Nyan Cat, I Can Has Cheezburger, and Charlie the Unicorn: these are all extremely popular Internet memes that made their way to the top of the charts in 2012. If you've got someone you need to buy a gift for that enjoys a little bit of Web lulz, try out the following list of presents based on popular Internet fads.
1. I Can Has Cheezburger
I Can Has Cheeseburger is one of the most popular sites on the Web, offering millions of fans funny pictures of cats that they can caption themselves with funny sayings. You can purchase an I Can Has Cheeseburger book and enjoy this unique brand of kitty humor anytime you'd like.
2. Charlie Sheen
Actor Charlie Sheen has had quite the year, both personally and professionally. Certain catch-phrases came out of this, including "winning!", "Tiger Blood", and "Vatican assassin warlock" (yes, these are all real quotes!). Share your appreciation of Charlie Sheen's winning philosophy, or enjoy his work in Two and a Half Men, pre-crazy.
3. Old Spice Guy
Old Spice, a classic men's cologne, got a huge boost in visibility this year with a clever Web campaign that went shockingly, overwhelmingly, viral. Millions of people tuned into YouTube and Twitter to see the next videos that the Old Spice Guy, played by actor Isaiah Mustafa, came up with.
4. Chuck Testa
Chuck Testa is an unlikely Internet meme celebrity. His fame comes from a commercial created to advertise his taxidermy business, with the refrain "Nope, it's just Chuck Testa" occurring frequently throughout the short video spot. One thing led to another, and now Chuck Testa is an Internet celebrity.
5. Me Gusta!
The 2012 Me Gusta! meme originated on popular social networking portals as a cartoon-like face used to signify amusement at a disgusting or disturbing occurrence. The phrase "Me Gusta!" means "I like it" or "It pleases me", and is now popularly used to express approval, enjoyment, or sarcasm.
6. Charlie the Unicorn
Charlie the Unicorn is a character in a popular series of videos produced by FilmCow, an independent film studio. Charlie is a somewhat surly unicorn that has to put up with the sugar-coated shenanigans of his fellow unicorns who lead him to Candy Mountain, to the Banana King, and under the sea with a whole cast of singing underwater friends.
7. Nyan Cat
Nyan Cat was originally known as Pop Tart Cat. The popular meme features a cat's head on a Pop Tart body flying through space with a rainbow trailing behind (nobody said these memes had to make sense!). Nyan Cat gained even more fame when a fan put the image together with a song titled "Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!", creating a viral sensation.
8. Annoying Orange
The Annoying Orange's claim to fame is simple: he's annoying, and he's an orange. The fruit manages to irritate a whole host of fruit and vegetable characters in an incredibly popular weekly video series, garnering tens of millions of views.
9. Forever Alone
Forever Alone is a very popular illustration that is used to express frustration, rage, loneliness, or sarcastic amusement. The lopsided facial image typically shows up in various forums and message boards on the Web as a derisive response to various topics.
10. Philosoraptor
The Philosoraptor's claim to Internet fame is a artistically rendered photo or line drawing of a velociraptor dinosaur with his head tilted pensively. Quotes attributed to popular thinkers or advice or superimposed on the image, then shared in message boards, forums, and social networking portals. The name itself - philosoraptor - is a combination of the words "philosopher" and "velociraptor".
