About
Cicada Block is a series of artworks featuring characters trapped in a corner by another character holding themself up by pressing their hands and feet against the wall.
Origin
The earliest known posting of a Cicada Block image was posted by Tumblr[1] user Rabulen130 on October 16th, 2012, which featured an illustration of a Pokemon character pinning another character into a corner by holding himself above the ground with his hands and feet against the wall (shown below). Within 48 hours, the post received over 280 notes.
Spread
On the following day, Tumblr[2] user Fideo published a post titled “If anybody’s wondering where the meme came from,” featuring an illustration of several different poses in which a character can be blocked in a corner (shown below), labelling the fourth illustration as a “cicada block.” Within the first 24 hours, the post received over 14,300 notes.
The meme has continued to spread on Tumblr and DeviantArt under the tag “#cicada block.”
Notable Examples