“Werther's Original” meme: meaning, origin and rare card

What does the “Werther's Original” meme mean?

This format highlights the absurdity of contrasting a mundane product with a highly emotional narrative. The humor stems from the mismatch between the serious delivery and the trivial subject matter. Users employ it to mock overly earnest advertisements or to create fictional stories with exaggerated sentimentality around everyday objects. The strange Japanese voice adds a layer of surrealism that enhances the comedic effect.

Where does the “Werther's Original” meme come from?

The original commercial aired in Japan in 2003 to promote Storck caramels. It featured an unknown actor playing a grandfather, voiced by Yōsuke Akimoto. The story describes how the candy was passed down through generations. After its television broadcast, the clip spread across 2channel (also known as 2chan). The first thread documenting textual variants dates back to March 18, 2003, on the /gline/ forum. The original text was transformed into a copypasta, allowing users to replace character names or objects. As Nico Nico Douga and YouTube grew, the video became a source for MAD videos and audio remixes, peaking in popularity around 2008.

1. 2003Broadcast of the original commercial in Japan and appearance of early copypastas on 2channel.
2. March 18, 2003Creation of the first thread documenting textual variants on the /gline/ forum of 2channel.
3. 2008Peak popularity of MAD videos and remixes on Nico Nico Douga and YouTube.

How to use the “Werther's Original” meme

• Replace the word 'caramel' with any random object in the original script to create an absurd joke.
• Use the Japanese voiceover as an ironic background sound when presenting a trivial item.
• Copy the solemn narrative structure to tell a daily life story with excessive emphasis.

The “Werther's Original” card in MyMemeCards

Number	No. 21423
Rarity	Rare
Collection	Memes World series 72
Fame	69/100 · #72 of 300
Recycle value	10 MemeCoins (30 in Shiny)

How to get the “Werther's Original” card

Every pack holds 5 meme cards, the first 3 of them Common; Werther's Original 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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