Meaning
What does Pacha mean?
Pacha (also known as Pacha Edits or When the Sun hits that ridge just right) is a reaction image, a snowclone and a photoshop meme.
It is based on the Disney character Pacha from the animated children’s movie The Emperor’s New Groove, referring to one of his stances when he shows an ‘OK’ signal with his hands, while having a delighted facial expression.
The meme is often used under community boards’ comment sections to express satisfaction or agreement.
There are also many photo-edit variations of the still frame that has Pacha in his iconic posture.
Origin
What's the origin of Pacha?
The Emperor’s New Groove premiered in the U.S. in the year 2000.
The movie features Pacha as one of the side characters, being the head of the family and the best friend of the emperor Kuzco.
His posture appears in the movie once he advises the emperor about which spot is the best to take on a ridge for sun exposure.
Spread & Usage
How did Pacha spread?
Originally, the Pacha meme started out as a reaction image.
In early 2016, many 4chan users began to use the OK hand gesture to approve the posts which were to their liking.
Similarly to the reaction image hype, 4chan also served as the platform for the exploitables of the Pacha meme to spread.
The initial artworks that interpreted the posture surfaced on the board /v/ (video games).
These memes saw a broad spread on other platforms and meme sharing sites as well, like Twitter, Instagram, or Me.me.
External resources
- Wikipedia – The Emperor’s New Groove
- Know Your Meme – Pacha Edits / When The Sun Hits That Ridge Just Right