"Success kid" is known across the web as a symbol of pure joy and excitement. The photo was taken by a mother of her 11-month old, Sammy, at the beach in 2007. After she posted it on Flickr, it started going viral.
Sammy is now 8. His mother posted an updated photo to Reddit on Valentine's Day. Now Sammy is using his viral fame to help his father find a kidney transplant.
When Villanova was kicked out of the NCAA tournament this year, one sad band member who played the flute became a viral meme, "Crying Piccolo Girl."
Roxanne Chalifoux was that piccolo player, and her fleeting Internet fame landed her a guest appearance on Jimmy Fallon's show.
"What does the fox say" was a viral YouTube music video that was watched watched over 336 million times. What does Ylvis, one of the foxes, look like in real life?
Ylvis, a Norwegian group comprised of two brothers, looks like this when they aren't dressed as seals or foxes. They haven't really done much since 2013 but they did release a single in 2014.
One of the most famous Internet memes is The Ridiculously Photogenic Guy. It stars 26-year-old Zeddie Little who happened to be running a race and was spotted in the background of a group photo by Facebook users.
Here's what Little looks like in real life. He did an AMA on Reddit a few years ago. He told the community, "I really enjoy being part of such a good joke."
Ermahgerd (as in, Oh My God) was a meme that began on Reddit. It was submitted on March 14, 2012 with the title, "Just a book owner's smile…" And off, onto the Internet the meme went.
The identity of the Goosebumps-loving meme girl is up for debate. On March 28 2012, a Reddit user submitted the following photo with the title "BERKS REVEALED."
The Reddit community wasn't convinced the photo was authentic, so they did a facial comparison. "CONCLUSION: Plausible," they determined.
Another Reddit user claimed this was the actual Ermahgerd/Berks girl, Maggie. At a glance, Maggie looks like a closer match.
Millions of people have seen Scumbag Steve, whose actual name is Blake Boston. The picture was taken by Boston's mother when her son was 16.
Here's Blake Boston in real life. He's now 23 and he's owning his scummy identity on his Tumblr which reads: "I’m down with the meme. Also F--- you. The internet made me and I’m f--king running with it, wouldn’t you? What choice do I have? You kind of owe me for the laughs no?"
The Good Guy Greg Meme has been viewed more than 2.2 million times. It was created as the antithesis to Scumbag Steve.
Good Guy Greg's identity still hasn't been revealed. Two Reddit users have come forward with images of people they say are the "real" GGG.
The Overly Attached Girlfriend meme has been seen a few million times. The photo was yanked from a YouTube video in which a girl sang a rendition of Justin Bieber's song, 'Boyfriend.'
But actually, the overly attached girlfriend seems normal. Her name is Laina Walker, and she's 22. She's turning her fame into a comedy career, producing and starring in funny Youtube videos. She's generated 6 figures from her viral fame.
Bad Luck Brian has been featured on sites like BuzzFeed. It's a boy named Kyle's 7th grade yearbook picture.
Kyle submitted his photo to Reddit and received more than 3,500 comments. He recalls his principal making him retake the yearbook photo because she thought he was purposely making the face. He lives in Cleveland and says he's made just $20,000 off his viral fame from T-shirt sales and advertisements.
Grumpy Cat has amassed nearly tons of Twitter followers and memes have circulated across the web. The cat's real name is "Tard."
Tard's first photo was submitted to Reddit by his owner's brother, a man named Bryan. Here's a screen grab from the initial Grumpy Cat YouTube video.
And here's Grumpy Cat's owner, 29-year-old Tabatha Bundesen. Grumpy Cat has made her a multi-millionaire.
What's it like to be a viral Internet sensation? We interviewed the Overly Attached Girlfriend. Here's what it's like to be a meme.
For more Photoshopped Internet sensations, check out:
