Image memes and macros are a huge part of internet culture, and something that most users have likely encountered or even created at one point or another. While many users simply reuse existing memes, others often take the opportunity to remake them with new characters and themes, as one such Pokemon fan has done.
A meme that many internet users have likely encountered is one with an awkward looking monkey puppet. The meme shows the puppet looking out the corner of its eye at something, and then looking away, and is typically utilized as a reaction image, indicating embarrassment, shock, or even nervousness.
That meme has now been recreated with a classic Pokemon creature, Psyduck. Utilizing the recently released Pokemon Legends: Arceus, a player going by the Reddit username SupremeEuphoria shared a comparison mock-up of the original awkward puppet versus a Psyduck making the same expressions. The post was celebrated by the Pokemon community, and another user has already turned it into a template for people to make meme posts with.
Of course, this kind of image meme could be remade with any variety of people or creatures, but Psyduck seems like a particularly apt choice. The Pokemon is known for its chronic headaches and generally dazed, confused existence. While it’s capable of water attacks and psychic feats, Psyduck has always been a bit comical in the anime series and the games, and this meme suits it perfectly as a result. The meme almost makes it look like Psyduck is more aware of what’s going on than it lets on, but chooses to keep it to itself.
Pokemon memes in general are extremely popular, appearing both within and outside of the general Pokemon communities on the internet. Nearly every Pokemon generation brings a new set of memes with it, as players laugh or commiserate over shared experiences both inside and outside the games. With Pokemon being a big part of many players’ lives, they’re instantly relatable for many in the generations that grew up with the series.
Amusingly, the original awkward puppet meme screenshots originated from a Japanese children’s show, albeit with some Photoshopped modifications. Considering that lead Pokemon developer and Game Freak founder Junichi Masuda is an outspoken fan of Psyduck, even taking on the World Championships with the bewildered Pokemon, perhaps this image meme will find its way back to Japan at some point and amuse the legendary Pokemon producer.
