The “Put on Sunglasses” Meme That Buzz the Internet!

It’s impossible for anyone not to recognize this meme from CSI: Miami’s Lt. Horatio Caine and his notable sunglasses especially if you’re active in internet humor sites such as 9gag, Meme Baase and Meme Center.  But did you really know how this epic meme started and shook the internet fun sites overnight with its witty one-liners?

The “Put on Sunglasses” meme also known as The CSI: 4 Panes are a series of exploitable comics which focuses on Lt. Horatio Caine (played by actor David Caruso), the protagonist character in the popular police procedural show Crime Scene Investigation: Miami. The comics typically begin with Lt. Caine describing a particular situation before putting on or removing his sunglasses, followed by a one-liner uttered in a dramatic manner.

Origin

It was on 2002 when CBS first aired the American police procedural television series known as CSI: Miami. The lead Crime Scene Investigator Lt. Horatio Caine easily became notable due to the fact he always wear a pair of sunglasses would usually makes some horrible pun at the beginning of the show on how the victim died or how the crime happened, puts on his sunglasses, and then a song titled Won’t Get Fooled Again by The Who follows, starting at the part where the singer goes “YYEEAAHH!”.

Because of Caruso’s overuse of both one liners and wearing his sunglasses, it didn’t take too long for fans and viewers to make fun of his puns or making their own with his image on it, eventually making a template and turning into a meme. The meme itself now tends to generate a lot of approval by users because of its witty nature.

Horation and His Sunglasses

Before the meme appeared on humor sites, there was a Youtube video that was said to have begun the fad. Uploaded on November 4th, 2006, the video entitled “CSI Miami – Endless Caruso One Liners” shows a montage roll of CSI: Miami actor David Caruso saying a corny one-liner just before the intro song of the CSI (“Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who):



Then on June 2007, the comics reached its turning point when the four-pane exploitable first appeared in a web comic. It didn’t take too long, before the comics serves as a joke on one of the most overused tropes and repertoires in the show. There was even a university site known as RIT people that launched a page dedicated to this meme which contains an image of sunglasses, and when clicked, the intro song plays with the singer yelling “YEEEAAAHHH!”. And to top it all up, wholesale sunglasses sellers say that there were buyers who really ask for a pair of sunglasses that looks exactly like what Horatio Cane has. Who wouldn’t, when the meme even has its own ASCII-interpretation: (•_•) / (•_•)>⌐■-■ / (⌐■_■).

How cool is that? Who would have thought that a character in a TV series with his witty one-liner and dramatic way of putting his sunglasses could create such an impact? The only thing we’re sure of is that…

Horatio and his sunglasses are…
(•_•) /
(•_•)>⌐■-■ /
(⌐■_■)…caught in popularity.
“YYEEAAHH!”