Gwimbly Smiling Friends meme

10 images

Gwimbly as he appears in his debut episode of Smiling Friends, rendered as a deliberately low-quality PS1-style 3D model.
Fan art depicting Gwimbly on a fake PS1 game case, referencing the character's origin as a fictional mascot from a canceled retro video game.
A fan-created character design sheet reimagining Gwimbly as a polished modern mascot character.
Hand-drawn fan art sketches exploring different poses and expressions of Gwimbly.
A scene depicting Gwimbly's fictional 90s cartoon version, showcasing his signature cream corn advertisement.
A viral tweet comparing Gwimbly's appearance to internet personality Daniel Larson.
A viral tweet depicting a fake Simpsons cameo, illustrating the running joke about Gwimbly being remembered as a real classic character.
A tweet showcasing fan art that plays into the joke of Gwimbly having a beloved fictional cartoon series.
A popular tweet imagining Gwimbly as a Super Smash Bros character with an announcer callout.
Fan art comic contrasting the cheerful cartoon Gwimbly with his aged, dilapidated Smiling Friends appearance.

History

Gwimbly is a washed-up '90s PS1-style video game mascot character from the Smiling Friends season two premiere that aired April 1, 2024. Voiced by co-creator Zach Hadel, his low-poly design, 'ooh, ooh, ooh' victory dance and creamed corn obsession triggered a wave of fake retro game media and Daniel Larson comparison edits within days.

Origin

Gwimbly first appeared on April 1, 2024 in the Smiling Friends season two premiere on Adult Swim, an episode titled 'Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition DX 4K (Anniversary Director's Cut)'[1]. In the plot, Pim tries to help the aging mascot pitch a new game to the CEO of Insane Groundbreaking Games, who refuses because modern games are 'about DLC and microtransactions' and reveals a replacement robot mascot called Troglor[3]. The episode closes with Gwimbly and Troglor teaming up on a Super Smash Bros. style crossover pitch[3].

Platform: Adult Swim (TV) / X and Reddit (viral spread)
Creator: Zach Hadel (Smiling Friends co-creator and voice of Gwimbly)
Date: 2024

Overview

Gwimbly is a Smiling Friends character built as a parody of forgotten '90s video game mascots, rendered in blocky low-poly 3D that mimics original PlayStation graphics[3]. He is voiced by show co-creator Zach Hadel and is presented in-universe as a has-been hero doing Cameos to make a living[3]. The bit fans latched onto is his so-called victory dance, where he shouts 'ooh, ooh, ooh' and rambles about collecting cans of creamed corn as the central gameplay hook of his fake old games[1].

Within 24 hours of his debut, fans were remixing him into fake game covers[2], fake Nintendo DS gameplay footage[4] and mock cartoon stills[7]. A parallel joke thread compared his voice and mannerisms to lolcow Daniel Larson, which turned into its own subgenre of Gwimbly content[8].

How It Spread

The morning after the premiere, on April 2, 2024, Redditor u/baphylamb posted a mocked-up Gwimbly video game box cover to r/SmilingFriends that pulled in over 220 upvotes in two days[2]. Fake retro Gwimbly media then flooded X across April 3, when @violxiv shared a fake Nintendo DS gameplay clip that hit over 26,000 likes in a day[4], while @giacomobonus and @Droilius posted PS1-era concept art pieces reaching 18,000 and 32,000 likes respectively[5][6]. On April 4, @SamE8189 shared a mockup imagining Gwimbly as a '90s Saturday morning cartoon, which crossed 10,000 likes in under a day[7].

A parallel joke tied Gwimbly to lolcow Daniel Larson because of overlapping speech patterns and on-camera energy. A post from u/passivewithdesire on r/DanielLarson made the comparison the night of the premiere and hit 150 upvotes in a week[8]. On April 4, TikToker @doobie_123_imalwaysfree posted a 'POV: Daniel Larson' edit of a Gwimbly scene that pulled in over 40,000 views in four days[9]. The top comment on the Reddit thread noted co-creator Zach Hadel is aware of similar lolcow figures, having once discussed casting Chris-Chan as a grease puddle in an interview[3].

How to Use

The Gwimbly format typically takes the shape of fake vintage media that treats him as a real forgotten '90s IP: mock DS or PS1 gameplay footage[4], boxart[2] and 2D cartoon stills[7]. Comparison edits pairing his mannerisms with Daniel Larson clips are another common convention[9]. Fans often lean on his creamed corn line or the 'ooh, ooh, ooh' victory dance as the recognizable hook.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Gwimbly Smiling Friends?

Gwimbly is a washed-up '90s PS1-style video game mascot character introduced in the season two premiere of Adult Swim's Smiling Friends on April 1, 2024, voiced by co-creator Zach Hadel[3].

Where did Gwimbly Smiling Friends come from?

He debuted in the episode 'Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition DX 4K (Anniversary Director's Cut),' where Pim tries to help him get a comeback game against a CEO pushing DLC-heavy titles[1].

What does Gwimbly Smiling Friends mean?

The character parodies forgotten PS1-era mascots, complete with his own creamed corn gimmick and 'ooh, ooh, ooh' victory dance that fans quote and remix[3].

How do you use Gwimbly Smiling Friends?

Fans typically make fake vintage Gwimbly media such as DS gameplay clips[4], mock boxart[2] or Daniel Larson comparison edits[9].

Is Gwimbly Smiling Friends still popular?

The heaviest burst of Gwimbly fan output happened the week the episode dropped in April 2024, with X posts drawing tens of thousands of likes[6] and TikTok edits reaching 40,000+ views[9].

Gwimbly Smiling Friends