The Chill Guy meme won't die. After experiencing an initial wave of popularity when it first debuted thanks to Philip Banks in October 2023, and then again in mid to late 2024 alongside another character, his popularity seemed to have peaked and this channel released a video covering him. However, it would seem Chill Guy has really exploded as a trend once again in November, becoming the face of a movement regarding guys expressing themselves in situations upon which they are feeling pretty chill. Unfortunately, it's gotten to the point that Philip Banks has had to copyright this character, as there are too many people out there looking to abuse it for profit. In a comment, Banks wrote, Just putting it out there, Chill Guy has been copyrighted.
Like, legally. I will be issuing takedowns on for-profit things over the next few days. Not like brand accounts using him as a trend, that's something I don't really care about. I do just ask for credit or xboxes.
Mainly unauthorized merchandise or shitcoins. The meme coin industry is booming right now. Whereupon pump and dump rug pull scams are running rife, and one of which is the Chill Guy token. As a side note, I do not condone buying meme coins. You're basically guaranteed to lose money.
At any rate, it would appear this combination of memecoin hype coupled with the natural return of Chill Guy to the forefront of social media has resulted in a deadly wave of Chill Guy edits, to the point that it's regularly popping up on Facebook. Again, I must point out the fact that this is the third time in the space of a year that Chill Guy has become the face of meme culture. He did so in 2023, then again in mid to late 2024, and now, as 2024 comes to a close, he's inescapable. It just goes to show that some memes never really die, or at the very least have incredible staying power.
Chill Guy has become the de facto expression for billions as a representation of an extremely specific mood, and as such has gotten to the point that its original creator has had to step in and try and prevent it from being exploited outside the normal bounds of meme culture. As Banks says, brand accounts using a meme is one thing, as long as they give credit, but utilising such a famous and iconic image specifically to profit is a little bit morally low. And I suppose the world we live in unfortunately incentivizes that behavior. In short, the return of Chill Guy demonstrates the longevity of some memes, as well as the unfortunate fact that despite his popularity as a goofy and fun-loving character who low-key doesn't give a f**k, he is still being exploited to make money by those who don't care about him.
What meme would you guys like me to give a lesson in next? Let me know in the comments below. And remember, like and subscribe! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Or else!