"I Like Your Shoelaces" is a coded 2012 Tumblr greeting meant to help users identify each other in public, answered with "Thanks, I stole them from the president." A single reblog thread turned it into one of early Tumblr's most recognizable in-jokes, later revived as an ironic relic of old-school Tumblr culture.
Origin
The original Tumblr thread was posted on July 2nd, 2012, though the starting account and post have since been deleted[1]. Archived reblogs and screenshots preserved the exchange, and the thread grew to 4.2 million notes by August 2026[3]. The Tumblr archival blog @heritageposts, which curates notable pieces of Tumblr history, confirmed the July 2012 date and pointed to preserved copies of the original chain[1].
Early Urban Dictionary entries from the same window also documented the phrase, describing it as a way for Tumblr users to spot each other outside the platform by confirming the reference[6]. Multiple definitions posted in the early 2010s repeated the Supernatural framing and the standard "stole them from the president" response[6].
- Platform: Tumblr
- Creator: Unknown
- Date: 2012
Overview
The exchange works as a call-and-response password. One person drops "I like your shoelaces" into casual conversation, and if the other person answers "Thanks, I stole them from the president," both know they browse Tumblr[1]. The line loops back to a bit of Dean Winchester dialogue from Supernatural, a show with a massive early-Tumblr fandom[6]. The whole idea was always more theoretical than practical, with most users joking about deploying it in the wild but rarely trying.
By the mid-2020s, the code was mostly invoked ironically, treated as a cringeworthy artifact of a specific slice of internet culture[3]. It sits alongside The Narwhal Bacons at Midnight, the older Reddit equivalent from 2009, as a snapshot of when platform loyalty ran deep enough that users wanted a secret handshake for public identification[3].
How It Spread
Through the mid-2010s, the catchphrase circulated widely on Tumblr, with users reblogging screenshots of alleged real-world attempts to use the code. On June 16th, 2017, the Tumblr blog @accessibleposts compiled a set of these purported real-life exchanges, pulling over 22,000 notes in the years that followed[3]. Some of the stories were treated skeptically, given Tumblr's well-known habit of inventing or embellishing anecdotes for laughs[3].
In February 2019, a Reddit user posted a screenshot of the phrase to r/tumblr asking whether anyone had actually tried it in real life, drawing around 650 upvotes[3]. As Tumblr nostalgia picked up in the late 2010s and 2020s, the phrase was recycled as a joke about outdated Tumblr behavior rather than an actual identification tool.
On August 7th, 2024, TikToker @dicklessthewonderclown posted a video about their sister accidentally quoting the code, pulling roughly 603,200 views and 122,800 likes over the next two years[2]. A March 23rd, 2025 skit from @dmitrikasanovich, ending with the line "complete the ritual," reached about 2.1 million views and 230,000 likes[4]. On February 8th, 2026, @lovebunnycosplay posted a Death Note-styled skit built around the phrase that hit roughly 781,300 views and 156,800 likes[5].
How to Use
The classic version is a two-line exchange. Person A says "I like your shoelaces" to a stranger, and Person B typically responds "Thanks, I stole them from the president"[1]. A match signals that both people are Tumblr users. In modern usage, dropping either half of the phrase in a TikTok comment section or a skit often works as a nostalgic wink to the 2012 Tumblr crowd more than a real attempt at covert identification[4].
Frequently Asked Questions
What is I Like Your Shoelaces?
It's a 2012 Tumblr catchphrase used as a coded greeting between Tumblr users, answered with "Thanks, I stole them from the president"[1].
Where did I Like Your Shoelaces come from?
The exchange started in a Tumblr thread posted on July 2nd, 2012, later preserved by the @heritageposts archival blog after the original account was deleted[1].
What does I Like Your Shoelaces mean?
It's a secret call-and-response code Tumblr users could drop in public to spot each other without outing themselves as Tumblr users, loosely referencing a Supernatural line[6].
How do you use I Like Your Shoelaces?
You say "I like your shoelaces," and the other person is supposed to answer "Thanks, I stole them from the president," confirming both parties recognize the Tumblr reference[1].
Is I Like Your Shoelaces still popular?
It's mostly used ironically now, with TikTok skits from creators like @dmitrikasanovich in 2025 and @lovebunnycosplay in 2026 driving millions of views on nostalgic takes[4][5].
