Nobody Knows Youre A Dog (DOG)

The oldest widely recognized dog-related meme on the internet is the adage and image macro "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog," which originated from a cartoon by Peter Steiner published in The New Yorker on July 5, 1993. The illustration depicts one dog sitting at a computer, typing on the keyboard, while explaining the caption to another dog on the floor. It humorously highlights the anonymity of early internet interactions, where users could hide their true identities (including species, gender, age, or other traits) behind screens.

This cartoon predates widespread meme culture but quickly became iconic as the web grew in the 1990s, spreading via Usenet groups, early forums, and later image macros. It has been referenced in plays (like Alan David Perkins' Nobody Knows I'm a Dog), tech articles, and parodies, and by 2013, it was the most reproduced New Yorker cartoon ever. The original artwork sold at auction for $175,000 in 2023. While the cartoon itself started in print, its viral spread and adaptation online make it a foundational internet meme.