Meaning
What does Roflcopter mean?
The Roflcopter is an internet meme featuring a helicopter defected in ASCII character, with “ROFL” and “LOL” as its spinning blades.
The term is put together by “helicopter” and “ROFL”, a 2000’s slang acronym for “Rolling On the Floor Laughing”.
Either the ASCII depiction, or the term can be used as a reaction to something funny on the internet.
The ASCII depiction also inspired the creation of a GIF, where the ROFL and LOL blades are animated to spin. It could be found on its own dedicated webpage named www.roflcopter.com, launched in 2004.
Origin
What's the origin of Roflcopter?
“Roflcopter” was coined by moderators of a World of Warcraft forum in 2003.
It was inspired by the in-game flying vehicle called a “gyrocopter”. Players would often mass produce the gyrocopter to troll other players, and it was stated in the forum that a blitz from the gyrocopter would make you “ROFL” for 10 minutes straight.
One year after the term was coined, the “Roflcopter” web page launched.
Spread & Usage
How did Roflcopter spread?
One more year later, in 2005, a simple online game came out, allowing players to control the “Roflcopter”, and shoot OMG and WTF bombs and missiles at enemies.
The www.roflcopter.com web page is not in use anymore, but the GIF is still in circulation.
You can also view the ROFLCOPTER: The Movie on various pages, including YouTube, made by fans. Is features people being chased by a laughing helicopter.
External resources
- Know Your Meme – ROFLcopter
- Wayback Machine – roflcopter.com / archived May 7th, 2004