Meme Generator is a tool for making internet memes, officially described as "internet picture jokes, made clear, and made in seconds," and marked as free to use.
[Purpose] This tool is aimed at users who want to quickly create and share meme images. The website not only provides creation features, but also uses considerable space to explain what memes are, where classic memes come from, and how to make posts that "hit home."
[Main capabilities]
- Provides a large number of popular templates to choose from; users can also choose their own images (officially described as "gives you lots of popular templates to choose from, or you can also...").
- Add text to images: the official description introduces the classic layout of "top text, bottom text"—white uppercase letters, black outline, one line above the image and one line below.
- Supports more modern formats: in addition to two lines of text at the top and bottom, it also supports placing text inside boxes, next to comic panels, or above the image. The official description says these formats can all be made on this site.
- After creation is complete, it can be shared directly.
[Capabilities introduced by the content] The website sorts out the basics of memes: the word meme was invented by a biologist in 1976; the "Advice Animals" series uses a rainbow-colored wheel as the background, and each character has a fixed personality; Rage Comics use rough lines and exaggerated expressions, giving rise to Trollface, Forever Alone, Y U No, and others; in addition, it also introduces memes drawn from movies and television.
[Classic templates and the people behind them] The official site lists multiple character-based memes and their sources: Bad Luck Brian (Kyle Craven's school yearbook photo), Hide the Pain Harold (a stock photo of a retired Hungarian engineer), First World Problems (Silvia Bottini's stock photo of being asked to cry), Overly Attached Girlfriend (a still from Laina Morris's joke video), Success Kid (a beach baby photo taken by Laney Griner, which later helped his father raise funds for a kidney transplant), Scumbag Steve (a photo of Blake Boston at age 16), Disaster Girl (a photo of Zoë Roth at age four in front of a burning house, which was actually a fire drill), Ridiculously Photogenic Guy (runner Zeddie Little), Ermahgerd (a funny photo taken by two friends with a Polaroid).
It also explains several classic templates: Y U No is a comic-style, furious character with both arms raised; Condescending Wonka is taken from Willy Wonka, played by Gene Wilder in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory; The Most Interesting Man in the World is the silver-haired gentleman played by Jonathan Goldsmith in a Dos Equis beer commercial; Futurama Fry (Not Sure If) is the squinting, doubtful expression of Philip J. Fry in Futurama; One Does Not Simply comes from a line by Boromir, played by Sean Bean, in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001); Philosoraptor is an illustration of a velociraptor with a claw under its chin; Grumpy Cat is a real cat from Arizona named Tardar Sauce; Ancient Aliens is History Channel program host Giorgio A. Tsoukalos; Winter Is Coming is Ned Stark, played by Sean Bean, in Game of Thrones.
[Creation advice] The official site gives five rules: choose the right face, follow its fixed formula, keep it short, and be specific.
[How to use] Choose a template or upload an image, add text, and then share. The official site does not provide more detailed information such as accounts, export formats, or API.
[Limitations] Apart from "free," the official site does not explain whether there are paid features, prices, watermarks, resolution limits, and so on. This information is not currently provided.
