In 2017, a GIF of a man named Drew Scanlon blinking repeatedly in disbelief took over the internet. Eight years later, it remains one of the most popular online reactions used for comments or situations that leave people absolutely stunned.
Though Drew never capitalized on his social media fame, he has now decided to use his internet stardom for a good cause.
Highlights
- Drew Scanlon became famous in 2017 for the 'Blinking Guy' GIF.
- Drew's viral GIF originated from a 2013 Starbound live stream during a humorous gaming moment.
- Drew says the GIF's lasting popularity comes from its versatility as a "quick" way to express surprise or confusion.
The San Francisco native posted his famous GIF, which shows him shaking his head, raising his eyebrows, and blinking, to draw attention to the National MS Society.
Image credits: drewscanlon
In the post, which garnered more than 21 million views, Drew also shared a recent photo of himself, surprising netizens with how much he has changed.
“Hi Internet! I'm Drew and this is my face,” he wrote on September 26.
“If this GIF has ever brought you joy in the past, I humbly ask you to consider making a donation to the National MS Society. It would mean a lot to me and to those I know affected by the disease.”
Image credits: drewscanlon
While many praised Drew for supporting a good cause, others were surprised to see what the man behind the GIF looks like now.
“Wow. Never thought I would find the face behind a meme on my timeline,” one user said.
“(You’ve been) in my top three GIF rotation for the last three years, hands down. You get a follow. Thanks for your contribution to digital humanity,” shared another fan.
“You have lost so much weight!” noted a separate user.
“Bruh that’s not Dexter?” another comment read.
“Gotta love it when the right people get memed,” expressed another fan.
Drew's iconic reaction came during a 2013 live stream of the video game Starbound
“It was created by the internet, and I didn’t have anything to do with it. It would feel to me like the band wearing the band’s T-shirt – it’s just not cool,” he shared.
Recalling his iconic reaction, he admitted, "I don't remember doing it at all.
"It was one joke in a two-hour stream that we did every week, and a very forgettable moment for me at the time."
Image credits: drewscanlon
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The stream in question was a 2013 episode of Unprofessional Fridays, a show by video game website Giant Bomb. Drew was a producer for the show and occasionally appeared on camera.
As for the phrase that triggered the startled expression, Drew was playing an adventure game called Starbound that involved farming, when his editor, Jeff Gerstmann, said he was “farming with my h*e here.”
“There were animated GIFs made of us all the time, but this was the first one that jumped species from our own little video game community to the internet at large,” he shared.
The San Francisco native asked fans to donate to the National MS Society
Image credits: drewscanlon
"At first I didn't see it in the wild for myself, only people who follow me on Twitter who sent it on to me. I had people saying stuff like, 'My mom just sent this to me on Facebook, she doesn't even know who you are.'
"The first instance I saw it myself was a tweet someone made about biology. It was a good representation of how you could use the GIF as a punchline to a joke and it was impressive to see how many retweets it got."
After the clip went viral in 2017, Drew told BuzzFeed that it felt “weird” and “a little bit scary” to see his face all over the internet.
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Drew then left his job as a producer and spent a few years working on Cloth Map, a crowdfunded documentary project exploring the world through the lens of games.
Between 2020 and 2024, he worked as a producer at Digital Eclipse, a video game development studio.
As per Sky News, Drew initially decided in 2019 to "toot his own meme horn" and out himself as the face of the internet’s collective confusion on social media to ask for donations for the National MS Society, which helps people with multiple sclerosis.
At the time, he raised more than $28,000, surpassing his initial goal of $10,000. Following this year’s post, he has so far raised $68,000 out of his goal of $75,000.
Drew said his now-famous expression was a "very forgettable moment" for him at the time
Image credits: drewscanlon
Each year, the social media star rides approximately 100 miles (160 km) across San Francisco on his bike to raise funds for the National MS Society as part of the charity cycling group Big El West.
Drew wrote on his website that two of his best friends suffer from multiple sclerosis, so the cause is quite close to him.
The former producer also co-hosts two podcasts: one about films with his wife, Sara, and another about Formula 1.
Asked why he thinks his GIF has stuck around for so many years, he said it’s really versatile and can be used for a variety of situations that the sender didn’t see coming at all.
“I think it's a quick and easy way to express a feeling. Memes to me are a way to express body language over this new internet medium we have."
"Nice to put a face to the blink," one fan quipped
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