About
“If lost please return to X” is a phrase often found on t-shirts to indicate to onlookers that the person with the said shirt should be directed to another person (denoted by ‘X’,) if ever they are found to be missing. Often times, the shirt in question is coupled with another shirt that says “I am X,” which is a popular couple shirt to be drawn by artists in fandoms as a tribute to their ships. The latter phrase of the whole catchphrase is often worn by the ‘man of the relationship.’
Origin
The earliest known instance of the meme is in a post titled “If Lost Return to Rita” posted on October 12, 2012 on the website weknowmemes.com[1]. The post depicts an elderly couple wearing the couple shirt, where the old man is wearing the first line of the catchphrase whilst Rita, the elderly woman, is wearing the second line.
Spread
The same image was posted on FaadoIndia.com[2] titled “If Lost, Please Return,” on March 1, 2013. As of December 8, 2014, the post has garnered 211k Facebook likes and has been shared 96 times. The meme has then gained popularity on Tumblr[3] and Deviantart[4] as popular ships have been given shirts to wear.
Notable Examples
Search Interest
External References
[1]WeKnowMemes.com – If Lost Return to Rita
[2]Faado India.com – If Lost Please Return
[3]Tumblr – if lost return to