No doubt about it: Boiseans have a lot of pride in their city. And sometimes, that place-specific pride can breed timely comedy in the form of internet memes.
A new Instagram account has sprung up that capitalizes on everyday Treasure Valley experiences, but with a hilarious twist. boiseidahomemes started April 14, and has since gained more than 400 followers (at the time this story was published). You won't find any potato jokes — thank goodness — as the profile bio clearly states: "A meme page full of of Boise things that are funnier than potato jokes."
Here's a few favorites:
Boise weather, celebrity sightings and the local love of fry sauce are all shared experiences -- which makes the memes shareable and fun. (I mean, who hasn't freaked out like Kermit when Idaho is on the national media's radar?)
The three people behind the account wanted to remain anonymous, but over direct message one of them did share why they started the account.
Q: Why/how did you come up with the idea?
"I noticed that a lot of cities had meme pages and it shocked me that Boise didn't yet because of how obsessed Boiseans are with their city. I love memes and read them all the time so I figured I'd go ahead and start one."
Q: You poke fun at things only Treasure Valley residents would get. How long have you lived here? Did you grow up in Boise?
"It's technically not just me on the page. I'm the main one but there are two others. I've lived in Boise most of my life and they moved to Boise to go to BSU and then stayed."
Q: Is this something you plan on doing for a while?
"We'll do it as long as it's fun and we have ideas. Though, to be honest, we only started the thing a little over a week ago so future plans are very much TBD."
Q: The posts so far have to do with youth culture. Are you worried about alienating/not including any groups?
"I can only write about what I know so unless I hear older family and friends say something meme-able that speaks to their generation better, it will probably remain pretty millennial-based. Are other generations that into memes anyway? Ha.
And no, I'm not super worried about alienating anyone. We try not to be mean. Especially when we talk about local establishments because we love our local businesses. That's the only alienation that I am actively trying to avoid."
Q: Why is Boise meme-able?
"Boise has a real identity crisis about whether it's a hipster younger sibling to Portland, an old western town or an up-and-coming hub for business and creativity. With so many sub niches and groups there is a lot of opportunity for comedy. And I think, over all, the Treasure Valley has a pretty good sense of humor."
Find reporter Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
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