GagBase Logo Explore

Squid Game Meme About Under Pressure vs Ice Ice Baby Bassline

This is a two-panel reaction meme. The top left panel shows Squid Game protagonist Seong Gi-hun grinning broadly and happily, paired with top right text that reads "Hearing the bassline to Under Pressure". The bottom left panel shows the same character with a shocked, disappointed, deflated expression, paired with bottom right text that reads "Realizing it's Ice Ice Baby". The joke plays on the fact that the basslines of the two songs are nearly identical, as Vanilla Ice sampled the Under Pressure bassline for Ice Ice Baby, leading to listener disappointment when they expect the classic Queen and Bowie track and get the Vanilla Ice song instead.
Make

Dialogue

Hearing the bassline to Under Pressure
Realizing it's Ice Ice Baby

Overview

This is a two-panel reaction meme. The top left panel shows Squid Game protagonist Seong Gi-hun grinning broadly and happily, paired with top right text that reads "Hearing the bassline to Under Pressure". The bottom left panel shows the same character with a shocked, disappointed, deflated expression, paired with bottom right text that reads "Realizing it's Ice Ice Baby". The joke plays on the fact that the basslines of the two songs are nearly identical, as Vanilla Ice sampled the Under Pressure bassline for Ice Ice Baby, leading to listener disappointment when they expect the classic Queen and Bowie track and get the Vanilla Ice song instead.

Origin notes

This meme uses two screenshots of protagonist Seong Gi-hun from the hit 2021 Netflix original series Squid Game, which became widely used as a reaction meme template shortly after the show's global release. The specific iteration references the well-documented sampling of Queen and David Bowie's 1981 track "Under Pressure" bassline for Vanilla Ice's 1990 hit "Ice Ice Baby", a common point of confusion and disappointment for classic rock fans. This version of the meme was sourced from the RSS feed of X.com (formerly Twitter) user @meme.jpg, and is a popular shared reaction meme across social media platforms.

Similar memes

This is a 2-panel reaction meme featuring Squidward Tentacles from the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. The first panel shows Squidward happily setting up a lounge chair, paired with text explaining that the opening bars of Queen and David Bowie's famous track 'Under Pressure' start playing on the radio. The second panel shows Squidward looking visibly angry and exasperated as he grabs the lounge chair to storm back inside his house, paired with text revealing that the track playing is actually Vanilla Ice's 'Ice Ice Baby', which famously sampled the 'Under Pressure' bassline without initial credit. The joke relies on the common experience of music listeners being excited to hear the beloved Queen track, only to be disappointed when they realize it is the Vanilla Ice song instead.

Once upon a time this morning

This is a 2-panel reaction me…

A two-panel meme featuring cats to humorously contrast the claim of working under pressure during a job interview versus the reality. The top text reads: 'me at a job interview claiming I can work under pressure' (left) and 'also me working under pressure' (right). The left panel shows a white cat wearing a blue cap with a circular logo and round sunglasses, exuding a confident and cool demeanor. The right panel shows a close-up of a white cat with large, wide eyes and a slightly open mouth, appearing visibly stressed and overwhelmed. The meme uses the contrast between the two cat expressions to highlight the relatable discrepancy between self-assured claims in interviews and the actual experience of handling pressure.

Cat Meme: Claiming vs. Actually Working Under Pressure

A two-panel meme featuring ca…

This meme uses a split-panel 'expectation vs reality' format to humorously critique workplace dynamics. At the top, the text reads '-You work your ass off at work' to set the context. The left panel, labeled 'Expectation', shows a person in a green tracksuit (with the number '001') running dynamically with an energetic expression, accompanied by the caption 'Salary increased'. The right panel, labeled 'Reality', shows the same person sitting curled up in a white tube, looking tired and disappointed, with the caption 'Tasks increased'. The meme highlights the common frustration of working hard expecting a salary raise, only to receive more responsibilities instead.

Work Hard for a Raise? Nope, More Tasks Instead

This meme uses a split-panel …

This is a two-panel reaction meme using stills of two characters from the Netflix live-action series Squid Game. The top panel features the character Seong Gi-hun grinning happily, paired with text noting that the base game Titanfall 2 is available for 4 USD at an 85% discount on Steam, representing excitement at the low base game sale price. The bottom panel features the character Cho Sang-woo with a serious, disappointed expression, paired with text noting that the total cost of the game is still 50 USD when including all DLC and expansions, conveying frustration at the high total cost despite the base game discount.

Titanfall 2 Steam Discount vs Total DLC Cost Reaction Meme

This is a two-panel reaction …

A two-panel meme consisting of an upper and lower section. The top panel features an animated character with a round face, blonde hair, and a cheerful smiling expression, positioned on the left side. To the right of this character is the text 'the iceman is coming'. The bottom panel shows a real person with a distinct facial expression, appearing surprised or amused, also positioned on the left. To the right of this person is the text 'the ICE-men are coming'. The meme relies on a pun between 'iceman' (likely referencing a cold individual or fictional character) and 'ICE-men' (referencing ICE, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency), creating a humorous wordplay by altering the capitalization and meaning of the phrase.

Ice Ice Baby

A two-panel meme consisting o…

This is a two-panel reaction meme using footage from the animated show SpongeBob SquarePants. The top panel depicts a large, aggressive green monster labeled 'INFLATION' looming threateningly over a cowering SpongeBob inside the Krusty Krab. The bottom panel shows SpongeBob standing unharmed and completely unbothered, now labeled 'ARIZONA ICED TEA'. The joke references the widely known fact that Arizona Iced Tea has kept its 99 cent price point unchanged for decades, even as global inflation has raised prices for nearly all other consumer goods.

Arizona Iced Tea Resists Inflation SpongeBob Meme

This is a two-panel reaction …

A two-panel meme featuring a real person's face in both panels. The top panel has the text 'Dentist says show me your upper teeth' with the person displaying an awkward or forced smile, likely struggling to show upper teeth clearly. The bottom panel contains the text 'Dentist says show me your lower teeth' with the same person, now appearing strained or confused, possibly having difficulty showing lower teeth. The humor arises from the relatable awkwardness of dental exams and the exaggerated reactions to the dentist's requests.

Dentist Asks for Upper vs Lower Teeth Reaction Meme

A two-panel meme featuring a …

A vertical collage meme with a left-right split: bold text labels on the left escalate emotional intensity, paired with corresponding images on the right. Sections include: 'SAD' (person covering face), 'DEPRESSED' (man on couch, hand on head), 'BROKEN' (face behind cracked glass), and the punchline 'MCDONALD'S ICE CREAM MACHINE' (photo of a McDonald's kitchen with the iconic frequently-broken machine). The humor lies in subverting emotional escalation with a relatable, trivial frustration.

The Different Levels of Sadness (Including McDonald's Ice Cream Machine)

A vertical collage meme with …

This is a two-panel relatable meme featuring characters from the animated television series *SpongeBob SquarePants*. The text displayed at the top of the meme reads 'Me after hearing hurtful words and trying my best not to cry'. The left panel shows Squidward Tentacles standing with his arms crossed, sporting a strained, tight forced smile and half-lidded eyes that convey he is expending significant effort to suppress sadness and avoid crying. The right panel features SpongeBob SquarePants sitting on a chair with an exaggeratedly wide, overly cheerful forced smile, looking like he is barely holding back tears, representing the unconvincing happy facade people often put on to hide that they are upset after receiving hurtful comments. The meme humorously captures the common, relatable experience of pretending to be fine in the moment to avoid showing vulnerability.

Trying Not To Cry After Hearing Hurtful Words Meme

This is a two-panel relatable…

This is a relatable meme using a screenshot from the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. It shows Squidward Tentacles slouching on a bamboo bench with an exhausted, overstimulated, annoyed expression. The text overlaid at the top reads 'when you’re trying to relax but you can hear the electricity in the room', referencing the common experience of being hypersensitive to faint electrical hums that prevent people from unwinding, a feeling especially relatable to those with sensory processing differences.

Squidward Irritated By Electrical Hum While Relaxing Meme

This is a relatable meme usin…

This is a two-panel relatable reaction meme. The top overlaid text states 'When you flush the toilet and the water starts rising up.'. The left panel shows SpongeBob SquarePants with wide, focused, tense eyes and a tight nervous smile, representing the split second of initial concern when you first see the toilet water level climb. The right panel shows SpongeBob's eyes widened further apart with a strained, frozen, panicked smile, capturing the growing dread and helpless panic when you realize the toilet is clogged and about to overflow, a common relatable household mishap.

SpongeBob Reaction to Rising Toilet Water After Flush

This is a two-panel relatable…

This single-panel meme displays text at the top reading 'The hydrogen bomb when he realized the baby had stopped coughing', above two half-lit figures set against a solid dark background. On the left is a human baby with a neutral, blank expression, and on the right is an anthropomorphized green hydrogen bomb character with wide, alarmed eyes and a tense, stressed facial expression. The humor derives from an absurd, exaggerated comparison: it draws a parallel between the common relatable parental anxiety of becoming suddenly alert and panicked when a previously coughing or sick baby falls unexpectedly quiet, and the extreme, high-stakes tension of a hydrogen bomb being on the verge of detonation, creating comedic effect through the ridiculous anthropomorphism of a weapon applied to mundane childcare stress.

Hydrogen Bomb Alarmed When Baby Stops Coughing

This single-panel meme displa…