About

Ohio is an American state in the country's Midwest region that became the subject of memes across social media platforms like Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, Instagram and TikTok, among other platforms, predominantly following the Ohio vs. the World trend that started in 2016. Going into the 2020s, the concept of Ohio as a meme became commonplace through multiple trends that humorously labeled Ohio as an American middle place, existing as a capitalist wasteland of chaos and mayhem, akin to creepypastas, lore and randomness, becoming an imagined epitome of American signifiers such as Breezewood, Pennsylvania. Ohio meme trends include Wait, It's All Ohio? Always Has Been, Can't Even X in Ohio, Only in Ohio, the Ohio Final Boss and the King of Ohio, among other micro-trends. "Ohio" was also labeled a slang term among Zoomers and Gen Alpha, mostly used ironically in Brainrot and Slang Overload memes, such as the Ohio Rizz Gyatt trend.

History

Between the years 1936 and 1939, the original computer was created in Endicott, New York, by Arthur Halsey Dickinson and the IBM Patent Company, however, IBM had a main competitor located in Dayton, Ohio, called NCR which was led by Joseph Desch and Robert Mumma in 1939.^[1] NCR's computer was called the NCR3566.^[1] The NCR company continued to innovate computers, like in 1960, the company released the NCR 315, which claimed to be the first low-cost, mass-marketed computer.^[2] The company NCR still exists as of 2022.^[2]

Origin of Ohio Memes

Lil B's "Swag Like Ohio"

"Swag Like Ohio" is a Meme Rap song by rapper Lil B. Originally posted to MySpace in November 2010, the song predates later memes about Ohio which surfaced en masse in the late 2010s, acting as an early example of Ohio being recognized as a comedic U.S. state prime for meme exploitation and satirization. In the early 2020s, the song became the predominant sound for "Only In Ohio" memes.

Ohio vs. the World

Although meme trends related to Ohio surfaced prior to 2016, the first specifically Ohio-based meme and objectively most viral was Ohio vs. the World.

On August 6th, 2016, Tumblr^[5] user screenshotofdespair posted a photograph of a bus stop digital screen with the message "Ohio will be eliminated." on it (shown below, left). The post received over 107,900 likes and reblogs in the following years and has been reposted multiple times, including posts on Boing Boing^[6] and Reddit.^[7] Additionally, a screenshot containing comments by Tumblr^[8] users fontech and postmarxed has also been circulated (shown below, right).

Before December 9th, 2019, an unknown user posted an MS-Paint drawing of an astronaut finding out that all land on the Earth is actually Ohio, with another astronaut preparing to shoot him to cover up the conspiracy (shown below; the edit is based on a previous meme^[9] "wait it's all America?"). In the following days, the image received viral spread on iFunny,^[10] Twitter,^[11] Reddit^[12] and Tumblr.^[13]

Wait, It's All Ohio? Always Has Been

The aforementioned meme showing the two astronauts started the Wait, It's All Ohio? Always Has Been exploitable that propelled the "Ohio vs. the World" concept further. Thereafter, meme creators across social media platforms portrayed Ohio as a dangerous force that needed to be stopped before it took over the Earth.

Can't Even X in Ohio 💀 / Only in Ohio

Can't Even X in Ohio 💀 or Only in Ohio is a phrasal template and catchphrase used in a series of videos on TikTok in which users show scary footage (often of animated monsters or disasters) under variations of the caption "can't even X in Ohio," with "X" being an everyday task. Popularized on TikTok in August 2022, the videos combine the Ohio vs. the World and Can't Have Shit in Detroit memes to portray Ohio as a horror-filled wasteland, typically set to the song "Swag Like Ohio" by Lil B and associated with the lyric "down in Ohio."

Other Memes

'Ohio' in Japan / 'Ohayo'

'Ohio' in Japan refers to the misinterpretation of the Japanese word 'Ohayo' (meaning "Good morning" in English), which sounds like the U.S. state of Ohio when said aloud. Due to the notoriety of Ohio memes on TikTok and elsewhere over the years, the concept of visiting Japan and hearing "Ohio" said in public frequently became fuel for memes that typically question why the Japanese people would reference the state. These memes often touch on satirical conspiracy theory and creepypasta territory. They predominantly started in 2018 on Reddit.

Related People

King of Ohio / Don Pollo

Don Pollo (@donpollo2982), also known as the King of Ohio, refers to a Spanish-speaking TikToker named Agustin whose videos are usually taken in the car, eating food like rotisserie chicken, and are often interrupted by ringtones and other loud sounds emitting from his Android. After going viral in mid-2022 for the El Que Quiera Perder Su Tiempo sound, also known as El Que Quiera Perder El Tiempo, Don Pollo's audios were used for shitpost photo slideshows and were added to the Goofy Ahh sound bank. He was later dubbed the "King of Ohio" because he allegedly worked at an Ohio high school, however, he's actually from South Carolina.

Satoyu0704 / Ohio Final Boss

Satoyu0704, also known as Satoyu (さとゆ), is a Japanese TikToker most known for his TikTok Live presence in which he wears a suit and walks to phonk music, resembling anime protagonists. Satoyu was ironically nicknamed the Ohio Final Boss due to three factors: him saying "Ohayo" (which means "Good morning" in Japanese) during his streams, the popularity of Ohio memes on TikTok and the "Final Boss" trend started by the Romanian Final Boss. Satoyu as the "Ohio Final Boss" is often pinned against TikToker Don Pollo, known as the "King of Ohio," in powerscaling memes across TikTok. Due to his new nickname, he embraced the concept and started saying "Made in Ohio" in his streams.

Ohio Queen / Natuecoco

The Ohio Queen refers to Japanese TikToker Natuecoco (@natuecoco) who became known on TikTok due to her TikTok Lives with Satoyu0704, also known as the Ohio Final Boss, in which they pretended to be anime protagonists through cosplaying and emoting. After Satoyu0704 was ironically dubbed the "Ohio Final Boss" in late 2022, Natuecoco was next in line and became a part of the growing Ohio lore on the app that also included the King of Ohio. Many labeled the Ohio Queen as an NPC or inserted her into powerscaling edits along with the Ohio Final Boss' catchphrase "Made in Ohio."

Slang Usage

"Ohio" was dubbed an internet slang term in 2023, following its nonsensical usage among Gen Z and Gen Alpha internet users akin to meaningless Zoomer Humor and so-called Brain Rot language. "Ohio" loosely translates to something cringe. However, when used in Slang Overload with other Zoomer slang terms like Rizz, Gyatt and Skibidi (among others) it becomes one of many ironic signifiers of a rotted brain (hence "brain rot"). Ohio's slang usage notably originates from the Pizza Tower Ohio Rizz Gyatt meme trend that began in February 2023.

Search Interest

External References