Magikarp Guy
About
Magikarp Guy is the nickname given to an audience member featured in a promotional clip for the Australian reality TV talent show Australia's Got Talent, who gained much notoriety online in December 2015 for his overly dramatic reactions to the contestants' performances, including one particular facial expression that drew comparison to the face of the Pokemon character Magikarp.
Origin
In late December 2015, Australia's Got Talent released a promotional video for the 2016 season of the show, featuring a man making exaggerated facial expressions while watching an unknown performance (shown below).
Spread
On December 28th, Redditor circusactone uploaded an animated GIF from the video titled "Ever go full Magikarp?" to /r/gifs,[1] where it gained over 5,700 votes (95% upvoted) and 1,100 comments in the first 72 hours.
Those lips tho.
On December 30th, Redditor teasider posted a Shoop Da Whoop-style animated GIF of the promo guy shooting lasers out of his eyes and mouth to /r/HighQualityGifs,[4] where it received more than 4,700 votes (90% upvoted) and 140 comments in 24 hours.
some more eyes, some right-ear lasereven some glowing snot and ear-fuel particles.
The same day, The Daily Mail[2] published an article about the Internet's reaction to the promo video, which highlighted several Totally Looks Like images featuring the promo guy (shown below).
Identity
On December 31st, The Daily Mail[3] identified the man in the audience as 21-year-old dance instructor Josh Saunders from Sunbury, Victoria, including several flattering photographs (shown below). In a statement to the news site, Saunders joked "They say that the camera adds 45 kilos, well I think I got the raw end of the bloody stick."
Search Interest
External References
[1] Reddit – Ever go full Magikarp?
[2] The Daily Mail – His mouth is upside down
[3] The Daily Mail – Why would they put this mug on TV?
[4] Reddit – Lasers with some more lasers
Top Comments
Samba
Jan 01, 2016 at 01:04AM EST
Spirit Coyote
Dec 31, 2015 at 09:37PM EST