Heaviest Objects In The Universe

2016Exploitable image macro / chart memesemi-active
Heaviest Objects In The Universe is a 2016 exploitable chart meme with the sun, neutron stars, and black holes ranked first through third, and a joke entry claiming the fourth position.

Heaviest Objects in the Universe is an exploitable image macro format built around a scientific-looking chart that ranks the mass of celestial objects, with the sun, neutron stars, and black holes occupying the first three slots and a joke entry filling the fourth2. First posted to Imgur in March 2016 as a "Yo Mama" joke, the format quickly spread across Reddit, FunnyJunk, and Twitter as users swapped in their own punchlines ranging from wholesome declarations of love to programming jokes about the size of node_modules folders1.

TL;DR

Heaviest Objects in the Universe is an exploitable image macro format built around a scientific-looking chart that ranks the mass of celestial objects, with the sun, neutron stars, and black holes occupying the first three slots and a joke entry filling the fourth.

Overview

The meme uses a chart that mimics an educational infographic about mass in the universe. Three entries show real astronomical objects in ascending order of density: the sun, a neutron star, and a black hole. The fourth entry, placed at the bottom as the "heaviest," is the punchline2. The format works because it plays on a double meaning of "heavy," letting users slot in anything from emotional gut-punches to absurd physical objects. The clean, chart-based layout makes it easy to edit, and the scientific framing gives even dumb jokes an air of false authority.

On March 6, 2016, Imgur user ThisIsGerbilReportingLiveFromRichardSimmons uploaded a photoshopped version of an astronomical mass comparison chart. The fourth and "heaviest" entry was a picture of a woman labeled "Yo Mama"2. The post picked up steam quickly on Imgur, pulling in over 132,000 views and 1,800 points within its first year2. The joke was a straightforward "your mom is fat" gag, but the chart format turned out to be far more versatile than the original punchline.

Origin & Background

Platform
Imgur
Key People
ThisIsGerbilReportingLiveFromRichardSimmons
Date
2016
Year
2016

On March 6, 2016, Imgur user ThisIsGerbilReportingLiveFromRichardSimmons uploaded a photoshopped version of an astronomical mass comparison chart. The fourth and "heaviest" entry was a picture of a woman labeled "Yo Mama". The post picked up steam quickly on Imgur, pulling in over 132,000 views and 1,800 points within its first year. The joke was a straightforward "your mom is fat" gag, but the chart format turned out to be far more versatile than the original punchline.

How It Spread

The format jumped to FunnyJunk on July 4, 2016, when user baebee posted a similar "Your Mom" variant that collected more than 29,000 views and 870 upvotes over eight months.

By late 2016, users started pushing the template in new directions. On December 9, 2016, Redditor imtiredfam posted a wholesome spin to r/wholesomememes, ranking "my love for my gf" as the heaviest object in the universe. It hit 1,900 upvotes with a 98% approval rate. Ten days later, Redditor shadowbranch took the format to r/futurama with an edit referencing the gut-wrenching scene where the dog Seymour waits for Fry for years. That post pulled over 20,200 votes and 230 comments.

January 2017 brought a wave of fandom-specific edits. Redditor VacuumForEsports submitted a version to r/TheLastAirbender on January 9, racking up 17,200 votes and 180 comments. Around the same time, Redditor nyyjeter88 flagged the meme as "undervalued" on r/MemeEconomy, treating it like a stock tip. The @AsapScience Twitter account posted its own version on January 25, 2017, labeling "My Failures" as the heaviest object.

The format also found a natural home in programming communities. One popular variant swaps in "node_modules" as the heaviest object, a joke about how JavaScript dependency folders can balloon to absurd file sizes. This version circulated widely on developer humor sites and subreddits.

How to Use This Meme

The template is simple to customize:

1

Start with the base chart showing three celestial objects (sun, neutron star, black hole) ranked by mass.

2

Add a fourth entry at the bottom position, labeled as the "heaviest."

3

The punchline can be anything. Common approaches include:

Cultural Impact

The meme's flexibility let it cross into very different internet subcultures without losing its identity. Wholesome versions thrived on r/wholesomememes, fandom-specific edits spread through dedicated subreddits, and tech humor versions like the node_modules variant found audiences on programming forums. The @AsapScience account posting their own version showed the format crossing from anonymous meme culture into branded social media content. The r/MemeEconomy post treating the format as an investment opportunity reflected the growing trend of meta-meme analysis that was popular in early 2017.

Fun Facts

The original Imgur poster's username, ThisIsGerbilReportingLiveFromRichardSimmons, is itself a joke reference, making the entire origin story feel appropriately internet-absurd.

The r/MemeEconomy post calling the format "undervalued" in January 2017 turned out to be accurate, as the meme saw heavy use across multiple subreddits in the weeks that followed.

The node_modules joke works because a fresh install of a JavaScript project can generate tens of thousands of files in the node_modules directory, sometimes exceeding the size of the actual project code by orders of magnitude.

The Futurama variant about Seymour the dog hit 20,200 votes, making it one of the most upvoted versions despite being a deeply sad reference rather than a traditional punchline.

Derivatives & Variations

Yo Mama variants:

The original format, using the chart to set up a fat joke. Multiple versions circulated on Imgur and FunnyJunk through 2016[2].

Wholesome edits:

Versions ranking love, friendship, or positive emotions as the heaviest thing in the universe, popular on r/wholesomememes[2].

Fandom-specific edits:

Versions referencing emotional moments from shows like Futurama (Seymour the dog) and Avatar: The Last Airbender[2].

Programming humor:

The node_modules variant and similar tech jokes about bloated file sizes or dependency hell[1].

Self-deprecating versions:

Edits labeling personal failures, anxiety, or existential dread as the heaviest object, like the @AsapScience "My Failures" post[2].

Frequently Asked Questions

Heaviest Objects In The Universe

2016Exploitable image macro / chart memesemi-active
Heaviest Objects In The Universe is a 2016 exploitable chart meme with the sun, neutron stars, and black holes ranked first through third, and a joke entry claiming the fourth position.

Heaviest Objects in the Universe is an exploitable image macro format built around a scientific-looking chart that ranks the mass of celestial objects, with the sun, neutron stars, and black holes occupying the first three slots and a joke entry filling the fourth. First posted to Imgur in March 2016 as a "Yo Mama" joke, the format quickly spread across Reddit, FunnyJunk, and Twitter as users swapped in their own punchlines ranging from wholesome declarations of love to programming jokes about the size of node_modules folders.

TL;DR

Heaviest Objects in the Universe is an exploitable image macro format built around a scientific-looking chart that ranks the mass of celestial objects, with the sun, neutron stars, and black holes occupying the first three slots and a joke entry filling the fourth.

Overview

The meme uses a chart that mimics an educational infographic about mass in the universe. Three entries show real astronomical objects in ascending order of density: the sun, a neutron star, and a black hole. The fourth entry, placed at the bottom as the "heaviest," is the punchline. The format works because it plays on a double meaning of "heavy," letting users slot in anything from emotional gut-punches to absurd physical objects. The clean, chart-based layout makes it easy to edit, and the scientific framing gives even dumb jokes an air of false authority.

On March 6, 2016, Imgur user ThisIsGerbilReportingLiveFromRichardSimmons uploaded a photoshopped version of an astronomical mass comparison chart. The fourth and "heaviest" entry was a picture of a woman labeled "Yo Mama". The post picked up steam quickly on Imgur, pulling in over 132,000 views and 1,800 points within its first year. The joke was a straightforward "your mom is fat" gag, but the chart format turned out to be far more versatile than the original punchline.

Origin & Background

Platform
Imgur
Key People
ThisIsGerbilReportingLiveFromRichardSimmons
Date
2016
Year
2016

On March 6, 2016, Imgur user ThisIsGerbilReportingLiveFromRichardSimmons uploaded a photoshopped version of an astronomical mass comparison chart. The fourth and "heaviest" entry was a picture of a woman labeled "Yo Mama". The post picked up steam quickly on Imgur, pulling in over 132,000 views and 1,800 points within its first year. The joke was a straightforward "your mom is fat" gag, but the chart format turned out to be far more versatile than the original punchline.

How It Spread

The format jumped to FunnyJunk on July 4, 2016, when user baebee posted a similar "Your Mom" variant that collected more than 29,000 views and 870 upvotes over eight months.

By late 2016, users started pushing the template in new directions. On December 9, 2016, Redditor imtiredfam posted a wholesome spin to r/wholesomememes, ranking "my love for my gf" as the heaviest object in the universe. It hit 1,900 upvotes with a 98% approval rate. Ten days later, Redditor shadowbranch took the format to r/futurama with an edit referencing the gut-wrenching scene where the dog Seymour waits for Fry for years. That post pulled over 20,200 votes and 230 comments.

January 2017 brought a wave of fandom-specific edits. Redditor VacuumForEsports submitted a version to r/TheLastAirbender on January 9, racking up 17,200 votes and 180 comments. Around the same time, Redditor nyyjeter88 flagged the meme as "undervalued" on r/MemeEconomy, treating it like a stock tip. The @AsapScience Twitter account posted its own version on January 25, 2017, labeling "My Failures" as the heaviest object.

The format also found a natural home in programming communities. One popular variant swaps in "node_modules" as the heaviest object, a joke about how JavaScript dependency folders can balloon to absurd file sizes. This version circulated widely on developer humor sites and subreddits.

How to Use This Meme

The template is simple to customize:

1

Start with the base chart showing three celestial objects (sun, neutron star, black hole) ranked by mass.

2

Add a fourth entry at the bottom position, labeled as the "heaviest."

3

The punchline can be anything. Common approaches include:

Cultural Impact

The meme's flexibility let it cross into very different internet subcultures without losing its identity. Wholesome versions thrived on r/wholesomememes, fandom-specific edits spread through dedicated subreddits, and tech humor versions like the node_modules variant found audiences on programming forums. The @AsapScience account posting their own version showed the format crossing from anonymous meme culture into branded social media content. The r/MemeEconomy post treating the format as an investment opportunity reflected the growing trend of meta-meme analysis that was popular in early 2017.

Fun Facts

The original Imgur poster's username, ThisIsGerbilReportingLiveFromRichardSimmons, is itself a joke reference, making the entire origin story feel appropriately internet-absurd.

The r/MemeEconomy post calling the format "undervalued" in January 2017 turned out to be accurate, as the meme saw heavy use across multiple subreddits in the weeks that followed.

The node_modules joke works because a fresh install of a JavaScript project can generate tens of thousands of files in the node_modules directory, sometimes exceeding the size of the actual project code by orders of magnitude.

The Futurama variant about Seymour the dog hit 20,200 votes, making it one of the most upvoted versions despite being a deeply sad reference rather than a traditional punchline.

Derivatives & Variations

Yo Mama variants:

The original format, using the chart to set up a fat joke. Multiple versions circulated on Imgur and FunnyJunk through 2016[2].

Wholesome edits:

Versions ranking love, friendship, or positive emotions as the heaviest thing in the universe, popular on r/wholesomememes[2].

Fandom-specific edits:

Versions referencing emotional moments from shows like Futurama (Seymour the dog) and Avatar: The Last Airbender[2].

Programming humor:

The node_modules variant and similar tech jokes about bloated file sizes or dependency hell[1].

Self-deprecating versions:

Edits labeling personal failures, anxiety, or existential dread as the heaviest object, like the @AsapScience "My Failures" post[2].

Frequently Asked Questions