The Walking Dead ‘Carl!’ Meme Has FAR Outlived the Character – CBR – Comic Book Resources

From dad jokes to "Coral" video compilations, it's safe to say The Walking Dead "Carl" meme has earned a spot in pop culture history.

Fans of The Walking Dead are no stranger to Rick Grimes frequently shouting his son's name throughout the long-running horror series. It was only a matter of time until the "Carl"' meme was born, but it was Rick's variable pronunciation as "Coral" that graduated the meme from inside joke to internet sensation.

The series' main protagonist Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his son Carl (Chandler Riggs) were introduced in Season 1, Episode 1 of The Walking Dead. Rick, a former sheriff, awakens in a hospital to discover himself in the middle of a zombie outbreak. With his wife and son nowhere to be found, Ricksearches an apocalyptic Atlanta, Georgia for them. There is no cell phone service in The Walking Dead universe, so locating Carl isn't as simple as sending a text, leading to Rick shouting his son's name with a unique pronunciation on several occasions.

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In November of 2012, YouTuber MichiganSt35 capitalized on Rick's shouting and crying, uploading a clip from Season 3 of The Walking Dead titled "Rick Finds Out Carl is Gay," whichfeatures Rick reacting to his wife's death.While the jokeplayed into homophobic humor, the YouTube clip spread like wildfire and marked the start of the meme's legacy. A year later, BuzzFeedfeatured severalcomics that used the same scenefrom the YouTube video to depict Rick telling Carl various dad jokes.Two years late,YouTuber KYE ULTRAuploaded a video titled "The Walking Dead - Every Time Rick Has Said Carl."

In the years to come, people took to social media, creating countless dad joke memes and compilation videos using Rick and Carl's emotional scene in Season 3 of The Walking Dead. Rick's alternate pronunciation of "Carl" as "Coral" spawned its own plethora of memes as well. In one popular example, Tumblr user carlsburnbook photoshopped an imagefromFinding Nemo to featurepictures of Rick and Carl below the title "Finding Coral."

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Jokes aside, Walking Dead fans were shocked by Carl's death in Season 8, a fate that differs from his comic book counterpart. Against the advice of Rick, Carl helps a stranger kill a group of walkers. A zombie overtakes Carl in the heart-pounding scene, and the struggle leaves him with a nasty bite. The bite is a death sentence that Carl accepts with surprising grace. His last wish is for Rick to show compassion for the Woodbury survivors and their infamous leader, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Despite the sad circumstances, evenThe Walking Dead's official Twitter got in on the "Carl" meme action more than six years after its origin.

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The Walking Dead 'Carl!' Meme Has FAR Outlived the Character - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero