Ayy Lmao / AYY

“Ayy Lmao” is an expression and Tumblr hashtag typically associated with a picture of an alien that looks slumped over with an agape mouth.

The image of the alien has circulated the web since as early as November 2012, appearing on a number of Portuguese and Spanish-language paranormal sites including Tempo Espaço, El Gurú and El Rincon Paranormal. Though it is unclear where the photo was first posted, it was referenced on Twitter on March 31st, 2013 in a conversation between two users.

Every time I see that damn alien “ayy lmao” I lose it
— Jesse (@BoneIess) March 31, 2013

By May 23rd, 2013, the image appeared as a reaction comment on the celebrity gossip blog Oh No They Didn’t. On June 8th, a Facebook fan page titled “AYY LMAO” launched, posting a handful of image macros with the phrase but not the alien photo. That August, YouTuber jorin pop created a seven second video (shown below) pairing the image with the phrase “ayy lmao” in a hot pink font scrolling across the screen.