# Harambe meme

> Harambe ranked No. 1 in Google’s US trending meme searches.

- Owner: null
- Kind: Meme & format
- Sector: Culture (no sector)
- Seed date: 2016-05-29
- Peak proxy date: Week of Aug 22, 2016
- Date basis: Proxy date; not a directly measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 53 (Notable, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Response chain, Platform jump, Press loop, Controversy

## Summary

After the shooting, users turned Harambe into tribute collages, song lyrics and a catchphrase. Jokes reached Vine and merchandise. Cincinnati Zoo deactivated Twitter in August, then returned in October.

## Timeline

- 2016-05-29 — @jayy_teeeeee (X) — @jayy_teeeeee posted a gorilla in a graduation cap with a joke caption about CNN.
- 2016-06-01 — @thefiltr (Instagram) — @thefiltr posted a Harambe joke about racial disparities in public mourning.
- 2016-07-06 — Brandon Wardell and Danny Trejo (Open web) — Wardell posted a Vine of himself and Danny Trejo saying the Harambe catchphrase.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/harambe-meme

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Harambe meme.” Case HIS-01658. Spread Score v1.3: 53/100. Updated 2026-10-24. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01658