The Squidward Window meme is the visual representation of FOMO

The Squidward Window meme is a reaction image that shows the character staring out at SpongeBob and Patrick as they frolic happily. Once this moment from a SpongeBob SquarePants episode was captured and put online, people jumped to use it to express feeling jealous or left out, especially as the concept of “FOMO” caught on.

Though it first appeared as a meme in 2013, the use of the image endured over the years, as many SpongeBob memes have.

What is the Squidward Window meme?

This reaction image is the character Squidward, known for being the cranky and introverted neighbor of the upbeat and excitable SpongeBob, watching through his bedroom window as the sponge and his best friend Patrick run between each other’s houses with their hands in the air and big smiles on their faces.

Social media users might post this image on its own to signal that they’re feeling sad or left out as they watch frivolities from afar. Others will caption the three characters with words or symbols to make jokes about themselves or others whom they assume are experiencing FOMO.

Meme basics:

• Meme Creator: Tumblr user heliolisk
• Meme Type: Reaction image
• First Appearance: Dec. 8, 2013
• Origin Source: Tumblr
• Used to Convey: FOMO, loneliness, or jealousy
• Peak Popularity: September 2024

Origins: Squidward and FOMO

The image comes from the season 8 SpongeBob SquarePants episode “That Sinking Feeling,” which aired on July 8, 2010, in the U.S. In the scene, Squidward is watching as SpongeBob and Patrick run with delight back and forth between their two houses. Far from feeling left out, Squidward is annoyed that in doing so, the friends are running through his yard because his house sits in between theirs.

However, the portrayed darkness in Squidward’s room compared to the bright and cheerful scene outside was perfect for expressing a feeling of missing out. On Dec. 8, 2013, Tumblr user heliolisk pointed this out in a post, expressing a deep feeling of connection to Squidward at that moment.

The acronym “FOMO,” which stands for “fear of missing out,” was coined by author Patrick J. McGinnis in 2004. The term caught on in the 2010s as people noticed the increasing social phenomenon in which many were too afraid of missing out on something better to enjoy what they were doing at the moment.

Spread and popularity of the Squidward Window meme

From Tumblr, the Squidward Window meme spread to all corners of the internet. It gained exploitable qualities as people Photoshopped other characters in to replace the originals to joke about their favorite works of fiction or real-world celebrities.

Interest in the meme has been fairly consistent over time, lasting for over a decade, and in fact, increased gradually from its birth in 2013. The problem of FOMO never really went away even as people stopped using the term, but continued to fret over related problems like loneliness epidemics. Squidward is still here for us.

The meme's popularity spiked to new heights in 2024, peaking in September before falling slightly in October.

Cultural context: Social isolation and death of the third place

Concerns about increased social isolation stemming from increased reliance on the internet to replace real-world interactions have endured since the 1990s and increased with the emergence of social media. At the same time, the gradual loss of the "third place" corresponded with an increase in reports of loneliness.

The "third place" refers to anywhere outside of the home and workplace where people can gather for social interactions. Typical examples include bars, coffee shops, malls, and arcades. As the arcades and malls began to close and coffee shops became less friendly to customers who wanted to hang around, opportunities for socializing dried up.

This is not the only theorized contributor to any loneliness epidemic, but whatever is causing the isolation problem and FOMO, both of these problems are perfectly expressed with the simple Squidward meme.

Squidward Window meme examples

More SpongeBob memes:

• ‘Erm, what the Sigma?’: Squidward has been meme’d again
• The best SpongeBob SquarePants memes on the internet
• Tired Of Living Through Major Historical Events: Some memes
• Mr. Krabs memes. That’s it, that’s the tweet

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