Brock Obama is a photoshop mashup that fuses Barack Obama with Brock, the rock-type Pokémon trainer, usually swapping their faces or bodies for absurd effect. The joke first surfaced on YTMND in February 2008 and grew huge through a Facebook page launched January 30th, 2010, which became one of the earliest meme pages on that platform.
Origin
The Brock Obama mashup grew from the near-rhyme between Barack and Brock plus the shared 'rock' theme running through Brock's Pokémon gym[1]. The earliest documented edit went up on a YTMND page in February 2008, and YouTube uploads that November, right around Obama's first election win, boosted the joke into wider circulation[3].
- Platform: YTMND (origin) / Facebook (viral spread)
- Creator: Unknown
- Date: 2008
Overview
Brock Obama is a hybrid character that fuses the 44th U.S. President Barack Obama with Brock, the Pewter City Gym leader from the Pokémon anime[1]. Most versions are photoshops that swap faces or bodies between the two, and rock-type Pokémon like Onix or Geodude sometimes appear in the background as a visual pun on Brock's specialty[3]. The joke leans on the near-rhyme of the two names plus the absurdity of a cartoon trainer running the executive branch.
Fans built out a fake political-religious mythology around the character called 'Brockism,' with the president supposedly ruling from Pewter City as party leader of a fictitious group called the Brockists. Urban Dictionary picked up the 'Brockism' entry on July 1st, 2011[2]. The Brock Obama Facebook page[4] kept the bit alive through years of scripture-style, in-character status updates.
How It Spread
'Brock Obama' launched as a Facebook page[4] on January 30th, 2010, and became one of the earliest meme pages on the site[3]. Its climb kicked off the meme-page trend and spawned copycat spin-offs, including Bardock Obama, a Dragon Ball fusion. The page had built up over 204,000 likes and roughly 6,000 associated images by late August 2021[4].
The evil-twin counterpart Amabo Kcorb, Brock spelled backwards, launched as its own Facebook page[4] on May 31st, 2011, sporting a mustache and goatee for the villain look. Amabo and Brock's pages regularly reversed each other's posts and staged wall-to-wall arguments only followers of both would fully catch. The Amabo page[4] later dropped the 'Kcorb' half of its name and had roughly 51,000 followers by August 2021.
On September 18th, 2011, trolls hijacked the original Brock Obama page[4], swapping the profile picture for a Hitler-Lincoln composite and flooding it with My Little Pony images. The page bled nearly 10,000 subscribers in three days before the original admin took it back on September 21st. A mirror page pulled over 12,500 members inside 72 hours during the fight for control. Later hijacks drove the compromised original into a stretch of offensive posting that fans openly criticized[1], and Facebook eventually deleted the hijacked copy in July 2013.
How to Use
A typical Brock Obama edit takes a photo of President Obama and swaps in Brock's spiky-haired anime head, or drops Obama's face onto Brock's cartoon body[1]. Creators often place a rock-type Pokémon like Geodude or Onix in the background as a visual pun on the 'rock' wordplay. Captions may reference 'Brockism' scriptures or the fictional Pewter City presidency to stay in character[2].
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Brock Obama?
A hybrid character combining Barack Obama and Brock, the rock-type gym leader from Pokémon, usually presented as photoshopped face-swaps between the two[1].
Where did Brock Obama come from?
The earliest known version went up on a YTMND page in February 2008, with YouTube uploads later that November boosting recognition[3].
What does Brock Obama mean?
The name is a phonetic pun on Barack and Brock, playing off Brock's rock-type Pokémon specialty for extra layers of joke[1].
How do you use Brock Obama?
Photoshop Brock's head onto President Obama or Obama's face onto Brock's cartoon body, and drop a rock-type Pokémon like Onix behind them if you want the full package[1]. Captions frequently reference 'Brockism' or a Pewter City presidency[2].
Is Brock Obama still popular?
The Brock Obama Facebook page[4] still held over 204,000 likes as of August 2021, though the meme peaked during the Obama presidency years.
