What does “Spiders Georg” mean?
Spiders Georg is an internet meme that originated on Tumblr. It involves an urban legend about the average number of spiders swallowed by people each year, making fun of the inaccurate information using a character called “Spiders Georg.” The meme satirizes the fake factoid, claiming Spiders Georg skews the average by eating over 10,000 spiders daily. The original text post reads as follows: "average person eats 3 spiders a year" factoid actualy just statistical error. average person eats 0 spiders per year. Spiders Georg, who lives in cave & eats over 10,000 each day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted In terms of statistics, “outliers” are data points so different from the others that they drastically change the average (or mean) of the overall data—like “Spiders Georg” compared to the average person in this meme.
History of the Spiders Georg Meme
The Spiders Georg meme was created by Max Lavergne in 2013. At some point, an urban legend arose claiming humans swallow a certain number of spiders each year in their sleep. Its origins are unclear, but it began circulating online by the early 2010s. In response, Tumblr user Max Lavergne posted on January 9th, 2013, joking that the spider statistic was an error because of “Spiders Georg.” The fake spider statistic can also vary; several versions of the urban legend exist. You might hear that the average number is 3, 6, 8, or some other number—but all are false. There’s no actual factoid about humans swallowing spiders in their sleep,
Evolution & Spread of the Spiders Georg Meme
After its creation, many Tumblr users adapted and remixed the meme. By the end of 2013, the Spiders Georg post had become viral on Tumblr with over 90,000 notes. Other users on the platform created their own versions of the meme based on different themes or topics—often intentionally mimicking the original post’s spelling and grammar errors. For example: “we all live in a yellow submarine” factoid actualy statistical error. Average person does not live in yellow submarine. Georg Harrison, who lives with fellow beatles in 10,000 yellow submarines, is an outlier adn should not have been counted — Tumblr user venort “average person chops down 1 cherry tree per year” factoid actualy just a statistical error. average person chops down 0 cherry trees per year. Washington Georg, who lives in a white house & chops down 10,000 cherry trees every day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted — Tumblr user rkssystem “average writer kills 3 characters a year” factoid actualy just statistical error. average writer kills 0 characters per year. Georg R.R. Martin, who lives in santa fe & kills over 10,000 each day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted — Tumblr user caterjunes
The meme inspired other blogs and Spiders Georg character lore. Overall, “Spiders Georg” has taken on a life of its own—including a Spiders Georg-themed Tumblr blog. Some users have even calculated the real number of spiders that Spiders Georg would need to eat daily to make the global average 3 (which, according to Tumblr user Jdniemand, would be around 57 million). In June 2013, a “Spiders Georg” Facebook page was created featuring an edited poster of actor Nicolas Cage as Spiders Georg. In August 2013, Reddit-user brostrider posted the Spiders Georg meme in a comment under a post in the /r/todayilearned subreddit. Some Tumblr users even began to imagine that Spiders Georg lives in Night Vale (from the Welcome to Night Vale podcast) The Daily Dot also published an article in November of 2013 about Spiders Georg’s creation and growth as a popular internet character.
The Spiders Georg meme continues to be referenced online today. The meme was cited in the 2021 book Tumblr as part of the argument that Tumblr’s impact can’t be clearly defined using simple averages. Business Insider even referenced the meme in August 2023, calling Donald Trump the “Spiders Georg of world leaders” when his 91 felony charges single-handedly produced the statistic that the average U.S. president has 2 felony charges.
How to Use the Spiders Georg Meme
Use the meme to poke fun at “outliers” in pop culture or fake facts. The original Spiders Georg meme is a satirical explanation of a strange statistic—and you can create your own meme by making fun of anything from characters in movies and TV shows to weird (or false) factoids you discover. Try to think of something that might be considered an “outlier” and base your adapted meme on it. For example: DId you know Napoleon—the French Emperor—was once attacked by rabbits while on a hunt? The Spiders Georg meme for that factoid might look something like: “average person loses 1 fight to a rabbit per year” factoid actualy just statistical error. average person loses 0 fights with rabbits. Napoleon Georg, who lost a fight with over 1,000 rabbits, is an outlier adn should not have been counted
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