Success Kid

2007

Date: photo 26 August 2007, meme circulation by 2010 · Place: Jones Beach State Park, New York · Figures: Sammy Griner, eleven-month-old subject · Laney Griner, photographer and mother · Justin Griner, father · Tags: Advice Animal, Photo Macro 01. Eleven Months Old Eating Sand On 26 August 2007 Laney Griner photographs her eleven month old son Sammy at Jones Beach State Park on Long Island, New York. Sammy holds a fistful of sand and makes a clenched-fist expression of pure determination. Laney uploads the photo to Flickr the same day. By 2010 the cropped image, often captioned I Hate Sandcastles or simply paired with a moment of small triumph, is circulating widely as an image macro. The character is named Success Kid. 02. Kidney Transplant And Trademark In 2015 the Griner family raises 100,000 dollars through a GoFundMe to fund a kidney transplant for Justin Griner, Sammy's father. The campaign goes viral on the back of the meme's recognition. Laney Griner secures trademark control of the image. In 2020 she pursues a successful cease-and-desist against U.S. Representative Steve King's campaign for unauthorized use, establishing a precedent for meme-subject control. Sources • KnowYourMeme, 'Success Kid' • Laney Griner, original Flickr upload (26 August 2007) • NPR, 'Success Kid's Family Used The Meme To Pay For A Kidney Transplant' (8 April 2015)