What Is The 'Banana For Scale' Meme? The Origin And Meaning Of The 'Banana For Scale' Meme Explained

If you want to show or measure the true size of an object there are countless tools and ways in which you can do that. However, since the early days of the internet, a system has been comically and precisely helping people figure out how to measure an object: the Banana for Scale system.

By including a banana in the frame, people can easily compare the size of other items, making it an effective – and healthy, visual tool. This meme has evolved since it first appeared in 2005 into a fun and relatable cultural expression across social media.

Let's dive into what the "Banana for Scale" meme is all about, when it first appeared online, and how it's commonly used.

What Is The 'Banana For Scale' Meme?

The "Banana for Scale" meme is an expression indicating that a banana has been placed in the frame of a photograph to reveal the true-to-life size of another object on display in a relatable way. This technique helps viewers understand the relative dimensions of the item in question and was first conceived in March 2005, in a photo posted on the blog Rockdogdesigns of a banana placed against a TV set with a description explaining the TV was for sale:

"I don’t know how big the screen is, we’re moving and I can’t find the tape measurer. But I do have a banana. For scale. Oh wait, my husband says it’s 19inches. Oh well, I’ll leave the banana for interest. Please be interested.

When Did 'Banana For Scale' Memes First Appear Online?

As the banana for scale concept gained traction, more content recurrently was shared on the internet showing other netizens using the measurement system. Like blogger Andy Herald, who, in August 2010, shared a picture of a safe with a banana next to it on Facebook, prompting a wave of fun comments and jokes about the unusual use of the fruit.

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h2. How Is The 'Banana For Scale' Meme Used Online?

Even after almost two decades since the first banana for scale meme was posted on the internet, there are still countless netizens using the comical measure system in memetic content and jokes related to the fruit. It's commonly used in social media posts to provide a sense of size for unconventional items, often with a humorous twist. Users share images of all sorts of objects, from mundane household items to elaborate setups, always featuring a banana to illustrate scale.

For instance, the meme has also inspired two other scale systems: the Guitar for Temperature and the Double Bed for Scale. (examples below)

For the full history of Banana For Scale, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.