The 'Actually Happened' meme originates from a trend of YouTube channels featuring animated, first-person narratives that often involve sensationalist, bizarre, or highly improbable scenarios. These videos, characterized by their bright animation style and dramatic voiceovers, became a target for internet parody due to their perceived lack of authenticity and extreme clickbait titles. Memes typically replicate the distinct thumbnail aesthetic—a shocked character paired with an outrageous headline like 'I Sold My Brother for a Toaster.' Users employ this template to satirize the 'fake story' genre of the internet, mock unbelievable personal anecdotes, or create surrealist humor by pushing the absurdity of the storytelling style to its absolute limit.