgia, facing multiple charges for DUI A. BAPE Geor Reason(s) For Booking: DULUTH-DUI - ALCOHOL LESS SAFE-11 Counts DULUTH - MINOR IN POSSESSION OF ALCOHOL -11 Counts DULUTH - RECKLESS DRIVING -11 Counts DULUTH-CLASS D LIC HOLDER SHALL NOT HAVE ANY NO-11 Counts DULUTH - IMPROPER/ERRATIC LANE CHANGE - 11 Counts DULUTH - OBSCURRED OR MISSING LICENSE PLATES - 11 Counts DULUTH-LICENSE: POSSESSION OF FRAUDULANT LIC - 11 Counts 10:22 PM Jun 4, 2022 · Twitter for iPhone :
BAPE Geof Reason(s) For Booking: DULUTH-DUI - ALCOHOL LESS SAFE - 11 Counts DULUTH - MINOR IN POSSESSION OF ALCOHOL - 11 Counts DULUTH - RECKLESS DRIVING -11 Counts DULUTH-CLASS D LIC HOLDER SHALL NOT HAVE ANY NO-11 Counts DULUTH - IMPROPER/ERRATIC LANE CHANGE -11 Counts DULUTH - OBSCURRED OR MISSING LICENSE PLATES - 11 Counts DULUTH-LICENSE: POSSESSION OF FRAUDULANT LIC -11 Counts

Through a reverse image search of the mugshot, it's confirmed that the person pictured is Tighe Russell,[2] also known as the Bape Kid. The mugshot and a police report are accessible on The Georgia Gazette website,[11] as well as on the Gwinnett County Facebook[12] page. According to these sources, the original arrest happened on February 18th, 2022.

After staygroundead's tweet[10] that was posted on June 4th, 2022, multiple reactions to the development surfaced on Twitter going into June 2022. For instance, on June 5th, 2022, Twitter[13] user FJXSU posted a reply to the tweet reading, "11 on everything cuz fuck 12," earning roughly 19,800 likes in one day (shown below, left). Also on June 5th, Twitter[14] user 400specs posted a reply that included a side-by-side comparison between the mugshot and rapper Lil Xan, earning roughly 1,700 likes in one day (shown below, right).

GROUNDEAD @staygroundead. Jun 4 Bape Kid arrested in Georgia, facing multiple charges for DUI BAPE Geofe Reason(s) For Booking: DULUTH-DUI - ALCOHOL LESS SAFE - 11 Counts DULUTH - MINOR IN POSSESSION OF ALCOHOL - 11 Counts DULUTH-RECKLESS DRIVING -11 Counts DULUTH-CLASS D LIC HOLDER SHALL NOT HAVE ANY NO-11 Counts DULUTH - IMPROPER/ERRATIC LANE CHANGE - 11 Counts DULUTH - OBSCURRED OR MISSING LICENSE PLATES - 11 Counts DULUTH-LICENSE: POSSESSION OF FRAUDULANT LIC-11 Counts 7,503 88.4K A Tip FranzJ @FJXSU Replying to @staygroundead and @Absolunar 11 on everything cuz f--- 12 2:17 AM Jun 5, 2022 · Twitter for Android 554 : :
山 Zzz a 320

Various Examples

HEY GUYS CAN I HAVE YOUR CRUST BAPE MY MOM DIDNT PACK ME A LUNCH
The “purple grapes are the best grapes" starter pack BAPE
Optimus @SubToOptimus Jul 7, 2020 "Bro who even is Pusha T" "Drake is the GOAT" "Pusha is obsessed with Drake" BAPE SEEING THINGS
4 2076 ↓ r/WestSubEver Posted by u/Acceptable Following5 8 months ago Bro I met the bape kid today Discussion 2 holy moley 1/2 C
HEY HAVE YOU HEARD OF THIS COOL SUBREDDIT CALLED OKBUDDYRETARD l-A tion BAPE EEING THINGS IT'S KINDA EDGY SO DON'T GO ON THERE IF YOU'RE EASILY OFFENDED
OLES SOULS VER PER SWAG Supr APE

Search Interest

External References

[1] Atlanta Business Chronicle – Shoeniverse ATL 2018

[2] Facebook – Tighe Russell

[3] Instagram – since-deleted link

[4] Reddit – /r/streetwear

[5] Twitter – @lightskin25

[6] YouTube – The Bape Meme Kid Starts a YouTube channel

[7] Twitter – @theealexlong

[8] Twitter – @YZYChris_

[9] Twitter – @Freddychini

[10] Twitter – @staygroundead

[11] The Georgia Gazette – Tighe Russell

[12] Facebook – Gwinnett County 411

[13] Twitter – @FJXSU

[14] Twitter – @400specs



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The Bape Kid meme depicting an image of a young boy wearing a bape shirt and glasses while throwing up a hand signal.

Bape Kid

Part of a series on A Bathing Ape. [View Related Entries]

Updated Jun 06, 2022 at 05:45PM EDT by Zach.

Added Jun 06, 2022 at 01:39PM EDT by Owen.

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About

Bape Kid is an image macro depicting a skinny white kid with glasses wearing a Bape, also known as A Bathing Ape, T-shirt and shorts at a sneaker convention in early 2018. Once posted by a photographer from the event on Instagram, the picture was reposted and used in memes that made fun of white people's attempts at being relevant or appropriating hip-hop culture. In 2022, rumors that the Bape Kid had been arrested on a DUI charge in Georgia surfaced on Twitter, spiking interest in the character once more.

Origin

On January 27th, 2018, a sneaker convention called Shoeniverse ATL was held in the Junior Achievement Discovery Center in Atlanta, Georgia.[1] At the event, a boy named Tighe Russell[2] traveled from the Atlanta suburb of Roswell, Georgia to attend the event. During it, a photographer approached him about his outfit, wanting to take a photo of him. The image taken at Shoeniverse ended up becoming the "Bape Kid" photograph (shown below).


-A tion GREEN LINE BAPE 19.457 SEEING THINGS

The original posting of the photo is unknown, however, the earliest known repost was made by a since-deleted Instagram[3] meme page on January 28th, 2018. The original posting and photographer are currently unknown. The aforementioned information about the Bape Kid meme origin comes from a YouTube video uploaded by Bape Kid himself on September 19th, 2018, where it received roughly 10,800 views in three and a half years (shown below).



Spread

On April 1st, 2018, the Bape Kid image was posted by Redditor AyyLoaf to the /r/streetwear[4] subreddit, captioning it, "[WDYWT] Rocking my new BAPE i just got," and earning roughly 1,300 upvotes over the course of four years. On August 15th, 2018, the photo was tweeted by Twitter[5] user lightskin25 (since-deleted), earning an unknown amount of likes.

The engagement from the aforementioned tweet inspired increased awareness of the Bape Kid meme, so much so that Bape Kid himself acknowledged it in the YouTube[6] video he posted on September 19th, 2018. He uploaded another YouTube video on January 9th, 2019, which earned roughly 2,900 views in three years (shown below). Additionally, he linked his Instagram in the video's bio, however, his account has since been deleted.



Meme content using the Bape Kid image increased most notably going into 2020. The majority of the content was posted on Twitter. For instance, on April 27th, 2020, Twitter[7] user theealexlong captioned the photo with a quote related to the Travis Scott Fortnite Event that read, "Yo that Travis Scott concert on Fortnite went soooo hard!,” earning roughly 6,900 likes over the course of two years (shown below, left). On May 26th, 2020, Twitter[8] user YZYChris_ captioned the Bape Kid image with, "These are the type of people I lose too on the SNKRS app," earning roughly 14,200 likes in two years (shown below, right).


karate kid @theealexlong Apr 27, 2020 "Yo that Travis Scott concert on Fortnite went soooo hard!" BAPE chris @YZYChris_ These are the type of people I lose too on the SNKRS app BAPE 10:25 AM. May 26, 2020 · Twitter for iPhone calls :

Towards the end of 2020, McDonald's' release of the Travis Scott Burger inspired multiple memes using the Bape Kid as the primary image. For instance, on September 9th, 2020, Twitter[9] user Freddychini posted a tweet that received roughly 194,900 likes over the course of a year and a half (shown below).


Freddy @Freddychini "Can i get a travis scott burger with extra slime- i mean sauce. Sorry l'm sicko mode right now hahaha, anyways hold the apple pie because DONT WANT YOUR APPLE PIE MAMA hahahaha i hope there were no bystanders to see that" ВАРЕ 9:10 AM · Sep 8, 2020 · Twitter for iPhone

Bape Kid Arrested on DUI Charges

On June 4th, 2022, the Twitter[10] page staygroundead posted a tweet that included a screenshot of a mugshot placed side-by-side with the image of the Bape Kid, claiming that the person shown was purportedly him. In accordance with the tweet that earned roughly 88,300 likes in two days (shown below), the Bape Kid had recently been arrested for multiple charges related to an alleged DUI in the state of Georgia.


€ GROUNDEAD @staygroundead Bape Kid arrested in Georgia, facing multiple charges for DUI A. BAPE Geor Reason(s) For Booking: DULUTH-DUI - ALCOHOL LESS SAFE-11 Counts DULUTH - MINOR IN POSSESSION OF ALCOHOL -11 Counts DULUTH - RECKLESS DRIVING -11 Counts DULUTH-CLASS D LIC HOLDER SHALL NOT HAVE ANY NO-11 Counts DULUTH - IMPROPER/ERRATIC LANE CHANGE - 11 Counts DULUTH - OBSCURRED OR MISSING LICENSE PLATES - 11 Counts DULUTH-LICENSE: POSSESSION OF FRAUDULANT LIC - 11 Counts 10:22 PM Jun 4, 2022 · Twitter for iPhone : BAPE Geof Reason(s) For Booking: DULUTH-DUI - ALCOHOL LESS SAFE - 11 Counts DULUTH - MINOR IN POSSESSION OF ALCOHOL - 11 Counts DULUTH - RECKLESS DRIVING -11 Counts DULUTH-CLASS D LIC HOLDER SHALL NOT HAVE ANY NO-11 Counts DULUTH - IMPROPER/ERRATIC LANE CHANGE -11 Counts DULUTH - OBSCURRED OR MISSING LICENSE PLATES - 11 Counts DULUTH-LICENSE: POSSESSION OF FRAUDULANT LIC -11 Counts

Through a reverse image search of the mugshot, it's confirmed that the person pictured is Tighe Russell,[2] also known as the Bape Kid. The mugshot and a police report are accessible on The Georgia Gazette website,[11] as well as on the Gwinnett County Facebook[12] page. According to these sources, the original arrest happened on February 18th, 2022.

After staygroundead's tweet[10] that was posted on June 4th, 2022, multiple reactions to the development surfaced on Twitter going into June 2022. For instance, on June 5th, 2022, Twitter[13] user FJXSU posted a reply to the tweet reading, "11 on everything cuz fuck 12," earning roughly 19,800 likes in one day (shown below, left). Also on June 5th, Twitter[14] user 400specs posted a reply that included a side-by-side comparison between the mugshot and rapper Lil Xan, earning roughly 1,700 likes in one day (shown below, right).


GROUNDEAD @staygroundead. Jun 4 Bape Kid arrested in Georgia, facing multiple charges for DUI BAPE Geofe Reason(s) For Booking: DULUTH-DUI - ALCOHOL LESS SAFE - 11 Counts DULUTH - MINOR IN POSSESSION OF ALCOHOL - 11 Counts DULUTH-RECKLESS DRIVING -11 Counts DULUTH-CLASS D LIC HOLDER SHALL NOT HAVE ANY NO-11 Counts DULUTH - IMPROPER/ERRATIC LANE CHANGE - 11 Counts DULUTH - OBSCURRED OR MISSING LICENSE PLATES - 11 Counts DULUTH-LICENSE: POSSESSION OF FRAUDULANT LIC-11 Counts 7,503 88.4K A Tip FranzJ @FJXSU Replying to @staygroundead and @Absolunar 11 on everything cuz f--- 12 2:17 AM Jun 5, 2022 · Twitter for Android 554 : : 山 Zzz a 320

Various Examples


HEY GUYS CAN I HAVE YOUR CRUST BAPE MY MOM DIDNT PACK ME A LUNCH The “purple grapes are the best grapes" starter pack BAPE Optimus @SubToOptimus Jul 7, 2020 "Bro who even is Pusha T" "Drake is the GOAT" "Pusha is obsessed with Drake" BAPE SEEING THINGS 4 2076 ↓ r/WestSubEver Posted by u/Acceptable Following5 8 months ago Bro I met the bape kid today Discussion 2 holy moley 1/2 C HEY HAVE YOU HEARD OF THIS COOL SUBREDDIT CALLED OKBUDDYRETARD l-A tion BAPE EEING THINGS IT'S KINDA EDGY SO DON'T GO ON THERE IF YOU'RE EASILY OFFENDED OLES SOULS VER PER SWAG Supr APE

Search Interest

External References

[1] Atlanta Business Chronicle – Shoeniverse ATL 2018

[2] Facebook – Tighe Russell

[3] Instagram – since-deleted link

[4] Reddit – /r/streetwear

[5] Twitter – @lightskin25

[6] YouTube – The Bape Meme Kid Starts a YouTube channel

[7] Twitter – @theealexlong

[8] Twitter – @YZYChris_

[9] Twitter – @Freddychini

[10] Twitter – @staygroundead

[11] The Georgia Gazette – Tighe Russell

[12] Facebook – Gwinnett County 411

[13] Twitter – @FJXSU

[14] Twitter – @400specs

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