Kilroy Was Here: The Story Behind One of the First Viral Memes in Modern History

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Sources:

Panati, Charles, Panati’s Parade of Fads, Follies, and Manias, HarperPerennial, 1991

[pokenaut]

Stalin: WHO IS KILROY!
FDR and Churchill: Laughing their asses off.

[nickvoelker]

Kilroy has not fallen into obscurity. You'll find him all over Iraq. Really, anywhere soldiers have been, you'll still find him

[fnorgen]

Killroy never truly goes away. He just hides behind the wall sometimes.

[francispitts]

At least when I served in the Marine Corps we had a tremendous amount of respect for the British Forces and Royal Marines. It felt more like a tradition to me and it was difficult to think about how we once fought against each other in the early stages of our United States. I’m just glad we’re friends again and have this camaraderie across the Pond. I hope that never changes. I’ve made so many wonderful and amazing friends from the British Isles. 😊🇺🇸🇬🇧

[debshaw]

I was born in 1960. All through my growing up and teen years and even into college people we’re still tagging things with Kilroy was here. I still see it from time to time.

[selkie]

"Shout and cheer
And jump for joy,
For I was here
Before Kilroy!"

"Alas, my friend,
Before you spoke,
Kilroy was here,
But his pencil broke."

[NobletheSavage]

When I was a kid growing up in the 70's, Chad was everywhere . " Wot no Fuhrer " made me laugh for ages .

[Givemegoodreason]

Being Australian I grew up with “Foo was here.” Complete with the bald guy with fingers.

Dad always used to hide him in his art, and put

“Foo can see you”

In a random spot.

[Iota]

Now I have Styx's "Mr. Roboto" stuck in my head 🤣

[GalaxyAeterna]

Moral of the story: Kilroy was everywhere

[WeChallenge]

KILROY WAS HERE!!! OMG I can't count the times, I drew Kikroy looking over a plank fence, from school notebooks to everywhere else I could put him without issue, Kilroy was sure to appear. Now that I know more about his origin, and his travels, and history, it makes him that much cooler. Thanks Simon, for this, a long time favorite, featured on TIFO.

[calcustom]

You can still find "Kilroy was here" carved into the walls of Marine Corps porta johns.

[DeusGladiorum]

Brothers in Arms used Kilroys as a game mechanic. Didn’t get it back then, but now I realize just how much of a top tier meme it was.

[claretrevor]

My grandfather would still draw this on things in the 70s. I remember getting the mail as a kid and “Kilroy was here” was on the back of an envelope. I knew he had stopped by and we weren’t home.

[DeeJay]

I went to high school in the mid 80s in a small west Texas town. Kilroy was EVERYWHERE! If I ever wondered where he came from, I probably thought he originated right there in Colorado City. But, Today I Found Out.

[joem]

Just trust me on this, Killroy can be found in multiple porta potties and other locations and Iraq and Afghanistan. Especially in fob Striker and Kandahar Airfield

[nroke]

Kilroy is still everywhere, definitely not faded into obscurity.

[Fiery]

I actually have a picture of my younger daughter looking over her playpen. I edited it and sent it to my dad (a Korean war vet) with the words 'Kilroy Was Here" under her hands. It's always been my dad's favorite picture of his granddaughter.

[ZeFroznne]

I've seen these all over, I live up in Alaska, during the war there was Air corps and Marines in Seward Alaska guarding Resurrection bay, I went to the concrete ruins and there was Kilroy in all his glory on one of the walls.

[nevobac]

I think to myself yesterday “Hmm, remember that old Kilroy thing? Whatever was that about?” Looks it up, sees Wikipedia calls it a meme. “Interesting”
Me the next morning “GET OUT OF MY HEAD YOUTUBE!”