World-famous meme boy ‘Success Kid’ from early internet is UNRECOGNISABLE years on from viral fame as he turns 18
THE world-famous baby known for the viral “Success Kid” meme is almost unrecognisable as he enters adulthood.
Sammy Griner from Jacksonville, Florida, was just 11 months old when the picture his mum innocently snapped catapulted him to internet fame.
In the snap, the adorable fair-haired baby with striking dark eyes is clenching his fists with gusto.
But a recent image of the teen, now 18, has emerged and he is a far cry from his younger self.
Sammy now has long, wavy brown hair – drastically different to the light brown locks he debuted 17 years ago.
He is also seen with a bit of facial hair forming on his chin and puts on a weak smile in a similarly toothless display.
Another picture of the Sammy surfaced when he was aged 10 – enthusiastically clenching his fists to mimic the “Success Kid” meme.
The young boy’s hair had already darkened by then and the wholesome snap also shows him hold up a painted recreation of himself at 11 months.
The famous image of the teen was posted back in 2007 and meme pages across the world quickly took notice.
The fist-pumping baby is often used to symbolise the small successes that can brighten up a day.
His mom Lacey first posted the picture – showing Sam with a fistful of sand – to her Flickr account and captioned it: “I Hate Sandcastles”.
Sammy and his parents even took part in a Buzzfeed YouTube video discussing how he unwittingly became a viral internet meme.
His dad Justin was in need of a kidney transplant and the family managed to rack up enough money from the meme to fund it.
They took to GoFundMe to use their newfound fame to cover medical care costs and raised well over their goal of £55,000 ($75,000).
The August 2015 surgery was successful and Laney told ABC: “There’s so much positivity.
“There’s not a single thing we regret about Success Kid. It’s pretty crazy how it all happened. I still can’t wrap my head around it.”
In 2012, Laney copyrighted the cute beach snap that unexpectedly turned into a meme, reports the Des Moines Register.