‘Chill Guy’

Another internet meme that regained viral popularity is ‘Chill Guy,’ a two-dimensional character drawn by Phillip Banks (@PhillipBankss on Twitter). Banks’ captioned the original post in 2023 with “my new character,” including an image displaying an artwork of an anthropomorphic dog in modern clothing with a smirk on his face. It wasn’t until August 2024 that the image became viral due to numerous users reposting the artwork. Users resonated with the laid-back attitude of the artwork, and began applying the image to other scenarios.

While the meme died down, it resurged in November 2024 and was turned into a cryptocurrency coin by people unaffiliated with Banks. Banks then denounced the meme coin and copyrighted the ‘Chill Guy’ artwork, allowing non-profit use only.

my new character. his whole deal is he's a chill guy that lowkey doesn't give a fuck pic.twitter.com/aUAb7yFJpJ

— philb (@PhillipBankss) October 4, 2023