"Condescending Wonka" is an

Internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...

based on the 1971 ''

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1971 American musical film, musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart from a screenplay by Roald Dahl, based on his 1964 novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory''. It stars Gene Wilder as chocol ...

'' film directed by

Mel Stuart Mel Stuart (born Stuart Solomon; September 2, 1928 – August 9, 2012) was an American film director and producer who often worked with producer David L. Wolper, at whose production firm he worked for 17 years, before going freelance. E ...

. The meme emerged in 2011 and few years later was described as one of the most popular Internet memes, usually used to convey

sarcasm Sarcasm is the caustic use of words, often in a humorous way, to mock someone or something. Sarcasm may employ ambivalence, although it is not necessarily ironic. Most noticeable in spoken word, sarcasm is mainly distinguished by the inflectio ...

and a patronizing attitude. The meme is composed of a still

screenshot A screenshot (also known as screen capture or screen grab) is an analog or digital image that shows the contents of a computer display. A screenshot is created by a (film) camera shooting the screen or the operating system An operating sys ...

from the movie, showing the character

Willy Wonka Willy Wonka is a fictional character appearing in British author Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' and its 1972 sequel '' Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator''. He is the eccentric founder and proprieto ...

(portrayed by the American actor

Gene Wilder Gene Wilder (born Jerome Silberman; June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and filmmaker. He was mainly known for his comedic roles, including his portrayal of Willy Wonka in ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Fa ...

), accompanied by a short sentence that varies by context of the meme. The meme has been used to convey sarcasm and a patronising attitude, sometimes through its combination with another meme such as "Welcome to the Internet" and "You must be new here". Another common variation begins with the words "So, tell me about..." and then continues with a

subordinate clause A dependent clause, also known as a subordinate clause, subclause or embedded clause, is a certain type of clause that juxtaposes an independent clause within a complex sentence. For instance, in the sentence "I know Bette is a dolphin", the claus ...

that is deemed impossible by the author. In this way, the target (reader) is invited to share the condescending sentiment of the meme's author towards the criticized recipient. The scene in the movie the still is based on is actually neither patronizing nor sarcastic in tone, though there are other scenes where Wonka behaves much in the manner of the meme. Some initial versions of the meme, with sexual innuendoes, were called Creepy Wonka, but eventually diminished in popularity compared to the version dubbed Condescending Wonka (the name was coined in the online

Reddit Reddit ( ) is an American Proprietary software, proprietary social news news aggregator, aggregation and Internet forum, forum Social media, social media platform. Registered users (commonly referred to as "redditors") submit content to the ...

community). Less common variants of the name include Patronizing Wonka or Sarcastic Wonka. It has been estimated that tens if not hundreds of thousands of variants of the meme, with different captions, have subsequently been created. In 2017, a study of 2,000 British adults concluded that this was their all-time favorite meme. The still has also been described as a lasting part of Wilder's legacy.

References

{{Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Film and television memes Internet memes introduced in 2011 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in popular culture