Introduction

The Floating Boy Chasing Running Boy meme depicts a humorous interaction between a man jumping towards the ceiling and another man fleeing, often used to illustrate various social dynamics.

Background

The meme showcases a photograph of a man leaping upward, touching the ceiling of a hallway, while another man runs away from him. This dynamic has led to various interpretations and humorous macro images, capturing relatable scenarios in everyday life.

How It Began

The earliest known instance of the meme appeared on the /r/hmm subreddit on April 5th, 2018, posted by Redditor MinnesotaGamer20. This original post garnered over 50 points, achieving a 94% upvote rate within five months.

Meme Evolution

On April 8th, 2018, an anonymous user on 4chan's /vg/ board shared the image, labeling it "Larry_Breaches_Containment" in reference to the SCP Foundation fictional wiki, captioning it with "blocks your path." That same day, Redditor LolExxDee shared the image in the /r/DankMemesFromSite19 subreddit, receiving over 260 points (99% upvoted) within six months. On July 18th, Tumblr user lesbianorbits posted an object-labeled variation where the jumping boy represented "Baby boomers that don't understand inflation" and the running boy was labeled "Millennial Cashiers," earning more than 113,000 notes in three months. Subsequently, on August 14th, Redditor blueberrybrown shared a version labeling the jumping boy as "1/10 dentists" and the running boy as "toothpaste brands," which received over 1,100 points (95% upvoted) in two months. A notable variant on September 26th, 2018, by Redditor ky4n1te, depicted the floating boy as "Colgate" and the running boy as "1 out of 10 dentists who don't recommend Colgate," amassing over 26,000 points (95% upvoted) and 100 comments.