The “oh no” monkey meme is a 2024 TikTok video trend using a clip from War for the Planet of the Apes to express horror and disapproval.
The meme takes a green screen version from part of a film trailer in which an ape character repeatedly says “oh no” and places him into various relatable situations.
This trend began spreading on TikTok in late May of 2024 and is still seeing a lot of play in early June.
Who is the Planet of the Apes “oh no” monkey?
The “oh no” monkey from the recent meme comes from a trailer released to YouTube to promote the 2017 sequel to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, directed by Matt Reeves. The character took the name Bad Ape after hearing humans repeatedly refer to him this way when he was still confined in a zoo.
In War for the Planet of the Apes, Bad Ape is found living alone after escaping from his confinement during the Simian Flu outbreak. He ends up joining the protagonists on a rescue mission, leading a human and orangutan named Maurice through an underground sewer tunnel. When Maurice suggests that Bad Ape should stand on his back to climb upward to the surface, the ape responds with shock and tries to refuse.
Years later, he would become known as the Planet of the Apes “oh no” monkey.
“Oh no” monkey meme origin
The Planet of the Apes YouTube account first introduced audiences to the “oh no” monkey on July 12, 2017, with a brief trailer showing the scene between Bad Ape and Maurice. In the clip, Maurice motions for Bad Ape to climb on his back to reach a hole leading to the surface. Once he realizes what Maurice is suggesting, Bad Ape responds with “oh no, oh no, no no, no no no” until Maurice roars at him.
Bad Ape freezes in fear at this show of aggression before agreeing to do what Maurice wants, and the trailer ends.
On April 28, 2023, the YouTube account CreatorSet Green Screens posted a 15-second clip from this scene with Bad Ape cut into a green screen. This allowed anyone else to easily insert the character into other settings and situations.
“Oh no” monkey meme TikToks
In late May of 2024, TikTok users began to discover this green screen asset and insert it into their videos. On May 26, some of the first TikToks with the “oh no” monkey appeared on the social media site to express how users feel when their boss calls them on their day off, alongside other modern horrors.
As of June 4, 2024, the meme had helped push the #planetoftheapes hashtag on TikTok to over 45,000 posts and the #ohno hashtag to over four million, although the phrase “oh no” has been involved in multiple past memes.
The hashtag #badape has additionally amassed nearly 2,000 posts, with many using the green-screened version of the trailer clip for the meme.
Meme examples
Related memes:
- The ‘You Live Like This?’ meme, explained
- Why are Bee Movie memes causing a buzz?
- A rundown of some of the best ‘Oh No’ memes
- Mourning Harambe, the last great meme
