Many memes come and go in a few weeks, or even a few days, but sometimes the power of memes can keep a figure alive for years. In the case of Harambe, his impact on meme culture is still ongoing.

This year marks a decade since the tragic death of Harambe the gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, and although memes about the gorilla might not be as viral as they once were, his contributions to memes and culture in general make him one of the most important figures to ever grace social media.

In remembrance of the beloved gorilla Harambe and his untimely death, here's a look back at all the ways that Harambe changed the internet forever.

What's The Story Of 'Harambe' The Gorilla?

Harambe was a 17-year-old Western lowland silverback gorilla housed at the Cincinnati Zoo between 2014 and 2016. He came from a life of tragedy, with his mother, brother and sister all dying from accidental chlorine gas poisoning when he was only two years old.

On May 28th, 2016, a child who wanted to get a closer look at Harambe fell into the moat of the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, causing panic in the crowd. A zookeeper managed to get the other gorillas inside, but Harambe refused.

Harambe reportedly started dragging the child around the enclosure, agitated and confused by the panicked crowd. Afraid that he would kill the child, the zookeepers made the difficult decision to shoot and kill Harambe.

The death of Harambe quickly became an international news story as people mourned his loss. Candlelight vigils were held, the zookeepers expressed how difficult the decision was, and discourse about the necessity of the death was rampant both on and offline.

But what also happened was a massive wave of ironic memes about Harambe's death, which would propel the gorilla into becoming one of the most notable figures in memes for years to come.

While some of these memes may seem disrespectful at first, they can ultimately be seen as a method of coping and keeping Harambe in the minds of the people, propping his death up as a great tragedy alongside any number of notable deaths.

How Is 'Harambe' Used In Memes?

Some of the earliest memes about Harambe popped up on X, then only known as Twitter, in the days after his death in mid-2016.

These memes memorialized Harambe as if he were a celebrity, placing him next to other notable celebrities who died in 2016, including Carrie Fisher, Muhammad Ali, Prince, David Bowie and more.

However, memes about Harambe wouldn't really take off until a few months later, when the "D--ks Out For Harambe" movement skyrocketed the ironic memes about the now-famous gorilla into a full-blown trend.

What Are Some More 'Harambe' Inspired Memes?

D--ks Out For Harambe

D--ks Out For Harambe was an ironic online movement where men were encouraged to expose themselves in support of Harambe.

The absurdity of the movement is what made it and it such a success, with the hashtag "#d--ksoutforharambe" becoming inescapable in most Harambe-related posts going forward.

The movement was started by comedian Brandon Wardell, and the phrase is still echoed online today, along with many memes inspired by Harambe.

This meme really came to a head when the Cincinnati Zoo director's Twitter page was hacked and filled with Harambe jokes. This inspired a statement denouncing the memes, which only helped fuel them further as he was bombarded with the hashtag.

Meme Heaven

Meme Heaven is one of the longest-lasting Harambe-related meme formats online that consistently sees new edits to this day.

This meme celebrates the loss of celebrities, influencers and other notable figures in meme culture. Harambe's death inspired the first-ever Meme Heaven image, and the gorilla is still featured in many modern interpretations of the meme.

University of Massachusetts Amherst Email

One of the more notable controversies to arise from Harambe's passing happened in September 2016 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst).

That month, a residence assistant sent an email to students telling them to stop making Harambe jokes and references in the dorms, calling them a "microaggression."

The email leaked online and inspired a short-lived field day for anti-SJW commentators online as they rallied for free speech. The university denied actually doing anything to stop Harambe jokes, assuring a Vice reporter that the email was just sent by an RA looking to “encourage an inclusive living environment for the students on their floor.”

Write-In Votes for Harambe

Harambe had become so powerful and well-known as a meme by November 2016 that he was actually written in for U.S. President over 11,000 times during the 2016 election.

Listen, Kid, I Don't Have Much Time

One of the most long-lasting meme formats to come from the Harambe incident was a format known as "Listen, Kid, I Don't Have Much Time."

This format is based on a one-off image macro in which Harambe is depicted as being assassinated just when he's about to tell the child who fell into the enclosure some important political information.

The meme inspired a whole lot of variants over the next few years about the things that Harambe could have been telling the child. Eventually, this meme transformed into the "Milk Ape" or "Chocolate Gorilla Melting" meme, which follows the same format sans-Harambe.

RIP Harambe

Then in 2019, well after the ironic Harambe memes had fallen out of peak relevancy, billionaire Elon Musk released a song called "RIP Harambe."

Although some people were amused by the song, a lot of people made fun of Musk for being so late to the meme. Even in 2019, three years after Harambe's passing, it was considered a bit cringe to try to latch onto the memes so late in the game, resulting in much mockery toward him.

Split Timeline Theory

Harambe's passing has also inspired a whole conspiracy theory positing the idea that Harambe's death split the world's timeline, making everything to come a whole lot worse (even if it's spread mostly in jest).

This theory started going viral with the "Before vs. After 2016" meme in 2021, which uses Wojaks to show the various ways that things arguably got worse after 2016. The original version of this meme, of course, features Harambe.

The memes were further expanded on as a conspiracy theory as people continued to grow nostalgic for the years leading up to 2016, with some memes elaborately imagining how things could have been if Harambe hadn't been shot in 2016.

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For the full history of Harambe the Gorilla, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.