The Stuttering Kid meme (also known as Have You Ever Had A Dream Like This?) is a clip taken from a 1999 HBO docuseries where 5-year-old Joe Cirkiel, a little boy in a red shirt, stumbles through a sentence about dreaming and dreams.
What is the Stuttering Kid meme, aka the ‘Have You Ever Had A Dream Like This’?
The Stuttering Kid meme is a live-action clip of a little boy taken from the 1999 HBO docuseries Goodnight Moon and Other Sleepytime Tales. The clip itself begins with a boy saying “Have you ever had a dream?” and then proceeds to devolve into a flurry of confused thoughts, stuttering into the boy’s final one: “You want him to do you so much you could do anything.”
What does the Stuttering Kid meme mean in memes?
The meme itself doesn’t have a defined meaning but humorously promotes the enjoyment of a boy whose thoughts and words do not connect. The clip is popular because it has elements of wholesomeness and nostalgia.
Where is the Stuttering Kid meme from?
The original clip of the ‘Stuttering Kid’ meme comes from the 1999 HBO docu-series Goodnight Moon and Other Sleepytime Tales, an animated and live-action series containing a number of interviews with children about their dreams. The show, which features narration from Susan Sarandon, concludes with the clip of 5-year-old Joe Cirkiel, likely for humor and for the viewer to have a “kids say the darndest things” type of experience.
@amazingabilities Well??? #fyp #blowup #viral #stutter #legend #old #vine #foryou #comedy #tiktok ♬ original sound – Amazingabilities
What does the Stuttering Kid say?
Cirkiel asks the cameras, “Have you ever had a dream that you, um, you had, your, you- you could, you’ll do, you- you wants, you, you could do so, you- you’ll do, you could- you, you want, you want them to do you so much you could do anything?” Yes, exactly.
@dead.boi.brooke tell me y’all understand #stutteringkid #fyp ♬ Reading Rainbow Theme Song – Reading Rainbow
Meme basics:
- Meme creator: lololark
- Meme type: wholesome
- First appearance: 1999/January 24th, 2011
- Origin source: Youtube
- Used to convey: nostalgia, wholesomeness
- Peak popularity: Dec. 20th, 2021
Spread of the meme
On Jan. 24, 2011, User lololark uploaded footage of the interviews to their YouTube page. The clip of Cirkiel went viral and was remixed, instantly transforming into a meme across various social media platforms.
@burma109o Another one.#viral #jupiter™ #fyp #burma109o #burma109o #vines #vinesstoppedbytimetravelers #lumai ♬ MARKING TIME, WAITING FOR DEATH – Shiro SAGISU
Who is the actual Stuttering Kid?
In mid-2021, the identity of the Stuttering Kid was revealed on Wavywebsurf’s Youtube channel, culminating in an interview with Joe Cirkiel himself.
In a BuzzFeed short, Joe Cirkiel explains that in 1999, he was a normal 5-year-old who loved Dragon Ball Z, Power Rangers, and especially the animated feature Hercules. Cirkiel’s elementary school in New Jersey got picked to be a part of the HBO docu-series Goodnight Moon and Other Sleepytime Tales, and, as he explained to BuzzFeed, his mother was very excited for her son to be on television.
Feeling the pressure from his mom and the competition from other (perhaps more articulate) children, in his final interview Cirkiel launched into a thought process that was inspired by his favorite film, Hercules. While this clip was used as an outtake at the end of the series, when Cirkiel viewed it, he was not happy with the outcome, believing he was being made fun of by the production and its viewership.
What was the Stuttering Kid trying to say?
Cirkiel attempted to quote a line from the Disney animated feature film Hercules, where Hercules (voiced by Tate Donovan) says to Phil (voiced by Danny DeVito), “Haven’t you ever had a dream? Something you wanted so bad, you’d do anything?” Of course…it didn’t quite come out like that.
Where is the Stuttering Kid Today?
25 years later, 30-year-old Joe Cirkiel has come to embrace his classic meme status and place in internet history. According to his Instagram, Cirkiel still lives in New Jersey and loves generative art, Star Wars, the New York Jets, and travel. One could say he’s just a normal guy…who had a dream.
More classic meme history:
- Meme History: Moon Moon
- Meme History: Hey Girl Ryan Gosling memes
- Meme History: Mike Wazowski memes
- Meme History: Poot Lovato
- Meme History: Mocking Spongebob
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