Dat Boi

/dat boy/

noun · interjection

Dat Boi is the green frog riding a unicycle, often greeted with “here come dat boi” and “o shit waddup.”

#internet memes
#absurdist humor
#frog memes
#Tumblr memes

Meaning

Dat Boi names a low-resolution green frog riding a unicycle, usually paired with “here come dat boi” and “o shit waddup.” The meme can also serve as an intentionally nonsensical greeting or announcement: the frog simply arrives, and the caption greets him with exuberant surprise. In later use, it can also signal a nostalgic reference to the meme.[1]

1. The specific meme character: a green frog on a unicycle, commonly shown with its catchphrases.
2. A playful, absurdist greeting or arrival announcement, often used as a throwback to the meme.

A low-resolution green frog balances on a unicycle beneath the phrases “here come dat boi!!!!!!” and “o shit waddup!” — This is the recognizable Dat Boi format: the unicycling frog appears with an exuberant greeting. The humor is often the unexpected, nonsensical arrival rather than a hidden message. Source

Examples

“Here come Dat Boi, rolling into the chat like he owns the place.”

“The meeting was quiet until Dat Boi showed up on his unicycle.”

“Dat Boi energy: no explanation, just a frog and an enthusiastic greeting.”

Origin and spread

The phrase and frog image circulated separately before they were combined. Know Your Meme documents “here come dat boi” with Pac-Man in a 2015 Tumblr post. In April 2016, the Facebook page Fresh Memes About the Mojave Desert and Other Delectable Cuisines paired the phrase with the unicycling frog; later examples appeared on Tumblr and other sites. Vox describes the appeal as the randomness of the image and the outsized greeting. In 2016, Inverse reported a debate in one Facebook meme group about the wording’s AAVE associations.[2][3]

How to use it

The phrase is informal and deliberately silly; it can read as a nostalgic meme reference or as absurdist play. The wording has AAVE associations, and its use prompted criticism in a reported 2016 Facebook-group debate, so it is not culturally neutral for every audience.

A Tumblr-style post reads “here come dat boi!!!!!!” and “o shit waddup!” above a small image of a yellow character in sunglasses. — This post pairs the catchphrase with a different character rather than the unicycling frog. It illustrates the research account that the phrase circulated separately before it was combined with the frog; the image itself does not establish when the post appeared. Source

The phrase came before the frog pairing

Know Your Meme documents the catchphrase with Pac-Man in a 2015 Tumblr post, then records the frog-and-caption combination in 2016. The older phrase and the familiar unicycling-frog format are related, but not identical.[1]

The wording has prompted debate

Inverse reported that members of one Facebook meme group disputed whether the caption appropriated or mocked AAVE; the group ultimately banned Dat Boi memes. This documents that group's debate, not a universal interpretation.[3]

Questions people ask

Was Dat Boi originally the frog or the phrase?

The phrase appeared separately in a 2015 Tumblr post pairing it with Pac-Man. The unicycling frog was paired with the catchphrases in a documented Facebook post in April 2016.[1]

What is the joke in a Dat Boi post?

Vox describes the humor as randomness: a frog rides a unicycle while the caption greets his arrival with outsized excitement. The post need not carry a hidden message.[2]

What debate did the caption prompt?

Inverse documented a 2016 dispute in one Facebook meme group about the caption’s AAVE associations. That report describes a specific group’s debate, not a universal conclusion about how audiences interpret it.[3]

Sources

1. Know Your Meme — Dat BoiSupports: meaning.
2. Vox — Dat boi, explainedSupports: origin.
3. Inverse — Dat Boi Might Be Racist and It's Ruining a Facebook Group for Dank MemesSupports: origin.