Meaning
What does Willy Wonka mean?
Willy Wonka is a central character in the 1971 musical fantasy Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and the character seen in a popular Animal Advice type meme, popularly referred to as Condescending Wonka or Creepy Wonka.
Captions on the image macro memes are mostly worded in a condescending and patronizing manner.
Origin
What's the origin of Willy Wonka?
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory premiered in the United States on June 28th, 1971.
In one of the scenes, “Willy Wonka” (portrayed by Gene Wilder) is presenting visiting children his machinery which produce his unique chocolate.
It is here he displays the iconic stance and smile, which is known from the image macro memes.
Spread & Usage
How did Willy Wonka spread?
Initially, “Willy Wonka” was paired with creepy captions, with sexual double-entendres, which were predominant on sites like Reddit or 9GAG, at the beginning of 2011.
However, by October that year, the series began its transformation into the Condescending Wonka format.
The meme retained a large popularity on meme sites, ranging from Reddit to Tumblr to iFunny, FunnyJunk and 9GAG, with its popularity peaking in April 2012, appearing on social media sites like Facebook as well.
External resources
- Wikipedia.org – Willy Wonka
- Rottentomatoes.com – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
- Fandom.com – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Wiki
- Mashable.com – How beloved actor Gene Wilder became an internet meme