Be Like Bill

Origin

Around 2015, a simple meme format called "Be Like Bill" started circulating widely across Facebook and Reddit. It depicted a basic stick figure named Bill paired with text that positioned him as someone who possessed good judgment and rational thinking, typically by contrasting his sensible choices with the questionable or irritating actions of others. The format emerged from creators wanting to deliver practical suggestions in an entertaining manner, usually with an underlying lesson. The catchphrase "Be like Bill" caught on as people used it to offer commentary on human behavior that felt funny and relatable, often with a tongue-in-cheek tone. The meme spread rapidly because it was easy to share, visually uncomplicated, and dealt with situations most people could recognize, allowing it to be applied to countless different scenarios. Over time, people adapted the template to address everything from how to behave online to broader social concerns, proving its flexibility and demonstrating why it appealed to so many different groups of users.