What Is The 'I May Not Have A Brain, Gentleman, But I Have An Idea' Trend? The Blue Blob TikTok Meme Explained

Fail videos are an evergreen genre of internet content, and a clip from the animated movie Monsters vs. Aliens is being used on TikTok to repackage people's greatest dumbest moments with the caption, "I may not have a brain, gentlemen, but I have an idea."

But TikTok isn't the first medium where the meme was used. It sustained a steady audience on Reddit and other social media platforms as a reaction image macro as well. Here's the context behind the image, and some of the funniest memes it's become a part of.

Where Does The 'I Have An Idea' Meme Come From?

The 2009 movie Monsters vs. Aliens contains a scene where a vaguely anthropomorphic blue blob-like creature, aptly named "B.O.B.," turns to the camera and says "I may not have a brain, gentlemen, but I have an idea."

The clip subsequently came to be used as a reaction meme on sites like Reddit and X, as seen below.

How Did 'I May Not Have a Brain' Become A Video Meme?

The nature of B.O.B.'s dialogue makes it impossible to ignore the visceral reality of what it is like to be a dumb yet willing person in the world. The meme was picked up by YouTube after its run as an image meme, with people inserting the character's voice and performance into humorous scenarios.

Soon enough, the clip came to be used on TikTok to react to various silly or shocking moments caught on camera.

For the full history of "I may not have a brain, gentlemen, but I have an idea," be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.