(This article is WIP)
About
“That’s the Joke” is a catchphrase originating from The Simpsons Season 6 episode A Star is Burns.[3] The catchphrase is often accompanied by an image of Wolfcastle looking serious in front of the brick wall (again, see above), is used to condescendingly explain the punchline of a joke, or is itself the punchline to an otherwise-unfunny remark. Following the popularization of the scene, the meme has expanded to many other phrases referring to a commenter missing the joke.
Origin
The episode A Star is Burns first aired on public television in March 5th, 1995, which was an episode from the 6th Season where, character Rainier Wolfcastle is being interviewed about his new stand-up comedy movie, and a clip is shown (see above). In the clip, Wolfcastle says “Did you ever notice how men always leave the toilet seat up? That’s the joke.”
Spread
The catchphrase spread all over the internet on websites such as 4Chan, Reddit, Tumblr and YTMND[2]. The original phrase has since spawned multiple other variants of the meme. As a result from the popularization of the ’That’s the Joke’ reaction, multiple other gifs have spawned where the joke is either personified or objectified, and flies over the head of a stationary individual. On Reddit, the phrase Woosh was popularized as onomatopoeia for the sound of a joke flying over a commenter’s head, and is often accompanied with a gif. Likewise, Tumblrers have used a gif to demonstrate one not understanding the joke or point.[1]