Running Away Balloon Meme

What does the Running Away Balloon meme mean?

Running Away Balloon is a two-panel comic about goals that slip away. In the first panel a simple character reaches with both hands for a yellow balloon; in the second, a distraction arrives (a pink character, a labeled temptation) while the balloon drifts further off. Label the balloon with a goal and the distraction with whatever keeps stealing attention, and you have the internet's favorite picture of self-defeat.

Origin

• April 21, 2017: webcomic artist Superlmer (superelmer) publishes the two-panel comic "Out of Reach" on Facebook — a wordless strip about wanting something that floats away.
• 2017-2018: the blank panels turn the comic into an exploitable; editors label the balloon (a goal) and the second-panel character (a distraction) and it spreads across Reddit, Tumblr and Twitter.
• Today: it remains the go-to template for "things I keep failing at despite trying," from diets to deadlines.

Examples

• Balloon: "a full night's sleep"; second panel: "my phone at 2am."
• Balloon: "saving money"; second panel: "a sale on literally anything."
• The comic is also used without labels, as a pure reaction for watching a plan slip away.

Translation

• Literal reading: a character helplessly watching a balloon float away.
• Actual meaning: a goal or desire that stays permanently out of reach, usually because of a distraction the person chooses instead.
• Cross-language note: the panels are nearly wordless, so only the labels need translation — one reason the comic spread worldwide quickly.

FAQ

What does the Running Away Balloon meme mean?

The balloon is a goal or desire; the character reaching for it is the poster; and whatever pulls them away in the second panel is the excuse. The joke is the goal drifting further the moment attention slips — ambition versus distraction.

Where does the Running Away Balloon comic come from?

From the two-panel webcomic "Out of Reach" by the artist Superlmer (superelmer), shared on Facebook on April 21, 2017. The nearly wordless panels turned it into one of the most popular exploitable comics of 2017-2018.

Who draws the Running Away Balloon comic?

The webcomic artist Superlmer, also written superelmer, published "Out of Reach" in April 2017. The original is a quiet comic about longing; the meme version adds labels to both the balloon and the distraction.