![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/69c27145c94e8d17b4a5d3c258589e2efeebd89a0d1100237a087292c401d90e92c4fccab46524e9_rw_1920.jpg?h=aa39c168ebbb449009be430151d6a93e)
Safari Tabs is an image of a cheeseburger made using the open tabs the Safari browser on iOS. I created it in November 2017 and it quickly became a viral meme covered across the internet. My original post (below) was reposted over 1 million times and became the inspiration for several new versions of the concept. It was featured on the Reddit front page and invested in heavily by the /r/MemeEconomy.
I have since turned the original image into an expanded series of art prints and blankets for Curioos.
Why Did This Go Viral?
A few times a year content that I create goes incredibly viral, such as my Neil DeGrasse Tyson Dandelion, which ended up being shared by #NDGT himself. In every case, the key is getting the content into the hands of larger influencers. Safari Tabs initially spread because @thefunnyintrovert, an Instagram account with hundreds of thousands of followers, posted it.
This meme was different in the size of its success – and I think that it was due to a combination of being relatable and reproducible. Given a clever idea and some time in Google Image Search, anybody can create their own Safari Tabs meme.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/f4f3994996b54d42ee4cbecb64662bcd7081b4ef8dc510120d407305c3a45f756436d2a7a2a47532_rw_1920.jpg?h=c0cec7c182089a4cd7b3cd9b12e52f9b)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/4af89bee4c92e4a618a1b8146837be14236eb0a17659e93bcd8c9c11f915e919ab6f378f7b341601_rw_1920.png?h=e6f0bc32645b0eebd86d9f12ea680000)
Above: the original post and Know Your Meme page for it.
Below: examples of Safari Tabs memes by others.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/e084a2bf6ba34eea6ca54d0d11c9b249d354756fe79813799afd0c9d0ae5c9b451d5573074296039_rw_1200.png?h=f0422b464c2b78285bcedc3f55ab39d7)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/9c3ef0cc82c4795361af322d673ef2d7800624f9f8f1bcc97264be4165c1d7a8b595076a9fad465f_rw_1200.png?h=1cc633cf73a029063ce537167e9f4d39)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/2995c8103af1309796b27e781c7792729cc84d250e6d58fd6597ef4111f98a85ab36d73fbf292b89_rw_1200.png?h=31e40f0984743ac3f354d4450e019b5b)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/087e4030a1ce4c33402e8bc0465e9ba77748e2d4ac76f43fd2282feaf05ed63e33f39a9e1c7aff7f_rw_1200.png?h=bda139b0f2fb1f9ceca6bf55d4379a04)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/04f675ea2a860ae85f48dd106089782f11ac3ddd76d38422d524db9ac9e953e6575972a47662cb1b_rw_1200.png?h=05b290f6ff8ce44c85685278399a439d)
The Safari Tabs Series
I expanded the Safari Tabs meme into a series of art prints for Curioos including Safari Tabs Sandwich, the '90s Kid Rainbow Tabs, and Off-Grays. The '90s Kid Rainbow Tabs print features colors which meant something to me growing up in the 1990s: Hi-C fruit punch red, Nickelodeon orange, Pikachu yellow, Link's tunic green, AriZona green tea cyan, Windows 95 sky, Blue Man blue, and Courage the Cowardly Dog pink.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/f5e8c0bdca7ce3130f07c26d1f96997181ea1e7f22e089f7462b1eff286f5e2b6e87409e9a485916_rw_1920.jpg?h=175c59ab83fe43df6d9f6ea1612ba94b)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/1f8ef3bdd8ab668cc4b181085b434088cca6e0f6dc20ffdb47555fd5d71556a51cec6de81f2344ac_rw_3840.png?h=863d15b6c770807f19e31d20d52b0014)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/bee37490f9bf7a90dabe47de9067fba65a3e071b3bb7c4ca3b6d7b53703edbc74535af7449f8ffdb_rw_3840.png?h=1cd9f51cf9697681b2235041e95b2cf6)
Below: examples of the art prints after production:
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/7a97f27a41228d58f4554114b48ec0bb18e3668077d5b7b353f8ba54a983628b6a659bbdf39acbae_rw_1200.png?h=30491cdc335f9b0d88db5cfb10f68eed)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/5830bdbdfcf8d885a1ce4185e760e9fcc1b6e6c80e1654a17945219d6a800d26fe98cbdb040e0d28_rw_1200.png?h=07a8d7cedd3f79235c79e99dff0311ee)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/4e22983a03f241d1d274b9d7277797a782add4b38093d3469c5bc962be575de30ff3540ed3ee9292_rw_1200.jpeg?h=0049d3e242206e05a40cfe9c8ae84913)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/7e05193be3e66ce3b6eacfb771cdb292394e19ac3b4da1dc95d761e156daedce69125ea131685706_rw_1200.jpeg?h=c8fa37defac5bffe50bfee419a902398)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/6fb3bdf10379a061cfd0fd3917084eddfb2081a568177ae505cd51cd86bbc9141fe425cb28e46e10_rw_600.jpeg?h=461380a28acde588fc88432195d76114)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/7fa2fadb1d216efc4bd379816f198fe0/b2355954d9757c65e0aad22a56db22c9a22dba8bd47e0507e5d43566cc8bc10db4f5e5587ff9fceb_rw_600.jpeg?h=6259d17af2c0086960231c217f5105c0)