If you spent any time on the internet around 2018, you probably remember a very specific, very confusing moment. You'd type a simple question into your search bar: "Who created Kirby?"
Instead of seeing the familiar face of a legendary Japanese game designer, you were met with a photo of a large, smiling Black man. He definitely wasn't Japanese. He definitely didn't look like he worked at HAL Laboratory. Yet, there he was, officially designated by the Google algorithm as the father of our favorite pink puffball.
This wasn't some elaborate corporate rebranding. It was a glitch. But more importantly, it was the birth of one of the most persistent "meta" jokes in gaming history.
The Google Glitch That Rewrote History
The real answer to the question is Masahiro Sakurai. He's the genius who conceptualized Kirby at just 19 years old. But for a several-month stretch in 2018, the internet decided to ignore Sakurai in favor of a mysterious man in a mugshot.
Basically, the who created kirby meme started because Google’s "Knowledge Graph"—that little box at the top of search results—got its wires crossed. It pulled the name "Masahiro Sakurai" correctly but paired it with a photo that had nothing to do with him.
The image actually came from a popular Twitter account that had been using the photo as a reaction meme. Because that account had so much engagement and "authority" in the eyes of the algorithm, Google’s bots mistakenly crawled the image and tagged it as the official portrait of the Kirby creator.
Honestly, the contrast was just too funny for the internet to ignore. You had this incredibly cute, soft, pink character supposedly created by a tough-looking guy in a police photo. Within days, the "Who Created Kirby?" search became a game in itself. People weren't looking for the answer; they were looking for the punchline.
Beyond the Glitch: The Other Kirby Memes
While the search engine error is the most "literal" version of the meme, Kirby's entire online existence is a factory for viral content. The pink guy is a contradiction. He’s a "shaped like a friend" orb who also happens to be a god-slaying void-eater. This duality is why we get gems like:
- Kirby with a Knife: This one actually has a traceable origin. On June 6, 2018, a Twitter user named Zero posted a photo of a Kirby plushie holding a chef’s knife. The caption? "This guy has been standing outside my place for the past 30 minutes. I’ve called the police but they haven’t shown up." It hit 100,000 likes almost instantly.
- Kirby with a Gun: This spiked when Joker from Persona 5 joined Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. When Kirby inhales Joker, he gets a model-realistic handgun. Suddenly, "For his neutral special, he wields a gun" became the catchphrase of the year.
- Kirby Falling Off a Cliff: Often paired with the song "Dream On" by Aerosmith, this meme relies on the sheer absurdity of Kirby’s cheerful face as he plummets to his certain doom.
The Real Father of Kirby: Masahiro Sakurai
We have to give credit where it’s actually due. Masahiro Sakurai didn't just "make" Kirby; he accidental-ed him into existence. Back in 1990, during the development of Kirby’s Dream Land, Sakurai used a simple circle with eyes as a placeholder.
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He figured they’d replace it with a more "complex" character later. But the team fell in love with the blob. Even the name was a bit of a fluke. Kirby was named after John Kirby, the lawyer who defended Nintendo in a massive legal battle against Universal Studios (who claimed Donkey Kong ripped off King Kong).
There’s a common misconception that Shigeru Miyamoto created him. Miyamoto definitely influenced the design—he famously wanted Kirby to be yellow—but the core "Poyo" energy is all Sakurai.
Why Kirby Memes Never Die
So, why does the who created kirby meme still pop up in 2026? It’s because Kirby is the perfect blank slate. Unlike Mario, who is a middle-aged plumber, or Link, who is a stoic warrior, Kirby is just... a vibe.
He’s a mirror. When the internet is feeling chaotic, we give Kirby a knife. When we’re feeling existential, we make him fall off a cliff. And when Google messes up a search result, we turn a random man into a gaming icon for three months.
The "Who Created Kirby" glitch was eventually patched. If you search it now, you’ll mostly see blank images or the actual face of Masahiro Sakurai. But for those who were there, the "wrong" creator will always be the "right" meme.
How to Track Down Original Meme Creators
If you're ever trying to find the source of a viral gaming image, don't just trust the first result you see in a search box. Here is how the pros do it:
- Reverse Image Search: Use Google Lens or TinEye to find the earliest upload date of an image.
- Know Your Meme (KYM): This is the "Library of Congress" for internet jokes. They have dedicated researchers who verify who posted what first.
- Check Twitter/X Archive: Most Kirby memes (like Kirby with a Knife) start on Twitter or Reddit. Look for "First Instance" tags on database sites.
- Verify via Developer Interviews: For the real history, watch Masahiro Sakurai’s YouTube channel, "Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games," where he debunked many Kirby myths himself.
The next time you see a weird search result, screenshot it immediately. You might just be witnessing the birth of the next big gaming meme.