What’s The 'Old Man Yells At Cloud' Meme? How 'The Simpsons' Scene Became A Viral Meme Explained

Grampa Abe Simpson might not be the most memorable character from The Simpsons, the longest-running American animated series, but he certainly is known for his memorable newspaper appearance as the "Old Man Yells at Cloud" image.

Although Abe doesn't share much screen time over the 762 episodes in the series, he made his first appearance. in the episode titled "Grandpa and the Kids," a one-minute Simpsons short on The Tracey Ullman Show, before the debut of the television show in 1989.

So, why did Grampa Simpson yelled at a cloud and how did the scene become a viral meme on the internet? Let's explain!

What Simpsons Episode The 'Old Man Yells At Cloud' Meme Comes From?

The "Old Man Yells At Cloud" newspaper headline was originally introduced in March 2002 as a sight gag in a scene from "The Old Man and the Key," Episode 13, Season 13 of The Simpsons. In the episode, Grampa Abe, Homer Simpson's father, used a photograph of him that was once featured in a local newspaper instead of an official photograph on the spot for his driver's license.

Upon obtaining his newly issued driver's license, Abe walks over to a window and yells "who's laughing now?" at a cloud while holding the card in his hand (shown below).

How Did The 'Old Man Yells At Cloud' Image Became A Viral Exploitable Meme?

The earliest online mention of the "Old Man Yells At Cloud" scene can be traced to a humorous commentary on cloud computing technology posted by mobile tech blogger Joey deVilla on September 30th, 2008.

The scene became a popular exploitable meme in November 2009, as netizens started to create photoshopped parodies of the newspaper headline. Like user Shawn Handyside, who submitted a parody of the newspaper image on November 11th, 2009, in which the Final Fantasy VII protagonist Cloud Strife can be seen behind Abe Simpson. That same day, deviantART user Badonk submitted a similarly photoshopped parody combining Abe Simpson's image with a sullen-looking Cloud Strife.

What Are Some Memorable Examples Of The 'Old Man Yells At Cloud' Meme?

More than a decade after the scene was parodied in memes and jokes, netizens are still creating photoshopped memes using the "Old Man Yells At Cloud" scene. Here are some memorable examples:

For the full history of the Old Man Yells at Cloud, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.