Trollface Explained

Trollface or Troll Face is a rage comic meme image of a character wearing a mischievous smile, used to symbolise internet trolls and trolling. It is one of the oldest and most widely known rage comic faces.[1] [2]

History

Trollface was drawn in Microsoft Paint on September 19, 2008, by Carlos Ramirez, an 18-year-old Oakland college student.[3] [4] The image was published on Ramirez's DeviantArt page, "Whynne",[4] as part of a rage comic titled Trolls, about the pointless nature of trolling.[5] [6] Ramirez posted the image to the imageboard website 4chan, where other users began to share it.[3] [7] In the following months, Ramirez's drawing quickly gained traction on 4chan as the universal emoticon of an internet troll and a versatile rage comic character. From 4chan, Trollface spread to Reddit and Urban Dictionary in 2009,[4] [5] eventually reaching other internet image-sharing sites such as Imgur and Facebook.[5]

In March 2021, Ramirez announced his intention to sell a non-fungible token for Trollface.[8]

Usage

Trollface shows a troll, someone who annoys others on the internet for their own amusement.[2] The original comic by Ramirez mocked trolls;[3] however, the image is widely used by trolls.[9] Trollface has been described as the internet equivalent of the children's taunt "nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah" or sticking one's tongue out.[9] The image is often accompanied by phrases such as "Problem?" or "You mad, bro?"[10]

Copyright

On April 8, 2015, Kotaku ran an in-depth interview article with Ramirez about his now-iconic rage comic character.[3] In the article, Ramirez estimated that since registering Trolls with the United States Copyright Office on July 27, 2010, he had earned more than $100,000 in licensing fees and other payouts associated with Trollface, including from licensing for shirts emblazoned with the face being sold by the retail chain Hot Topic, with monthly revenues reaching as high as $15,000 at its peak.

In addition, Ramirez also offered a backstory behind the removal of the video game Meme Run for Wii U for copyright infringement for including Trollface as the main character.[3] [11] Trollface is protected by copyright, but is not trademarked.[12]

Impact

Trollface was described by Spanish; Castilian: [[La Tercera]] as "the father of memes".[4] A bust of Trollface was exhibited at the Mexico City museum Museo del Meme.[13]

In March 2012, a viral video showed a banner emblazoned with Trollface and the word "Problem?" being used by fans of the Turkish Second League football team Eskişehirspor to protest a rule change.[14]

In the Black Mirror episode "Shut Up and Dance", the blackmailers send Trollface photographs after they leak the victims' secrets in spite of their compliance.[15]

In February 2021, Rebecca Black released a remix of her 2011 song "Friday" to celebrate its 10th anniversary, with the song's music video featuring several rage comic characters, including Trollface.[16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Junge Zeiten: Bitte recht freundlich. Hagedorn. Patrick. July 5, 2012. Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. de-DE. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200528103559/https://www.ksta.de/region/region-archiv/junge-zeiten-bitte-recht-freundlich-5482250. May 28, 2020. May 28, 2020.
  2. Web site: Connor. Tom. March 12, 2012. Fffuuuuuuuu: The internet anthropologist's field guide to "rage faces". live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210322130101/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/03/the-internet-anthropologists-field-guide-to-rage-faces/. March 22, 2021. June 13, 2020. Ars Technica.
  3. Web site: Klepek. Patrick. April 8, 2015. The Maker Of The Trollface Meme Is Counting His Money. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200221101337/https://kotaku.com/the-maker-of-the-trollface-meme-is-counting-his-money-1696228810. February 21, 2020. May 28, 2020. Kotaku.
  4. Web site: Trollface: El padre de los memes cumple 10 años. Christiansen. Axel. September 20, 2018. La Tercera. es-cl. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200528102309/https://www.latercera.com/mouse/trollface-memes-aniversario/. May 28, 2020. May 28, 2020.
  5. Web site: Lazzaro. Sage. The Origin Stories Behind 5 of the Internet's Most Popular Memes. March 30, 2016. Observer. May 28, 2020.
  6. Web site: Whynne. Comic - Trolls. September 19, 2008. DeviantArt. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200220030016/https://www.deviantart.com/whynne/art/Comic-Trolls-98357844. February 20, 2020. 2020-05-28.
  7. Web site: How the creator of the 'trollface' meme turned an MS Paint cartoon into a six-figure payday. Price. Rob. Business Insider. April 8, 2015. May 28, 2020.
  8. Web site: Viniacourt. Elise. Comme le Nyan Cat, les vieux mèmes d'internet s'envolent aux enchères. July 7, 2021. Libération. fr.
  9. Web site: Macale. Sherilynn. September 30, 2011. 7 memes to know: Internet culture at its finest. June 13, 2020. The Next Web.
  10. Web site: Trollface (Racist Versions). June 13, 2020. Anti-Defamation League.
  11. Web site: Whitehead. Thomas. March 4, 2015. Copyright Owner of 'Trollface' Image Explains Role in Getting Meme Run Taken Down. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210516015343/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/03/copyright_owner_of_trollface_image_explains_role_in_getting_meme_run_taken_down. May 16, 2021. May 28, 2020. Nintendo Life.
  12. Web site: Edwards. Phil. July 24, 2015. 5 faces you never realized were trademarked. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210515105145/https://www.vox.com/2015/7/24/9022381/trademarked-faces. May 15, 2021. May 28, 2020. Vox.
  13. Web site: December 8, 2018. Museo del Meme estará abierto solo este fin de semana en la Ciudad de México. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20181209114007/https://www.infobae.com/america/mexico/2018/12/08/museo-del-meme-esta-abierto-y-estara-abierto-solo-este-fin-de-semana/. December 9, 2018. May 28, 2020. infobae. es-ES.
  14. Web site: Problem? Turkish soccer fans protest rule change with troll face. Eördögh. Fruzsina. March 3, 2020. The Daily Dot. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20200528102324/https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/problem-turkish-soccer-protest-troll-face/. May 28, 2020. May 28, 2020.
  15. Web site: Black Mirror's "Shut up and Dance" is a Nauseating Tale of Online Crime and Punishment. October 24, 2016.
  16. Web site: February 11, 2021. Rebecca Black Reclaims 'Friday'. March 24, 2021. PAPER. en.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Trollface".

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