Introduction
Memes are a staple of internet culture and go viral quickly online. They often take the form of an image or short video that conveys humor relatable to many people. Memes frequently feature cute animals or pop culture references. The act of widely sharing and remixing memes enables participatory culture on the internet.
Videos of pets have been popular online for decades, with clips of cute or funny animal moments being shared virally since the early 2000s. Dogs in particular tend to have big personalities that shine through in viral videos. The inherent goofiness and charm of dogs translates well into meme content.
Origin of the Meme
The meme originated from a video posted to YouTube in 2007 showing a dog struggling to walk down a flight of stairs. The video shows a fluffy Pomeranian dog cautiously trying to make its way down carpeted stairs in a home, but continually losing its balance and tumbling down.
The original minute-long video simply shows the dog’s silly struggle down the stairs, set to the soundtrack of “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana. The dramatic music paired with the cute dog’s clumsy attempts to descend the stairs created an amusing juxtaposition that led to the video going viral shortly after it was posted.
Within the first few months, the original video gained over a million views on YouTube. People found the simple scenario of a fluffy pom-pom of a dog persistently trying and failing to walk down stairs highly entertaining. Soon, the video was being widely shared across social media and reposted by others, kicking off the popular meme format based on the dog’s stair struggles.
Popularity and Spread
The “dog going down stairs” meme first gained popularity in late 2017, when a video was posted to Reddit showing a dog struggling to walk down a flight of stairs (https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/7112mm/moved_house_dog_has_never_seen_stairs_before/). The awkward and unsure way the dog moves down each step struck a chord with viewers, who found it humorous and relatable. The video quickly went viral on Reddit, gaining over 79,000 upvotes.
The meme then spread rapidly across other social platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as people shared the funny video. By early 2018, the “dog going down stairs” meme had become a widely known internet joke, with people creating their own versions showing dogs, cats, and even babies struggling to manage stairs. The meme reached peak popularity when 9gag shared a compiled video of funny stair descent fails that received over 1 million views (https://9gag.com/gag/aQo8ppr).
The awkward downward stair descent captured in the viral videos and memes seemed to resonate with internet users, allowing the meme to quickly blanket social media and cement itself as an iconic and relatable internet joke.
Typical Examples
The most common format of the dog going down stairs meme shows a sequence of 3-5 photos of a dog gingerly walking down a flight of stairs. Often the photos zoom in closer on the dog with each sequence to highlight the intense concentration on its face. Most examples use a medium or large dog breed like a Labrador or Golden Retriever. The images are captioned with text like “Me,” “Trying to,” “Act normal” or “Fit in”.
Another popular format overlays text on each photo instead of using captions. For example, the text may say “Monday”, “Tuesday”, “Wednesday” with the dog’s expression looking more distressed and chaotic in each sequence. This format is used to depict a progressive decline through the week or a situation getting progressively worse.
Some versions use graphics instead of photos, often with simple stick figure or cartoon drawings of a dog navigating stairs. These simplified graphics allow the meme to be more versatile and convey imagined situations beyond just literally going down stairs.
Cultural Significance
The dog going down stairs meme resonated with internet culture because it represents the amusing disconnect between dogs’ excitement and coordination. As highly energetic pets not always aware of their size and abilities, dogs frequently get themselves into silly situations – like struggling to navigate stairs. This meme captured that in a relatable, funny way.
The meme also signifies the internet’s fascination with cute animals and funny pet videos. As pets become more and more a part of our families, we increasingly share moments of their clumsiness, playfulness, and charm online. The dog struggling downstairs fits right into that trend of celebrating our furry friends through viral videos and memes.
On a deeper level, the meme reflects the internet’s appetite for physical comedy and harmless schadenfreude – taking amusement from others’ minor mishaps and misfortunes. The dog bumpily descending the stairs scratches that itch for slapstick-style entertainment rooted in a universal experience of temporarily losing coordination. While empathizing with the dog, we also can’t help but laugh at the silly predicament. Through this harmless and momentary embarrassment, the meme allows us to see ourselves in our beloved pets.
Parodies and Spin-offs
The meme’s popularity has led to many parodies and spin-offs being created. Some of the most notable examples include:
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Cat going down stairs – Using footage of a cat cautiously walking down stairs instead of a dog.
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“Formal dog” – Dressing the dog in a tuxedo and top hat, making the scene formal instead of silly.
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“Flying dog” – Using green screen effects to make it look like the dog is flying down the stairs.
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“Elderly dog” – Slowing down the footage and adding captions imagining the dog as elderly and frail.
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“Famous locations” – Photoshopping the dog into scenes at famous locations like movie sets or world landmarks.
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“Dog CEO” – Adding business attire, briefcase, and office environment to portray the dog as a busy CEO.
These parodies breathe new life into the classic meme format and keep it feeling fresh and entertaining even years later.
Impact on Dogs and Owners
The viral popularity of the doge meme has had significant effects on the original dog Kabosu and her owner Atsuko Sato. According to The Guardian, Kabosu was adopted in 2008 by Atsuko Sato, a Japanese kindergarten teacher. After Sato posted photos of Kabosu online in 2010, they quickly spread as popular memes. This worldwide fame took Sato by surprise but also brought some negative consequences.
The constant attention and requests from meme fans became disruptive to Sato’s daily life with Kabosu. While Sato was happy the memes brought joy to many people, she struggled to maintain her pet’s wellbeing and routine amidst the chaos. In 2022, at age 16, Kabosu was diagnosed with chronic liver disease and leukemia, which Sato has to manage while honoring Kabosu’s fame.
Despite some challenges, Sato expresses appreciation for the happiness Kabosu’s memes have brought people. The global recognition also helped raise funds for animal welfare groups Sato supports. Overall, the experience shows how viral internet fame can impact both pets and owners in complicated ways.
Use in Marketing
The popularity of the dog going down stairs meme led many brands to reference it in their marketing campaigns, hoping to capitalize on the viral humor. For example, Pedigree created an ad featuring a Great Dane struggling to walk down stairs with the tagline “Support their joints so they can keep moving.” Purina also used the meme in a commercial showing owners helping their dogs, stating “You do so much to keep them going.” And an ad for Joint Max pills had a large dog limping down stairs accompanied by the text “Help joint health at any age.” While capitalizing on internet trends can boost engagement, brands also faced backlash for exploiting dogs for profit or making light of pets in distress.
According to this TikTok video, the meme was commonly used in ads by brands hoping to go viral.
Decline in Popularity
The dog falling down stairs meme started to decline in popularity in the late 2010s. Several factors contributed to the meme being used less frequently over time.
Part of the decline was due to the natural lifecycle of internet memes. As new viral memes emerged, the dog falling down stairs meme started to feel stale in comparison. Memes often have a short shelf life before a new meme captures the public’s attention.
The meme also started being used in overdone, repetitive ways, leading to lack of enthusiasm. As the meme was reposted without adding much new humor or commentary, it lost some of its entertainment value.
Additionally, changes in social media platforms impacted the spread of the meme. As apps like TikTok became more popular, different types of short-form video memes flourished there. The static images and GIFs of the dog meme no longer fit the content style on newer platforms.
By the late 2010s and early 2020s, the dog falling down stairs meme had largely run its course as one of the internet’s most popular viral memes. While still posted occasionally for nostalgia, it no longer spread as rapidly across social media as in its heyday.
Legacy
The “dog going down stairs” meme has left a lasting legacy as one of the most popular and widely shared animal memes of the early 2020s. Though its popularity has waned, the meme remains an iconic part of internet culture and a testament to the power of silly viral videos.
One of the biggest parts of the meme’s legacy is how it showcased the appeal of animal videos and memes. The popularity of the original video underscored how watching everyday pets in funny or cute situations can quickly capture the public’s imagination. The meme’s spread across platforms like TikTok demonstrated how animal content thrives on social media.
The meme also left a legacy in internet and meme culture more broadly. Its repetitive nature, set to music, epitomized the formula for viral internet content. The meme was endlessly iterated, edited, and parodied, underlining how internet culture quickly latches onto catchy templates for humor. Even as its fame faded, the “dog going down stairs” meme remained embedded in the internet’s consciousness.
For many dog owners, the meme also left a legacy of greater appreciation for their pets. Watching the video sparked joy and amusement around the quirks of living with a dog. For some owners, the meme may have also led to taking more videos of their own pets, in hopes of capturing a viral moment.