Introduction

The 'What If It Was Purple?' meme originates from a skit on The Eric Andre Show, where Eric Andre humorously reacts to purple-colored objects.

Background

In the skit, Eric Andre oscillates between cheering and vomiting in response to various purple objects, creating a comedic contrast. This sketch has inspired numerous four-panel meme formats where an object is depicted in purple or replaced entirely with a purple version. Some variations also modify the phrase 'What if it was purple?' by substituting 'purple' with other adjectives.

How It Began

The meme traces back to July 8, 2012, when the seventh episode of The Eric Andre Show, titled 'J-Moe', aired. In this episode, Eric cheered for several purple items, including a pencil and Republican politician Karl Rove, before dramatically throwing up upon seeing a purple rabbit.

Meme Evolution

The skit gained traction in meme culture several years post-airing. On January 4, 2018, a meme featuring Laura Dern was shared on /r/sequelmemes, receiving over 300 points. Another notable example emerged on December 12, 2018, showcasing Shrek and Thanos on dopl3r. Additionally, a December 2, 2018 Tumblr post by thestalkerbunny featured the Pokémon Pumpkaboo alongside its shiny variant, amassing over 670 notes. A popular Reddit post by Tman2bard on May 19, 2018, in /r/FireEmblemHeroes gained over 1,900 points.