Give Squirtle A Face is a 2010 exploitable image macro built from a faceless Squirtle drawing, which 4chan and Facepunch users filled in with absurd, grotesque, or joke expressions[1]. The template spread through /b/ threads and forum contests, mirroring an earlier faceless Pikachu edit from 2008[2].
Origin
The template's ancestor was a faceless Pikachu edit that appeared on 4chan in 2008, using another Bioviral drawing[2]. The Squirtle companion piece sat unused for years until a 4chan user erased its face the same way and posted it to /b/ on January 8, 2010, with the instruction to "Give Squirtle a face"[1].
The first thread had a rough start with early replies dismissing it, before /b/ warmed up and began posting edits[1]. That original thread eventually died, but it seeded a recurring format that returned in follow-up threads[1].
- Platform: 4chan /b/ (source) / Facepunch (viral spread)
- Creator: Unknown 4chan /b/ poster
- Date: 2010
Overview
Give Squirtle A Face is an exploitable image macro built from a drawing of the first-generation Pokemon Squirtle with its facial features erased, leaving a blank oval for editors to fill in[1]. The base image was lifted from a 2004 DeviantArt post by an artist known as Bioviral, who had drawn both a Pikachu and a Squirtle in a similar style[2].
The fun of the format is entirely in what people draw into that empty face, ranging from cartoon expressions to horrifying rictus grins and pop-culture references[1]. Because the source is a single flat image, editing it takes almost no skill, which is why it spread through Photoshop-heavy forums so quickly[3].
How It Spread
On January 9, 2010, a Facepunch user going by Little Washu reposted the blank Squirtle to the site's Fast Threads section with the invitation "Have at it! Give him a face!"[3]. Edits started pouring in almost immediately, and a Facepunch moderator called RawRKat later moved the thread over to the Photoshop Contests subforum as the volume grew[3].
Because Little Washu also reposted many of the original 4chan edits to Facepunch, some users suspected she was the anonymous /b/ original poster, though this was never confirmed[1]. Attention then bounced back to 4chan when a user known as The Big Bomb linked a fresh /b/ thread, which produced over 100 derivative edits before it 404'd off the board[1].
After that peak, Give Squirtle A Face settled into the broader library of Pokemon exploitables alongside the earlier faceless Pikachu template, resurfacing whenever imageboards revisit old shop-it threads[2].
How to Use
To make one, editors typically start with the blank Bioviral Squirtle base and draw or paste any face into the empty oval, from cartoon eyes and a mouth to distorted, unsettling, or celebrity-swapped expressions[1]. Threads often ran as informal Photoshop contests where posters riffed on each other's edits rather than working from a fixed punchline[3].
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Give Squirtle A Face?
It is an exploitable image macro of the Pokemon Squirtle with its face erased, which users fill in with their own drawings or edits[1].
Where did Give Squirtle A Face come from?
A 4chan /b/ user posted the faceless Squirtle on January 8, 2010, asking others to draw a face on it, using a 2004 Bioviral DeviantArt drawing as the base[1][2].
What does Give Squirtle A Face mean?
The phrase is a literal prompt from the original 4chan thread telling other posters to add any face they want to the blank Squirtle template[1].
How do you use Give Squirtle A Face?
Editors take the blank Squirtle base and paint, paste, or Photoshop a face into the empty oval, often as part of thread-based shop contests[3].
Is Give Squirtle A Face still popular?
It is a classic 2010 imageboard exploitable rather than a currently trending meme, and mostly resurfaces in retrospectives on Pokemon edits[1].
