Memes

‘Horny jail’ was one of the first pandemic memes

How an image of an internet-famous dog bonking another one over the head with a bat became one of the first memes of the pandemic.

Photo of Audra Schroeder

Audra Schroeder

Go to Horny Jail

If there is one thing about the internet that never changes, it’s that people are horny and they’re going to tell you.

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But on the internet, people can often go overboard with their horniness, or make it weird. The concept of ‘horny jail’ was created in response.

What is the Go to Horny Jail meme?

Know Your Meme places the origin of this meme, which is also known as “Go to horny jail,” in March 2020 on the site iFunny.

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It features an image of another meme, Doge, hitting fellow internet-famous dog Cheems over the head with a small bat. The words “Go to horny jail” and “BONK” also appear. The meme was also animated.

Go to horny jail meme
iFunny

As a reaction meme, it’s meant to call out the over-horny behavior often seen on social media. It got popular across 2020, when many of us were stuck at home and spurred on by boredom. Over the last three years, there have been several variations, additions, and remixes of the meme. It’s also been parodied by satire site Hard Drive. However, it’s a little less popular now that the current version of X, where this term first circulated, has made horny jail seem quaint.

horny jail meme with fred armisen
Imgur
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Cheems, a Shiba Inu whose real name was Balltze, passed away in August 2023. He was remembered with a new version the meme.

Horny on main

The term “horny on main” is often associated with the horny jail meme. It describes someone who’s being inappropriate on their main social media account, or posting/liking NSFW content.

horny on main meme
@suchaone/X
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One of the first instances of the term being used was on Twitter in 2016, and it got popular on Tumblr. A POV remix of the “BONK” image also got popular.

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