It is Wednesday, my dudes

The “It Is Wednesday, My Dudes” meme is an exploitable image of a Budgett’s frog (lepidobatrachus laevis) with accompanying text around it. The Budgett's frog is a quirky character that is often kept as a pet and makes unusual vocalizations. The meme was first posted by tumblr user kidpix2 on December 10th, 2014 at 8:36 AM with the tags +speakwagon and +frogs. The meme became popular and spread via several social media sites, eventually garnering even more attention after Jimmy Here posted a viral Vine using its wording.

## It is Wednesday, my dudes

Image of "It is Wednesday, my dudes" meme

## Recognizable Features

### Figure

As an example of an Exploitable Image, “It is Wednesday, my dudes” meme comes in many variations. However, most versions include some recognizable features. The first recognizable feature is an image of a frog, in most cases the Budgett’s Frog or similar species. The frog’s front legs are often widely-stanced, a feature that is often included even when the frog becomes a distorted or different image. Another recognizable feature of the meme is the blank, white background behind the frog. Sometimes this feature is changed depending on the theme of the meme.

### Text

Another recognizable feature is a textual reference to “Wednesday” and/or “my dudes” from the original meme. Some meme variations play on synonyms for “dudes”, such as “brothers”, “bruv”, “gentlemen”, etc. depending on the theme or message. The text is usually both above and below the frog's figure, with "It is Wednesday" coming above and "my dudes" below. The original meme uses the Yama font from BaconJapan, which is rhetorically significant as it resembles a lighthearted, hand-drawn text.

## Cultural Context

The “It is Wednesday, my dudes” meme first appeared on Tumblr in December of 2014. Tumblr is a microblogging site founded in 2007 which allows users to follow others blogs. The site has seen a rise and fall in users over the years, and 2014-era Tumblr is iconic for its influence on aesthetics. The 2014 American Western context saw racial justice protests stemming from the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner later in the year. President Obama was in office at the time, and discussions of global terrorism, surveillance, and human rights were common  . It is also important to note that the "It is Wednesday, my dudes" meme came a year after the Geico "Hump Day" commercial, which further emphasized Wednesday as a humorous marker for the middle of the work week. While there is no direct connection between the ad and the meme, it could explain the relevance and existence of Wednesday in the public consciousness.

Through considering the cultural context, we can see how a lighthearted, seemingly inconsequential meme could spread. In an era of tumultuous global and national politics, a meme such as this could provide a moment of levity and absurdist humor for its viewers and creators.

## Audience

"It is Wednesday, my dudes" has a vast audience that can also vary depending on the social media platform it is created and spread on. Tumblr users were the original audience for the meme, but this quickly spread to other platforms such as iFunny, Facebook, and Vine. These platforms and communities have varying interests or sub-communities, and the simplicity of the meme's features allow it to be manipulated for different themes and contexts.

The meme's appeal is due to its absurdist, lighthearted humor which can be difficult to fully explain. The inclusion of a frog is interesting as it is not necessarily an animal traditionally considered cute or beloved, such as a cat or goat in some cultures. However, the specificity of a Budgett's Frog allows for more associations with cuteness and goofiness. Perhaps an audience would consider the frog figure a "cute lil guy". Combined with Budgett's Frogs' bizarre vocalizations, this meme is ripe for consumption and spread.

Additionally, the meme can provide a moment of fun and laughter during what is considered the work week in the American context. Following the Geico Hump Day commercial, "It is Wednesday, my dudes" allows the audience to consider their temporal realities and have hope the rest of the week may go by swiftly.

## Circulation

From the original post on Tumblr, “It is Wednesday, my dudes” quickly circulated to other platforms such as iFunny, Facebook, and Reddit. The ease of circulation can partly be attributed to the meme’s simple design and ability to be edited rather easily. Additionally, the meme’s date-specific focus made for a sort of Wednesday sharing ritual, in which social media users could post the meme on message boards and garner attention.

Beyond the sharing of the original exploitable image meme and its variations, other forms of technology allowed for the meme to take on new forms. In *Memes to Movements*, An Xiao Mina describes this concept, "Thinking of memes as enabled by technology helps us see the patterns and waves of meme culture as aspects of culture more broadly, indeed of humanity itself” **(Mina)**. The best example of the changing form is a Vine created by user Jimmy Here in early 2015. The below video is of Jimmy Here explaining his Vine.

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLLmQy4crYw

Once a Vine version of the meme gained traction, additional video versions spread via YouTube. A popular example of such spread and adaptation is ZimoNitrome’s YouTube videos which combine the image of the original Budgett's Frog meme and Jimmy Here’s voice. An example of ZimoNitrome's YouTube video, "Wednesday Frog Compilation" is linked below.

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-RbOVJNtBs&t=64s

## Ethical Issues

While “It is Wednesday, my dudes” is generally a fun meme, there are still some ethical considerations to mention. The first issue arises from later variations of the meme that include words associated with British identities, such as “bruv”. These variations could be construed as essentializing identities into one image or caricature.

Other ethical considerations stem from the use of “bruv”, "Chewsday", and "innit", and have to do with class stereotypes associated with particular accents in England. As the meme continues to be used, albeit at a smaller scale, it does run the risk of essentializing other communities in the future. Finally, another ethical consideration is the prevalence of gendered language in many of the meme's variations. As noted above, some variations utilize words such as "bruv", and "brother", and "gentlemen", which can leave make other identities feel left out of the cultural moment.

## Impact

While “It is Wednesday, my dudes” is not as popular as it once was, the meme is still active in certain social media communities. The meme also has had an impact in several areas. First, the meme has helped construct a warmer narrative towards amphibious friends. We can see various breeds of frogs, not just Budgett’s, in media and merchandise. An example is the prevalence of frog imagery in the cottage core aesthetic, which is often showcased on sites like TikTok and Instagram. The Budgett’s frog in the meme has become a friendly, recurring figure many have come to love. In light of Pepe the Frog’s alt-right usage, having a (for the most part) innocent frog character could possibly counteract the dislike of the animal in general.

Variations of “It is Wednesday, my dudes” memes have also expressed a sort of nihilistic humor many younger generations have about the state of the world and meaning of life. For example, the gallery below includes the “Existence is meaningless, my dudes” meme. While these memes may seem distressing, they can also create a communal release through their circulation.

As noted above, the meme has influenced popular culture by being “taken up” and reformed into Vines and Youtube videos. This is an example of how creations can be remixed and built upon for different contexts, even creating monetary value for people besides the original meme creator.

Finally, “It is Wednesday, my dudes” is a simple meme, which is perhaps its biggest strength. The meme highlights how silly, simple, innocent memes can catch on in different communities and be easily circulated.

## References

Mina, An Xiao. “Fields.” Memes to Movements, 2019.

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepidobatrachus\_laevis
2. ↑ https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/it-is-wednesday-my-dudes
3. ↑ https://www.baconjapan.com/entry/yamafont
4. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014\_in\_the\_United\_States