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Young, dumb, and full of glum: The ‘Sad Duck Pointing At Himself’ meme, explained

Sad Duck Pointing At Himself Memes derived from a scene from Walt Disney's 1939 animated short, The Ugly Duckling. In the scene, the ugly duckling points at himself and then sheds a tear. The adorable moment later became a favorite meme for all the sad folks out there.

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Meme basics:

  • Meme Creator: Vica me biondina/Facebook
  • Meme Type: Exploitable, Reaction
  • First Appearance: April 2013
  • Origin Source: Facebook
  • Peak Popularity: January 2025
sad duckling pointing google trends
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Where is the Sad Duck Pointing At Himself Meme from?

The Sad Duck Pointing At Himself Meme is from a 1939 Walt Disney animated short called The Ugly Duckling. @loforndelvidre uploaded the short to YouTube in March 2008. Since it was uploaded, the 8-minute creation has been viewed over 76 million times.

ugly duckling

The scene comes about halfway through the short, after the duck is rejected by its parents and siblings.

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sad duckling pointing at himself
sad duck pointing at himself gif

Meme spread

The earliest use of the sad duck in a meme came in April 2013, when it was combined with a meme of Chris Pine pointing. The "who me?" "Yes you," format enjoyed some spread on Facebook during that time.

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chris pine pointing

As the meme enjoyed some circulation on Facebook during this time, other versions started to emerge. And with these new versions, the Sad Duck Pointing At Himself began to spread even further.

"my reaction when teacher asks me to ansewr the question"

Another variation of the meme showed up in mid-2014, showing a more realistic, painted depiction of the same duck.

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sad duckling painting

The second version of this meme largely died out in early 2015. Both versions of the meme have periodically popped back up, enjoying another resurgence in 2023.

portuguese sad duck pointing at himself memes

Not only is the meme used to depict sad moments of rejection, but it's also used to say "Who, me?" to a particular statement or instance.

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Meme examples

soccer player duck
"remembered i have to actually participate in life if i want to change it" sad duck pointing at himself
sad duck meme with caption "ya no hay terrenos baratos"
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"finding out you've been signed up for god's strongest soldier package... again"
yell at me sad duck pointing meme
ugly duckling crying gif
This is who you’re sending to work tomorrow
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"when you thought you were meeting up for a date and she introduces you to her man" sad duckling meme
every family has that one person who had so much potential but then became mentally il land can't do anything anymore
calvin harris blame it on the night sad duck pointing at himself meme
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"seeing my name in the body of an email with lots of recipients" sad duck pointing at himself memes
are you free to hop on a quick call sad duck pointing at himself meme

More sad memes:

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