About

Green text Stories are anecdotes written in short, concise sentences that are often shared on the image board 4chan using the site's "green-text" code. Green text stories differ from ">Implying" green text comments, which are used to mock another user’s statement or challenge the validity of their argument.

Origin

Due to 4chan’s lack of a built-in archival system, the original green text story is unknown. Previously archived threads on the now-defunct Chanarchive indicated that green text threads began appearing in early 2010, the earliest of which contained several stories sharing various awkward moments in the /r9k/^[2] (robot9001) board posted on March 3rd, 2010.

Spread

On November 23rd, 2010, FunnyJunk^[7] user DietWater submitted a screenshot of a green text story thread containing disturbing childhood memories (shown below).

On August 21st, 2011, Redditor Glonn submitted a green text story about an intimate encounter with a disabled girl at summer camp to the /r/4chan subreddit,^[6] garnering upwards of 1,000 up votes and 30 comments prior to being archived (shown below).

Two days later, the /r/greentext^[4]subreddit was launched, which accumulated more than 5,300 subscribers in the next three years. On September 12th, 2012, Redditor bacon_pants submitted a green text story about a man wearing a musketeer costume to the /r/4chan^[5] subreddit, which received over 9,200 up votes and 110 comments prior to being archived (shown below).

On February 20th, 2013, a Facebook^[3] page titled "Green Text Stories" was launched, gaining upwards of 2,200 likes in one year. On April 9th, BuzzFeed^[9] published a list titled "The Greatest Things That Have Ever Happened on 4chan," which highlighted several notable green text stories. On April 16th, Redditor Archduke Caligula submitted a Shrek-themed green text story to the /r/FiftyFifty^[8] subreddit, accumulating more than 2,300 up votes and 110 comments prior to being archived (shown below).

Notable Examples

Spaghetti Stories

Spaghetti Stories are a type of bait-and-switch copypasta posted on 4chan to "troll" others under the pretext of recounting a socially awkward or humiliating situation in greentext. While the plot may vary from one to another, each story ends when spaghetti suddenly falls out of one’s pocket or fanny pack.

Fucking Gamestop

Fucking Gamestop is a type of greentext story posted on 4chan containing fake experiences with the American video game and entertainment software retailer Gamestop, ending with the expression “Fucking Gamestop."

Burst Into Treats

Burst Into Treats is a bait-and-switch copypasta commonly used on 4chan imageboards to conclude a seemingly believable greentext story about a personal experience involving embarrassing or emotionally moving moments, with a person exploding into "treats" at the end of each story.

Mom's Spaghetti

Mom's Spaghetti is a bait-and-switch copypasta derived from the lyrics of Eminem’s 2002 hit rap single “Lose Yourself.” Originating from the 4chan imageboard community, it is a notable example of spaghetti stories that usually start out as a personal anecdote about an embarrassing or socially awkward episode before ending abruptly with a sudden appearance of spaghetti.

It Was My Privilege

"It Was My Privilege" is a sarcastic expression used as the punchline in greentext stories wherein gentlemanly courtesy is misunderstood as male patronage, thus mocking the feminist concept of the male-dominated social system known as the “patriarchy."

AI-Generated Greentexts

AI-Generated Greentexts are greentext stories that are generated by the GPT-3 language model or other AI software rather than written by humans. First popularized by Tumblr's frogpostbot, using bots to create greentexts became a viral trend in June 2022, with users employing OpenAI's GPT-3 language model to generate greentexts.

Search Interest

External References