Mr. Boss

About

Mr. Boss, also known as The Boss, is a supporting character in the animated comedy series Smiling Friends who is the CEO and owner of Smiling Friends Inc., usually assigning tasks to the protagonists Charlie and Pim, as well as other employees. Following the premiere of the second season of the series in 2024, the character achieved notable virality within the show's fanbase, becoming a subject of memes and fan art online.

Origin

On April 1st, 2020, the pilot episode "Desmond's Big Day Out" of the animated comedy series Smiling Friends premiered^[1] on Adult Swim. The episode introduced the supporting character Mr. Boss, the owner and CEO of Smiling Friends Inc. where the main characters Pim and Charlie work.

Mr. Boss is an eccentric and energetic elderly man who assigns tasks to Pim and Charlie and other employees of the company. He's often seen in his office or in the break room where Smiling Friends employees pass the time between tasks.

On January 2nd, 2022, YouTube^[2] user rainaScallion uploaded a collection of Mr. Boss scenes from the show, which garnered over 3.9 million views in two years (shown below).

Spread

While some fan art based on the character was shared online prior to the release of season two of the series in 2024, the character saw a notable surge in popularity after its premiere. The rise in prominence of Mr. Boss was assisted by the character appearing in meme formats such as Guess I'm Oogly Goo and That's a Little Version of Me, Allan.

Following the premiere of season two of the series, the character became a prevalent subject of fan art within the fanbase, with notable examples being posted on X^[3] and Tumblr.^[4]

The character has also been the subject of numerous memes based on episodes of the series from season two. For example, on May 21st, 2024, X^[5] user @TennyUnderscore posted a meme referencing a scene featuring the character that received over 1,000 reposts and 14,000 likes in three weeks (shown below, left).

On June 5th, 2024, X^[6] user @Halloweed66 made a post in which they compared a digital render of Julius Caesar's head to Mr. Boss, with the post gaining over 2,600 reposts and 43,000 likes in two days (shown below, right).

Related Memes

Guess I'm Oogly Goo

Guess I'm Oogly Goo refers to a scene from Smiling Friends in which Mr. Boss says, "Yep, guess I'm oogly goo," then starts convulsing, grunting and acting strangely, causing everyone else in the room to panic. The scene comes from the season two premiere and became the subject of memes in April 2024, most notably as a lip dub and animation audio on TikTok.

That's a Little Version of Me, Allan

That's a Little Version of Me, Allan, also known as Mr. Boss Gifts Allan His Miniature, refers to a scene from the animated series Smiling Friends in which Mr. Boss gifts his employee Allan a miniature version of himself, with Allan replying that he doesn't want it. The scene achieved virality as the source material for edits and redraws in late May 2024 as it became an exploitable meme format.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References