The 2001 film Shrek, based on William Steig's picture book of the same name, garnered acclaim from critics and won an Oscar, while Shrek 2 (2004) was, at the time, the highest-grossing animated film ever at the North American box office. Īccording to New York, Shrek is 'one of the patron saints of the elaborate and complex culture of Dank Memedom.' History 2001–2012: Background and early history Ī 'Shrek Filmmaker' movement of Source Filmmaker animators making videos based on the Internet's obsession towards the character has also occurred.

The most notable example is a 2013 metameme centered on a video called 'Shrek Is Love, Shrek Is Life', which is based on a post originating on 4chan's /b/ board.įans of Shrek are known as 'Brogres', a take on the name ' Bronies', the teen and adult fans of the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. With the fanbase described by some people as an ironic liking towards the series, there have been several sexually explicit memes based on the title character. Fandom of the Shrek franchise A fan cosplaying Shrek, 2015ĭreamWorks Animation's Shrek film series, based on William Steig's book of the same name, has a large underground Internet fandom that started around 2009.

Shrek horror game meme