My Leg!
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About
"My Leg!" is a memorable catchphrase uttered by the character Fred on the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. On the series, when the character is harmed, he can be heard screaming "My leg!" Online, people have remixed instances of the catchphrase, specifically editing an example from an episode in which the character Mr. Krabs throws Fred out of the Krusty Krab restaurant.
Origin
The earliest instance of the phrase being uttered was in the season one episode "Boating School," which aired on August 7th, 2000.[1]
Nine years later, on July 31st, 2009, YouTuber SNIBBLETRON published a video of Fred screaming "My Leg!" The video (shown below) received more than 500,000 views as of May 2018.
Spread
On November 9th, 2009, YouTuber EvanKunkle published a video of the whole scene from the March 15th, 2000 epsiode of Spongebob SquarePants "Arrgh!" in which Mr. Krabs throws Fred out of the Krusty Krab. The video (shown below, left) received more than one million views in nine years.
Weeks later, on November 18th, YouTuber MightyArc posted a video that edits the "My leg!" instance from "Arrgh!" with another clip of a SpongeBob character screaming "My eyes!" The post (shown below, right) received more than 580,000 views as of May 2018.
The following year, on January 3rd, 2010, YouTuber LimmingKenny published a techno remix of the catchphrase. Within eight years, the post (shown below) received more than 187,000 views.
On May 28th, 2010, YouTuber Anang uploaded a video compilation of various instances of the catchphrase's use. Within eight years, the post (shown below, left) received more than 8.2 million views.
As recognition of the phrase as a running joke grew, edits of the phrase being played over the soundtrack of other pieces of visual media soon grew in popularity. On September 29th, 2012, YouTuber TLFRurrlockAwesome published a compilation of examples of the phrase being used in other pieces of media, such as Family Guy and Spider-Man. The post (shown below, right) received more than 125,000 views in six years.
On October 17th, 2017, YouTuber Meme – tastic! published a video entitled "Every My Leg from Spongebob REVERSED." The video shows instances of "My leg!" played in reverse. The post (shown below) received more than 33,000 views in less than one year.
