The Story Behind Hide The Pain Harold Meme

How can such a regular guy turn in a viral Internet sensation?

Andras Arato is a typical 70-year-old retiree from Budapest. Nevertheless, he has become maybe one the most viral and loved Internet memes in just a few years, gathering thousands of fans across the globe: Hide the Pain Harold.

Andras’s career started in 2010, when he happened to post a photo of himself on the Hungarian social media site: Iwiw, popular in those days. The photo posted was one of the many taken during Andras’s holiday in Turkey. A photographer then noticed it and contacted Andras instantly, asking him to be a stock photo model. Andras accepted believing it would be a fun time to spend his time.

Internet being what it it, some creative people discovered the stock photos and decided to take the game a notch further. Long after the photo sessions were over and forgotten, Andras got a bit curious and searched for who and how his photos were being used.

Was he surprised! He discovered the whole meme pallet of himself and what each meant. He was not happy about it. The heart of the hide the pain Harold memes is that his smile seems quite artificial, an the comic part springs form the idea that he is trying to hide some grave pain behind his smile. He is definitely smiling, but doesn’t seem happy at all.

Now it is Andras’s time to go a step ahead in the game. In this video he assumes the character behind his meme, giving a short training on how to use your inner strength and hide the pain behind a glowing smile, no matter what.