“The Smiling Man” meme: meaning, origin and rare card

What does the “The Smiling Man” meme mean?

This narrative expresses the visceral fear of encountering a threatening stranger in an isolated nighttime setting. The central emotion is anxiety towards a social anomaly: an inappropriate smile suggests madness or imminent danger. This meme is used to recount unsettling anecdotes, parody bizarre behavior by a stranger, or illustrate sudden urban insecurity.

Where does the “The Smiling Man” meme come from?

The story originates from a post published on Reddit by user u/blue_tidal in the subreddit r/LetsNotMeet on April 6, 2012, titled *The Smiling Man*.[1] The text recounts a nighttime encounter with a tall, silent, and smiling man following the narrator in an unspecified large American city.[1] The author later reposted the story in r/nosleep on April 23, 2012.[1] The claim that the event occurred in Seattle stems from an AMA by the author in r/TheSmilingMan on November 26, 2012; the exact location of the initial publication remains unknown.[1] No sources confirm that a television show or original video created this character; these elements are therefore unknown.[1]

1. April 6, 2012Publication of the initial story on Reddit by u/blue_tidal in r/LetsNotMeet.
2. April 23, 2012Repost of the story in the r/nosleep subreddit to amplify its reach.
3. July 23, 2012Release of the video adaptation 2AM by Michael Evans on YouTube.

How to use the “The Smiling Man” meme

• Use this reference to describe a passerby whose smile seems misplaced or disturbing during a night out.
• Employ it to qualify a situation where someone follows you without apparent reason with a strange facial expression.
• Use it to parody urban horror stories by exaggerating the presence of a mysterious and silent individual.

The “The Smiling Man” card in MyMemeCards

Number	No. 21553
Rarity	Rare
Collection	Memes World series 72
Fame	67/100 · #241 of 300
Recycle value	10 MemeCoins (30 in Shiny)

How to get the “The Smiling Man” card

Every pack holds 5 meme cards, the first 3 of them Common; The Smiling Man comes out of the Memes World series 72 as a rare card. The pack odds say what each rarity weighs.

Your first pack is free and needs no account. After that a new free pack lands every 10 minutes, up to 3 waiting for you. You can also buy the card with MemeCoins on the market, bid for it at auction, or trade it — and a double recycles into 10 MemeCoins.

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