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The world has changed a lot over the past few decades. But when you start comparing what things used to be like several hundred or even thousand years ago to what they’re like now, you realize just how different life really is. Throw in a couple of doggos into the mix and you get the new Swole Doge vs. Cheems joke format.

They’re all the rage this month and have spread like wildfire across the internet. The premise is simple: people pick a country or a profession and poke fun at how much they’ve changed throughout history.

Swole Doge on the left represents what the country, job, or phenomenon was like a long time ago (the so-called ‘golden age’) while the cheeseburger-loving (well, actually, ‘cheemsburger’-loving) Cheems is on the right and shows what the situation’s like now. Bored Panda’s collected some of the best 'Then and Now' Doge vs. Cheems jokes for you, so scroll down, enjoy, and remember to upvote your faves. And be sure to read Bored Panda's interview with Seamus Hopkins, who created one of the very first jokes using this format.

#3

Then-Now-Dog-Meme

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HempFairy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love the shock on peoples face when i get a call on my Nokia 6030 2005.

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"I made my meme shortly after coming across one of the original Swole Doge vs. Cheemes meme," 17-year-old Seamus told Bored Panda. "I decided to give it a go and try putting my own spin on it. I went straight to my phone and opened PicCollage (a sort of photoshopping app) gave Swole Doge some armor and added text."

He said that the meme he created was similar to the first one he say, since they were both poking fun at modern teens in comparison to the B.C. era. "At the time, my biggest post was at 2,000 upvotes so of course I was surprised when I hit over 40,000!" Seamus shared how happy he was that his post got so much attention on Reddit.

"I guess people enjoy the Swole Doge meme because it’s one of those formats where it can be applied to a variety of topics. Although I don’t really know why mine specifically went viral, it’s probably just luck," Seamus mused. He added that he only started posting on Reddit about a week ago and up until now, none of the memes he's shared had gotten that much attention.

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#6

Then-Now-Dog-Meme

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Vorknkx
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hate it when they beg for likes and subscribes at the end of a video (or even at the start). If I really enjoy a video, I absolutely would like it, and maybe subscribe, without being specifically told to.

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Swole Doge vs. Cheems went viral in the middle of May 2020 and had its humble beginnings on Reddit. On May 16, redditor DiegoGamer25 posted a comparison pic comparing his dad at 17 years old to himself at that age and wanting to be a cute anime girl. The pic got a lot of attention and things started to snowball from there.

Three days later, on May 19, redditor Vulpanthrope posted an updated version of DiegoGamer25’s Doge vs. Cheems image that included grandpa-Doge when he was 17-years-old and had just come back from war. That same day, redditor Peke19 posted a pic comparing priests in the years 1450 and 2020—this made the joke format spread even further on Reddit and Facebook and sealed its popularity.

Meanwhile, Twitter user PrinceT0xic had a hand in spreading the joke format on that particular social media website when they retweeted 4 pics and they went viral. People are creating new Swole Doge vs. Cheems posts every day, so if you create something new, we’d love it if you shared it in the comments below, dear Pandas!

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#8

Then-Now-Dog-Meme

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#10

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Carrie de Luka
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My dog goes into a frenzy if people blink outside the front of my house so I'm fairly sure he'll bark like a nutter if someone breaks in! He'd not be brave enough to confront the burglar but that's okay - I don't want him getting hurt.

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#13

Then-Now-Dog-Meme

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Linda HS
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I keep hearing ‘you tube 2010’ in keanu reeves voice 😛

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#15

Then-Now-Dog-Meme

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chi-wei shen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Go to the Somali coast and you'll find out some pirates are still ruthless.

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#18

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Hans
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And the one on the left is far worse, unless you prefer toxic masculinity and toxic adolescence.

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#21

Then-Now-Dog-Meme

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pusheen buttercup
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know this is supposed to be humorous, and I do love anime. Anime is not Japan. It's a part that they made. I would hate if foreigners saw America and judged us by our cartoons. XD

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Carrie de Luka
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What about the ones when you're streaming a channel and you can't skip the bloody things! When it says 1 of 9 it's time for a cuppa and a biscuit!

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#29

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Carrie de Luka
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nah - the point is that we supposedly don't want help 🙄 Should probably read something like - Go'way - we don't need you EU. Or some such rubbish. Sigh. 😢

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#30

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Enea
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Highest levels of equality, among the richest countries in the world, best education systems ... that's pretty strong. Oh, and they're among the best-known peace mediators in the world.

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Note: this post originally had 70 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.