A popular reaction to people who claim to be a member of a group with which they are not familiar is “How do you do, fellow kids?” The image, which frequently includes the tagline, depicts actor Steve Buscemi in his childhood, holding a skateboard and wearing clothing. The term is frequently used in conversation without an accompanying visual since the image is frequently modified to fit a specific subculture.
Greetings, young people! Background Meme:
Steve Buscemi was used in the 30 Rock, an American sitcom that was filmed and shown on NBC from 2006 to 2013. Lenny Wozniak is a normal private investigator who was played by the Mad Dogs and the Underground Empire star. Hired by hero Jack Donahue (Alec Baldwin). In the story, Wozniak recalls his previous investigations, including the disguise of success as a student of high school during his introduction to school. Why Choose Gladiolus Tattoo?
As proof, they show a flashback, where at that moment the character Buscemi, 55 years old, tries to marry him in the company of teenagers. Everything in the image of a detective shows how bad his disguise is: a hat on his back front, only two skateboards in his hands, and a T-shirt with the print “Music Band”. In this form, he approaches the students and says, “How are you, friends? How are you, kids? This flashback was dismantled at Medium and concluded that the humorous effect here is built on the theory of linguistic expectations.
It assumes that people develop certain rules about how a person should use language in certain situations. We build up prospects based on the background of how a person looks, how he behaves, and how old he is. In this case, the character Buscemi dresses like a teenager but completely forgets his language. It would seem that according to the “cover”, he should raise some greetings from the young people. But it is enough only for a fairly large adult “How are you, children”.
Hi fellow kids spread:
A subtitled screenshot began appearing online for the first time in the spring of 2012, just as 30 Rock was about to air its latest episode, as the moment was featured on the lists of many viewers with the best jokes in the show. From there, it spread like wildfire. On October 11, 2012, We Know Memes posted the image, where it was then distributed over 22,000 times.
The phrase is frequently used on 4chan, where, for example, it has 57 uses on video games, and on the whiteboard. The gif is more popular on Tumbler and there are four separate blogs entitled “How are you, colleagues”. Several versions of the gif and image have more than 100,000 views on Imager. On several websites, including RedBubble and Screened, the T-shirt that Buscemi wears on stage is available for sale. On August 2, 2014, Radiators Three am Dillonfbecker and Urplescurple released the subedit Fellow Kids.
Subediting is used to showcase instances of people or businesses trying to “fit in” and “be hip,” which is frequently done by overusing internet terminology or emojis (examples below). The subedit attracted more than 194,000 subscribers in just three years. 2016-05-26 Radiator Bosoxdanc A Facebook post from Bagel Bites featuring an old man costumed as Steve Buscemi from the 30 Rock episode was shared on Fellow Kids (shown below). God this is a Meta and I like it was the title of the article that earned over 27,000 points (90% voted up) and 200 comments. The article garnered 1.6 million views and over 6,000 points on Imager.
What Does the Meme Actually Say?
The real line is “How do you do, fellow kids?” The image shows actor Steve Buscemi as Lenny Wozniak, a private investigator in the sitcom 30 Rock. In a flashback, Wozniak goes undercover as a high school student. He wears a backwards cap and a T-shirt that says “Music Band”. He holds a skateboard. He walks up to a group of teenagers and says, “How do you do, fellow kids?” The joke is the gap between how he looks and how he talks. He dresses like a teenager, but he speaks like an old man from another time. Nobody talks like that. The line sounds stiff and formal. That is why it is funny. The post above garbles the line in several places. The correct line is “How do you do, fellow kids?”
The Episode: 30 Rock, Season 6
The scene comes from the 30 Rock episode “The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell”. It aired in January 2012, in season 6. Lenny Wozniak is a private investigator hired by Jack Donaghy, played by Alec Baldwin. In the episode, Wozniak tells Jack about his past cases. One case was going undercover at a high school. The flashback shows the disguise. Wozniak is in his fifties. The students are teenagers. His disguise is a backwards cap, a “Music Band” T-shirt, and a skateboard. The line is the punchline. 30 Rock ran on NBC from 2006 to 2013. Buscemi played Wozniak in six episodes in total. The character became one of the show’s most memorable guest roles because of this one scene.
Why the Meme Works
The meme works because of a broken expectation. We expect a person who dresses like a teenager to talk like a teenager. Wozniak does the opposite. He looks young but talks old. A writer on Medium explained it with the theory of linguistic expectations. People build rules about how a person should speak, based on how they look, how they act, and how old they are. When the speech breaks those rules, it feels funny. The meme is used in the same way. It is posted when someone tries too hard to fit in with a group they do not belong to. The person copies the clothes and the slang, but the effort is obvious. The meme says, without words, that the disguise is not working.
How the Meme Spread
The captioned screenshot began to spread in the spring of 2012, soon after the episode aired. On October 11, 2012, the site We Know Memes posted the image, and it was shared more than 22,000 times. From there it spread to 4chan, Tumblr, and Imgur. Many versions of the image have more than 100,000 views. The T-shirt Wozniak wears is sold on sites such as RedBubble. In August 2014, the subreddit r/FellowKids was created. It collects examples of people and companies trying to fit in and be hip, often by overusing internet slang or emojis. The subreddit grew to hundreds of thousands of members. In July 2017, The Verge published an article asking people to stop using the meme. That is a sign a meme has become too popular. By then, the image was everywhere.
How People Use It Today
Today the meme is a reaction image. People post it when a brand, a politician, or a celebrity tries to sound young and cool and fails. A company that tweets slang it does not understand gets the Buscemi image in reply. A politician who tries to use a new dance or a new app gets the same. The image is also used in text form. People write “How do you do, fellow kids?” without the picture. The phrase has become a short way to say, “You are trying too hard to fit in.” It works for any group, not just teenagers. A company can be the fellow kids of a gaming community. A new fan can be the fellow kids of a music fandom. The meme stays fresh because the situation never changes. People always try to fit in, and they often fail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the “How do you do, fellow kids?” meme?
It is an image of Steve Buscemi as Lenny Wozniak in 30 Rock, dressed as a high school student with a skateboard, saying “How do you do, fellow kids?” It is used when someone tries too hard to fit in with a group they do not belong to.
Which 30 Rock episode is the meme from?
“The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell”, from season 6, which aired in January 2012. Lenny Wozniak is a private investigator hired by Jack Donaghy.
What does the meme mean?
It means someone is trying too hard to fit in. The joke is the gap between how Wozniak looks, like a teenager, and how he talks, like an old man.
When did the meme become popular?
The captioned screenshot spread in the spring of 2012. We Know Memes posted it on October 11, 2012, and it was shared more than 22,000 times. The subreddit r/FellowKids was created in August 2014.
Why did The Verge ask people to stop using it?
In July 2017, The Verge published an article asking people to stop using the meme, because it had become overused. That is a sign a meme has reached its peak.
Disclaimer: This guide is for general information only. Meme history, dates, and view counts come from public sources and may change over time.
Last Updated: 6 November 2026