Cheems / Balltze Dies

2023

Date: 18 August 2023 (born 24 July 2017) · Place: Hong Kong · Figures: Balltze, Shiba Inu (2017-2023) · Boris Lai, owner · Internet, mourner · Tags: Dog, Obituary, EraEnd 01. The Dog Behind Cheems Balltze, a Shiba Inu born in Hong Kong on 24 July 2017, is photographed by owner Boris Lai in a series of images that become the Cheems image macro from 2017 onward. Cheems pairs with Doge in the Buff Doge vs Cheems format that defines Reddit and Twitter meme aesthetics from 2020 to 2023. Balltze develops cancer in mid-2023. Lai announces the diagnosis publicly on Instagram in July. The dog dies 18 August 2023. 02. An Era Closes The death is reported by Reuters, the BBC, and Vice. Tributes outnumber Balltze's actual lifetime image output by orders of magnitude. The same week, Skibidi Toilet crosses two billion views on YouTube Shorts. One era of dog-as-meme ends while the next era's algorithmic-toilet-head meme reaches peak. The handoff is exact and uncoordinated. Sources • Reuters, 'Balltze, the Dog Behind the Cheems Meme, Dies at 12' (19 August 2023) • Boris Lai, Instagram announcement (18 August 2023) • BBC News, 'Cheems Meme Dog Balltze Dies' (19 August 2023)