The internet without memes is unimaginable. Every day some new meme makes the rounds of social media platforms. From SpongeBob to Bugs Bunny and Pikachu and The Office, there probably isn’t a popular show that hasn’t been memed to death.
Some become iconic and get used to for years, while some fizzle out within a few days. One such joke that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, reached millions of views, and then seemed to die down quickly was the John Pork Is Calling meme. But what is it exactly?
The John Pork is Calling You meme recently spread across various social media platforms, especially TikTok. The template featured an anthropomorphic pigman whose face was plastered on a phone’s incoming screen. Makers of the meme and its variations asked their viewers if they would take a call from him. It went viral because of the uncanny and weird look of the pigman. However, the trend died when everyone pretended that John Pork was dead after no one took his call.
John Pork Is Calling Meme Explained
A meme called John Pork is Calling was trending on TikTok. It was fresh, so people were curious about what it was about. John Pork is a virtual influencer who resembles an anthropomorphic pigman. As in, he is a man with a pig’s head and a human body. No one knows if it’s a social experiment or just some guy having fun.
This isn’t the first time he has posted. The content creator has been active on Instagram as @john.pork since 2018, with 347k followers. There’s even a Twitter account with the @itsmeJohnPork handle. Over the years, he has also made content for TikTok. After all, that’s one of the most used social media platforms nowadays.
Even though John Pork went viral recently, he has garnered steady followers for years. In 2019, when John Pork’s Instagram account posted that he was returning to social media, it got over 97,000 views. In 2022, he posted a selfie wishing everyone happy holidays in December, which got over 21,000 likes within three months.
John Pork’s uncanny and weird looks inspired memes across social media. One of them was the John Pork Is Calling You on your cellphone. It was an edit of a selfie that John Pork had previously posted using the Capcut template to show an incoming call sign.
The meme was also complete with sound effects, and the posters asked their viewers if they would receive a call from this anthropomorphic pig character. Within only three days, it had racked up over 2.7 million views. This specific meme was embraced by TikTokers a lot. One of the first memes was posted by TikToker @rover.joe.
There wasn’t anything more profound than just this. People found this simple template funny and weird. So, the John Pork Is Calling You meme was reused and repurposed several times throughout the ensuing months, but recently a curious rumor and image began spreading all across TikTok- that John Pork was dead.
It’s not because the creator who began posting the John Pork images notified his followers about ending the character. It’s actually due to users pretending that John Pork has died or some grave tragedy has occurred because no one answered his calls, so there was no one to help him. It’s a sad way to end a viral meme, but the internet moves on fast.
What are your thoughts on this short-lived meme?
Would you take John Pork’s call? Did you think that the meme was funny? Or were you disappointed with it?
Let us know in the comments below.
