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It seems like every time you open TikTok some new horror-movie monster is attacking Ohio, or people are complaining about how bad Ohio’s vibes are. What’s the deal? In short, it’s the latest absurd internet meme, this time poking fun at Ohio (just because it’s funny, not because Ohio is uniquely uninhabitable). We’ll explain more about the memes, tell you where they started, and how to craft your own to get in on the fun.
Steps
Origin of Ohio Memes
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The Ohio memes started with an image posted to Tumblr in 2016. On August 6 that year, popular Tumblr account screenshotsofdespair posted an image of a digital bus stop sign that, for some reason, read, “Ohio will be eliminated.”[2] The post quickly took off, with over 100,000 notes, and people started riffing with their own jokes about the exaggerated dangers and shortcomings of Ohio.
- Some time later, a Reddit user by the name of chutotkaa posted a map of the United States labeled “DANGER PRESENTED BY OHIO” featuring color-coded “Ohio advisories” in surrounding states.
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The memes found their way to TikTok in August 2022. The meme popped up on TikTok when user @redie999 uploaded a video featuring a CG creature prowling by his window with the caption “I’m just trying to sleep in Ohio💀,” with “Swag Like Ohio” by Lil B playing over it. After, users began uploading similar videos with the sound, and the rest is history.[3]
Related Memes
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Can’t have sh*t in Detroit This is the origin of the “Can’t have X in Ohio” memes, and it used to caption unfortunate circumstances—a joke about Detroit’s notoriously low standard of living. It started when a Facebook user posted an image of a house missing its front steps, captioned “Someone stole my f--king porch . I opened my door an fell 🤦♂️ u can't have shit in Detroit"”[5]
- Fun fact: The original post was actually made about Cincinnati, Ohio, but was edited to say Detroit. It all comes full circle.
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Ohio Final Boss This refers to Japanese TikTok user Saoyu0704, or just “Satoyu.” Satoyu is known for parodying anime protagonists, but became associated with the Ohio memes because he always says “Ohayo” during his streams (which is just Japanese for “Good Morning”). Now, people joke that he’s the “Final Boss of Ohio,” given his tendency to imitate popular, intimidating anime characters.