Cocky Want Boing Boing
"Cocky Want Boing Boing" is a meme originating from a photoshopped selfie posted by comedian Dan Hentschel on X (formerly Twitter) in April 2024, where he edited himself to look like a bald, shirtless old man at the beach with the caption "At the beach – Where the hoes at? Cocky want boing boing!" The image went mega-viral, pulling in over 25 million views in under a week, and sparked a wave of fan redraws and character edits that turned Hentschel's absurd selfie into one of the bigger exploitable templates of spring 2024.
Overview
Origin & Background
How It Spread
How to Use This Meme
The "Cocky Want Boing Boing" format typically follows one of two approaches:
Redraw/character swap: Take the composition of a bald figure standing in water (or a similar setting) and replace Hentschel with a fictional character, celebrity, or other figure. The character is usually drawn bald or with a shaved head to match the original. Pair it with the original caption or a character-appropriate variation.
Quote format: Simply reference the phrase "cocky want boing boing" as a reaction to something absurd, crude, or funny. Users often post the phrase on its own as a mood or mental state, similar to how @Dogyeena used it as something "going in mental rotation."
Cultural Impact
Fun Facts
Hentschel won first prize at the Baltimore High School Film Festival before attending SCAD for Dramatic Writing.
In 2023, Hentschel ran an elaborate fake true-crime storyline on TikTok involving a fictional poisoning, fake mugshot, and a doctored New York Post article, fooling viewers who didn't realize the "news account" was actually his own.
The phrase "cocky want boing boing" has no known precedent or source. It appears to be entirely original to Hentschel's post.
Hentschel's comedy style involves never editing his videos and telling his fictional "editor" Eddie to "cut that out" whenever he says something controversial. Eddie never does.
In January 2025, Hentschel faced a trespassing charge after posting a video joking about his former high school that drew a police investigation.
Derivatives & Variations
Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen edit:
X user @spidey_figs redrew Hentschel as the *Dune: Part Two* villain, captioned "May thy knife chip and shatter," earning ~80,000 likes[3].
Spot (Spider-Verse) edit:
@ttortillah created a version featuring The Spot from *Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse*, with 8,900+ likes[3].
Baldi's Basics edit:
@noit_anigami made a *Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning* version that hit 68,000+ likes[3].
"Got me fired" follow-up redraws:
Hentschel's April 23rd follow-up post (229,000+ likes) spawned its own wave of redraws based on the Target parking lot photo[3].
Frequently Asked Questions
References (3)
- 1Cocky Want Boing Boing - Know Your Memeencyclopedia
- 2Dan Hentschelencyclopedia
- 3