11.17.09 - 11:00AM
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Urlesque Staff

Meme of the Year -- 2009 Urlies

2009 Urlies MEME | VIRAL VIDEO | REMIX | PHOTOBOMB/PHOTOSHOP | SINGLE-TOPIC BLOG | BEST BUYS | TWITTER TREND | COOLEST KID | VIRAL CAMPAIGN | WORST OF '09 | SITE | BLOGGER'S CHOICE | LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT | SEE ALL WINNERS

Although some still are not quite clear on what a "meme" is, we can assure you that 2009 was filled to the brim with them -- many of which you definitely encountered. While some rose from the depths of the Internet to infamy, others actually originated in the mass media and shifted onto the Internet. Some will put you in tune, while others allow you to reach out to your Facebook friends -- either way, these nominees for Meme of the Year will continue to live on the Internet, constantly being re-purposed for years to come.

And the nominees for Meme of the Year are...

Auto-Tune

Everything Sounds Better Auto-Tuned

Whether you listened to the radio, watched TV or even saw it online (our preferred method, natch), you've got to admit that this year Auto-tune was EVERYWHERE. The pitch-correcting software started with Cher, was popularized by T-Pain and is currently the talk of the Web, thanks to parodists like Auto-Tune the News.

Crasher Squirrel

Photobombing His Way Into Our Hearts (and Our Pictures)

The act of photobombing -- where your picture-perfect portrait is quickly ruined by a last-minute crasher -- has always been an Internet favorite. Take that, add an adorable squirrel, and you've got Crasher Squirrel: a phenomenon that quickly replicated after a curious lil' rodent popped up in front of a couple's Canadian vacation snapshot. Thanks to great minds and great Photoshops, the squirrel started popping up in every scene, cementing himself as a bona fide meme.

Facebook Memes

Tag Your Friends ... and Enemies

You can't deny the power of social networking behemoth Facebook. It would be safe to say at this point that practically everyone you know has joined -- from your mom to your foreign fourth-grade pen pal. Thus, along with this year's Facebook explosion has come tons of games (Farmville!), quizzes and, yes, even memes. From 25 Random Things to the Tag Your Friends meme, it seems that there are now a gajillion ways to waste time on Facebook.

Interrupting Kanye

"I'mma let you finish, but this is one of the best memes of all time!"

As we're thinking about our picks for this year's number one meme -- "Ohhh, I'mma let you finish, but Interrupting Kanye has got to be the BEST MEME of the year." I mean, can you argue with that? Taylor Swift couldn't, and thus Kanye's VMA interruption became one of pop culture's most talked-about moments this year. Thanks to its buzzworthy start and easy-to-remember catchphrase, the Interrupting Kanye was soon butting in all over the Internet, in text and image macros, making it a truly formidable powermeme.

Keyboard Cat

Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat

Mix a little FAIL with a cute cat, add a taste of Disaster Girl and you've got yourself one of the year's biggest memes: Keyboard Cat. We randomly discovered the first KC video, created by Snuzzy blogger and friend Brad O'Farrell, way back in April and since then, Fatso the Cat has been everywhere from the MTV Movie Awards to CNN, playing off the unfortunate.

All 2009 Urlies Winners