You've seen it. Even if you haven't been on a message board since 2011, you know exactly what I'm talking about. That crudely drawn, high-contrast, black and white face meme that looks like it was sketched by a caffeinated teenager in MS Paint.
It's the Trollface. Or the Cereal Guy. Maybe the "True Story" guy holding a wine glass.
These images are the cave paintings of the digital age. They are primitive. They are arguably ugly. Yet, they possess a weird, staying power that high-definition 4K memes just can't seem to replicate. Honestly, it’s kinda fascinating how a simple doodle of a grinning jerk became a universal language for "I just messed with you."
The Origin Story of the Rage Comic
Back in the late 2000s, the internet was a different beast. 4chan’s /b/ board was the Wild West, and Reddit was just finding its legs. This is where the black and white face meme—specifically the "Rage Comic" genre—was born.
It wasn't about art. It was about speed.
The first "Rage Guy" (the fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu- face) appeared around 2008. It was a four-panel comic about getting splashed by toilet water. Relatable? Yes. High art? Absolutely not. But because it was just black lines on a white background, anyone could copy-paste it. You didn't need to be an illustrator. You just needed to be annoyed by something in real life.
Carlos Ramirez, the guy who actually drew the original Trollface, reportedly made over $100,000 in licensing fees later on, but at the time, it was just a sketch intended to mock "trolls" who were doing it wrong. The irony is that the face itself became the mascot for trolling.
📖 Related: Cast of Buddy 2024: What Most People Get Wrong
Why High Contrast Works for Our Brains
There is a psychological reason why these specific memes stick.
Human brains are hardwired to recognize faces. When you strip away color, shading, and detail, you are left with "super-stimuli." The black and white face meme works because it exaggerates a single emotion to an absurd degree. The "Forever Alone" face isn't just a guy who is sad; it’s a grotesque, lumpy manifestation of total social isolation.
Modern memes, like those deep-fried "E" memes or complex TikTok trends, often require three layers of irony to understand. Rage faces were the opposite. They were direct.
- Trollface: Mischief.
- Me Gusta: Weird satisfaction.
- Derp: Total lack of thought.
- Yao Ming / Bitch Please: Dismissive contempt.
By removing the "noise" of a real photograph, the meme becomes a pure vessel for an idea. You aren't looking at a person; you're looking at a feeling.
The Yao Ming Effect and Celebrity Memes
It’s worth noting that many of these weren't just random drawings. They were traces of real people. The "Bitch Please" face is actually a sketch of NBA star Yao Ming during a 2009 press conference. Beside him was teammate Ron Artest. Yao made this specific, squinty-eyed laugh, and a user on Reddit named "downvoted" turned it into the line art we see today.
Neil deGrasse Tyson became the "Watch Out, We've Got a Badass Over Here" meme.
👉 See also: Carrie Bradshaw apt NYC: Why Fans Still Flock to Perry Street
Barack Obama became the "Not Bad" face.
Even Nicolas Cage got the black and white treatment with the "You Don't Say?" wide-eyed stare. This transition from "real person" to "black and white icon" stripped away the celebrity's context. People started using the Yao Ming face who had never even watched a basketball game. The face became more famous than the moment that created it.
The "Post-Irony" Resurrection
Around 2015, these memes became "cringe." If you posted a Trollface, you were basically announcing that you were "behind the times." The internet moved on to more sophisticated, high-res formats.
But then something weird happened.
The "Trollge" era began. Content creators started taking these old, silly black and white face memes and turning them into cosmic horror stories. They used the same line art but added distorted audio and dark, existential captions. Suddenly, the Trollface wasn't just a prankster; he was a multidimensional demon.
This is what's called "post-irony." We use the old, outdated thing to create something entirely new and often unsettling. It proves that the visual language of the 2010s is so deeply embedded in our collective psyche that we can't actually throw it away. We just keep remixing it.
✨ Don't miss: Brother May I Have Some Oats Script: Why This Bizarre Pig Meme Refuses to Die
Why Marketers Still Fail at This
You see it on brand Twitter accounts all the time. A corporate social media manager tries to use a black and white face meme to sell insurance or fast food.
It almost always fails.
The reason is that these memes were built on a foundation of "anti-polish." They were created by people who didn't care about brand guidelines. When a company uses a Rage face, it feels like your dad wearing a backwards hat and saying "skibidi." It’s an inherent contradiction. The "purity" of the meme is lost when there is a profit motive behind it.
Navigating the Legacy
If you're looking to use these icons today, you have to understand the "vibe" they carry. They aren't just images; they're shorthand for a specific era of the internet that was more anonymous and less corporate.
- Don't use them for sincerity. These faces are built for sarcasm, mockery, or exaggerated frustration.
- Respect the source. If you're using the "True Story" guy, you're referencing Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother. Knowing the context helps you land the joke.
- Embrace the lo-fi. If you try to make a "high definition" Rage comic, you’ve missed the point entirely. The ugliness is the soul of the meme.
Actionable Steps for Meme Enthusiasts
If you want to dive deeper into this specific subculture or use this aesthetic effectively, here is how you do it without looking like a "normie" from 2012:
- Check the Archives: Spend some time on the "Know Your Meme" entries for "Rage Comics." It’s the closest thing we have to a library of Alexandria for digital culture. Understanding the timeline from 2008 to the 2020s "Trollge" evolution is key.
- Use Line Art Generators: There are still "Rage Maker" tools online, but for a modern twist, use vector software like Illustrator or even free tools like Canva to trace modern celebrities into that specific high-contrast style. It’s a great way to create a "new" meme that feels "classic."
- Monitor the "Void" Communities: If you want to see how these black and white faces are being used in 2026, look at surrealist and "void" meme communities on platforms like Reddit or niche Discord servers. This is where the newest iterations—often involving existential dread—are being cooked up.
- Avoid Overuse: In a professional or creative setting, these should be used like a strong spice. A little bit of "Trollface" irony goes a long way. Use it to punctuate a point about internet history or to poke fun at yourself, but don't base an entire marketing campaign on it unless you are prepared for the "cringe" backlash.
The black and white face meme is a survivor. It outlasted Vine, it outlasted Google+, and it will likely outlast whatever the "hot new platform" is next week. It’s a testament to the fact that sometimes, a simple, ugly drawing is all you need to tell a story.