How often have we been in the middle of what feels like an impossible situation — taking the heat, brushing off embers, and convincing ourselves that this is fine...even when it’s not?
The iconic dog meme with a caption reading “this is fine” has ironically become a symbol of keeping it together when things aren't, in fact, that great. Call it self-denial or acceptance, but we’ve all been that dog, holding steady in the middle of a fiery pit.
In this piece, we’ll delve into how the lovable hound became an inexhaustible symbol of resilience (or denial) and how it captured the hearts of many to become an internet sensation that defined the generation.
"This Is Fine" Hound Makes Its First Appearance
The “this is fine” dog meme is a comic strip from the webcomic series of illustrator KC Green on “Gunshow (1).” Known as Question Hound, this famous dog became a central figure in Green’s comic series. The character gained popularity much like Green’s other creations, such as “Dick Butt” and “Staredad.”
We first see Green’s Question Hound in the burning room on January 9, 2013, as part of the illustrator’s series #648, titled “On Fire” (2). On the webcomic that was originally a six-box strip, we see a cartoon dog wearing a hat and calmly sitting by the table, holding a coffee mug right smack in the middle of a fire. The strip reads: “This is fine. I’m okay with the events that are unfolding currently. That’s okay, things are going to be okay.” It ends with a final box showing the dog engulfed in flames and badly melting from the heat.
In an interview with Green by John Horn, published by Laist’s The Frame in 2017 (3), Green explains how he came up with the comic strip. Horn writes that Green drew the comic back in 2013 while combating depression. At that time, he was juggling his day job, starting his graphic design career, and feeling overwhelmed. The webcomic strip became an outlet that conveyed his state of mind.
“This is Fine” Dog Meme Gaining Traction Online
The comic went viral a year later, in January 2014, when Reddit user @theonefoster posted the first two panels of Green’s comic strip. He annotated his post with the phrase: “Accurate representation of me dealing with university stress.” Redditors could relate to the allusion, and the post got shares and upvotes that pushed it up the charts. While Reddit became the initial staging ground for the “this is fine” dog meme, that original post has since been removed.
Nonetheless, the cartoon comic–turned–meme had enough time to find its way onto social feeds. People resonated with the feeling of being in an extremely dire situation and having to reassure themselves that things are okay because you can't do much about it anyway.
The viral meme also hit Imgur’s feeds when user @SPIDER_MAN posted those two panels on the platform. Since it first appeared online on September 22, 2014, @SPIDER_MAN’s post has gathered 72,831 views, with 1,900 plus more posts with #thisisfine tag on the platform and counting.
The Famous Hound Finds Itself in the Midst of a Political Squabble
Green’s comic hero became political fodder on July 25, 2016, when the Republican National Committee (RNC) tweeted about it on the official GOP X account (4). The tweet was in reaction to the Democratic National Convention.
The RNC’s use of the internet meme didn’t sit well with Green, who was not a fan of the political party. While he acknowledged that his comic strip had reached meme status, he immediately replied to RNC’s post with a scathing tweet, telling them to “delete their stupid post.”
The day after this online exchange, the political commentary platform The Nib joined the social war and posted an artwork created by Green himself.
The Nib commissioned Green to make a version of his iconic illustration, except this new render featured the RNC elephant instead of the illustrator’s famous dog. The image became part of a live exhibit mounted by The Nib in Philadelphia, and the platform also posted the artwork on their social channel.
“This is Fine” Meme Featured in Online Games
A few days after Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential win, artists and producers created works that expressed their disdain for the country’s political climate.
For example, developer Nick Kamam released a free web-based game on his website. “This game [was] an attempt to capture how I felt and how those around me felt after the results of the 2016 election. I was inspired by kcgreen’s legendary comic,” said Kaman (5).
The game looked almost like a replica of Green’s illustration, where players assume the role of the cartoon dog and use a fire extinguisher spewing hearts to put out the flames engulfing the house.
Other gamers eventually caught on and contributed further to the meme’s spread. Green’s cartoon also appeared in producer Andris Gauracs’ gamified version of the ubiquitous dog (6).
In Gauracs’ game, the player assumes the role of the pup who puts out fires in a burning house by throwing cups of coffee over the flames. Gauracs says his creation is essential “a fan art project,” which celebrates Green’s original cartoon, the cute little doggo.
The Cultural Resonance of KC Green’s Comic
Green believes that his illustration became immensely popular because of its innate simplicity. In a 2023 interview with NPR News reporter Emma Bowman, Green divulges that he made the illustration as “vague as possible,” saying his cartoon was “like any good piece of art, people interpret it how they want to (7).”
Indeed, the comic meme possessed timelessness that people could easily resonate with. It emerged as an authentic representation of strength during turbulent times. People defined their tragic situations via the cartoon character and assumed the resigned stance of the calm canine.
Instagram has more than 94,000 posts with the #thisisfine tag. The platform features lively animated adaptations of Green’s webcomic, user-created references, and intriguing illustrations by talented artists. Users add captions to the memes to express their situations, allowing their followers to instantly relate to their experiences and emotions.
The adorable hound meme became such an online sensation that Time magazine writer Raisa Bruner reported in 2018 that the US Senator referred to “this is fine” meme in one of his official speeches (8). More specifically, US Sen. Richard Burr used the meme to reference the situation regarding the investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 US elections.
Mainstream media also rode the meme’s raging wave. Viacom’s “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” used the “this is fine” dog meme, watermarking Green’s illustration to promote one of their shows.
Green told NPR News that while “The Daily Show” had contacted him to pay for the use of his illustration on their tweet, he would have hoped producers would be more considerate of artists like him when they use their creations, saying, “all I wanted was someone to ask, someone to treat me like a business, because this is what I do for a living.”
The Most Iconic “This Is Fine” Memes of All Time
Since Green published his webcomic in 2013, we’ve seen countless meme versions on various platforms. Memes express inescapably chaotic school circumstances, stressors at work, and even frustrations about politics and society.
Ignoring how the meme’s relatability made it extremely popular is impossible. Here are our favorite memes with Green’s celebrity hound that have captured the most attention.
Green’s Farewell With His Beloved Brainchild
A little more than a decade after the famed illustrator published his comic strip and after thousands upon thousands of posts and shares, Green says it’s time for his hound to retire.
Green told NPR News that while his canine character Question Hound brought his work viral recognition that led to royalty deals, he’s ready to try something new: “It’s a fun challenge to try and embody a different character. And I would like to try that with some of [my] other characters.”
Maybe Green’s 2016 contribution to The Nib foretold the future of Question Hound and possibly shows a shift in today’s sentiments (9). In a succeeding comic strip by Green that uses the same cartoon dog, we see the previously calm canine in a different light. In the alt illustration, instead of resignation and resilience, the dog is in full-blown panic mode in a still-burning room. Finally, the dog admits, “This is not fine!”
References
- KC Green. “Gunshow.” | https://www.gunshowcomic.com/
- KC Green. “On Fire.” Gunshow, January 9, 2023. | https://gunshowcomic.com/648
- John Horn. “The Surprising Ubiquity Of Artist KC Green’s ‘This Is Fine’ Meme.” The Frame on LAist, August 29, 2017. | https://laist.com/shows/the-frame/the-surprising-ubiquity-of-artist-kc-greens-this-is-fine-meme
- Neeman Zimmerman. “Artist Gets Back At GOP for Using His Meme to Mock Dems.” The Hill, July 26, 2016. | https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/289237-artist-gets-back-at-gop-for-using-his-meme-to-mock-dems/
- Nick Kaman. “This Is Fine Game.” | https://smashynick.itch.io/thisisfine
- Andris Gaurac. About the Game. This is Fine: The Video Game. | https://thisisfinegame.com
- Emma Bowman. “A decade on, the ‘This is fine’ creator wants to put the famous dog to rest.” NPR News, January 16, 2023. | https://www.npr.org/2023/01/16/1149232763/this-is-fine-meme-anniversary-gunshow-web-comic
- Raisa Bruner. “A US Senator Just Invoked the Popular ‘This Is Fine’ Meme.” Time.com, August 1, 2018. | https://time.com/5355468/this-is-fine-senator/
- KC Green. “This Is Not Fine.” The Nib, August 3, 2016. | https://thenib.com/this-is-not-fine/