Cheems belongs to the broader Doge family of Shiba Inu memes. The character is built around a single photo of Balltze, a round-faced Shiba Inu from Hong Kong, sitting on the floor with a slightly skeptical, slightly goofy expression1. In memes, Cheems speaks by jamming extra "m" sounds into words. "Cheeseburger" becomes "cheemsburbger," "thank you" becomes "thamk you," and so on3. This speech pattern became the character's defining trait and the source of his name.

The character typically appears in multi-panel comics on r/dogelore, where he plays a bumbling, food-obsessed counterpart to other Doge characters4. Outside of dogelore, Cheems took on new roles: the baseball bat-wielding enforcer of "horny jail," the weak half of Swole Doge comparisons, and a beloved reaction image for expressing mild confusion or helplessness5.

Cheems crossed from meme into mainstream culture in ways few internet dogs manage. The character was covered by major outlets including The Guardian and RTVE5. Kathy signed commercial deals including a management company and a toy company, turning the meme into a licensing operation while funneling proceeds to dog charities5.

The meme's political appearance is notable. Cheems' "bonk" image showed up in Myanmar protest imagery during the 2021 coup, repurposed as a symbol of resistance5. In Latin America, the character took on a life distinct from its English-language version, becoming associated with anxiety and emotional vulnerability rather than just food humor5.

The opening of the Museo de Cheems in Mexico City in August 2024 marked a rare case of a meme receiving a physical museum exhibition, with paintings depicting Cheems in artistic and literary contexts5.

Cheems' trajectory from niche subreddit character to global meme icon played out in distinct phases. The first phase, running from June through late 2019, was purely a r/dogelore affair. The community treated Cheems as part of an expanding cast of ironic Doge characters, each with distinct personalities and speech patterns. Cheems' thing was food and misspelling. Posts by users like nucleararmsdealer and KenNHK helped establish the character's lore, with posts regularly clearing 1,000+ points on the subreddit4.

The second phase began in early 2020 when Cheems escaped dogelore containment. The Swole Doge vs. Cheems format was the vehicle. It worked because it was dead simple: put the muscular Doge on the left to represent the supposedly superior past, put Cheems on the right for the supposedly inferior present3. People used it to compare everything from ancient warriors vs. modern soldiers to classic movies vs. their reboots. The format's resemblance to the Chad vs. Virgin template gave it instant legibility5.

On August 6, 2020, Know Your Meme interviewed Balltze's owner Kathy, who shared how Balltze came into her life and how the original photos became Cheems4. In the interview conducted through Balltze's "voice," Bored Panda learned that Balltze was "very quiet" at home but "a little edgy" outside6. Kathy initially didn't understand the absurdist Cheems memes but eventually signed deals with a management company and an American toy company5. She also made T-shirts benefiting local canine charities5.

Cheems' reach extended beyond English-speaking internet. Latin American meme culture adopted the character with a distinct twist, associating him with Cheetos chips and emotions like anxiety5. The Guardian journalist Caleb Quinley noted Cheems' "bonk" image appearing in protests against the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état5. Kathy's favorite Cheems meme was a Spanish one where he takes a bath and says "Could you carry on scrolling? It's just that I'm taking a bamth"5.

In May 2022, Balltze was diagnosed with pancreatitis, alarming his fanbase. His owner posted photos from the vet to Instagram, and the post received over 48,000 likes within 24 hours4. A r/dogelore user shared the news, pulling in over 2,700 upvotes and an outpouring of well-wishes4. Balltze recovered in June5.

The recovery was short-lived. In May 2023, his owners reported serious respiratory problems. Balltze had cancer and was undergoing thoracentesis when he died on August 18, 2023, at age 125. The @balltze Instagram account announced his passing the following day, writing: "Don't be sad, please remember the joy that Balltze brought to the world. A Shiba Inu with a round smiling face connecting you and me, he has helped many people during the pandemic and brought a lot of joy to many of you, but now his mission has been completed"1. His funeral was held on August 23, and fans donated US$13,000 to local animal charities5.

In a 2020 interview, Kathy had said Balltze wanted his legacy to be: "Meme fade, Doge is eternal. Remember me as 'Balltze', not 'Cheems' or 'cheemsburger', I'm just a Balltze"5. That wish went largely unfulfilled, as the internet mourned him as Cheems. Kabosu, the original Doge dog, also passed away on May 24, 20241.

Cheems inspired the CHEEMS cryptocurrency, joining a wave of dog-themed coins competing against Dogecoin and Shiba Inu coin5. In August 2024, the Museo de Cheems (Cheems Museum) opened in Mexico City, exhibiting paintings of Cheems in contexts related to art and literature5. On October 3, 2024, Kathy adopted a new Shiba Inu named Pochita, named after the Chainsaw Man manga protagonist5.