"They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard!"
This line from Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" may have sounded innocent during its time on the big screen in 2002, but now, thanks to modern-day memers, the line has since been a source of laughter for both the average person and the actors that portrayed the characters involved on the meme.
But how did it become such a successful meme?
The History Behind the Meme
According to KnowYourMeme.com, artist Erwin Beekveld submitted a video titled "They're Taking the Hobbits To Isengard" to the flash website Albino Blacksheep on August 18, 2005, three years after "The Two Towers" was released on cinemas. The video featured scenes from the movie accompanied by a soundtrack that prominently featured the line "They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard!" from Orlando Bloom's character, Legolas of the Woodland Realm.
It also included some lines from the monstrous Gollum and the Lord of Lorien, Celeborn, in comedic fashion.
The video was then spread throughout the internet by YTMND user rustynail, who submitted a page titled "They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard!" The page featured an animated GIF and looped audio track of Legolas saying his iconic line regarding the whereabouts of the hobbits' captors.
On May 11, 2006, Youtuber Aaron Hardbarger reuploaded Beekveld's video to Youtube, which gained over 12.5 million views and 38,900 comments in its first seven years.
The video has since been the go-to video for memers, who are sharing the video on or referencing it in their posts on social media platforms such as Reddit and 9Gag.
Notable Examples on Youtube
The original video uploaded by Aaron Hardbarger is not alone in spreading the meme. There are other videos that helped raise awareness about the meme and have since inspired much laughter not only in the LOTR community but also with the average person.
Here are some excellent examples of those videos for you to watch.
They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard Medieval Cover
YouTube channel Middle Ages uploaded a rendition of the meme that features the tunes from instruments people would expect to hear in a warm, friendly medieval tavern. According to the video's description, it used Howard Shore's "Concerning Hobbits" score to open the song and then transitioned the video into a medieval rendition of the meme, with Orlando Bloom still uttering his classic line along with it.
The video has since amassed around 10,000 likes and 177,063 views in its first year on the video sharing platform.
The Dread Crew of Oddwood's Rendition
YouTuber Jon Wiedyk uploaded The Dread Crew of Oddwood's rendition of the meme on August 19, 2012. It features the titular band playing Howard Shore's "Concerning Hobbits" at the start and then suddenly transitioning to the music of the meme, singing along to the meme's lyrics as they do.
They even included Gollum's and Celeborn's lines used in the meme as well.
The video has since gained 46,000 likes and around 1.4 million views since it was uploaded.
Peter Jackson's Farewell to Legolas (Read as Orlando Bloom)
Last, but definitely not least, is a video straight from director Peter Jackson himself. According to the video's description, Peter Jackson said that it was time to bid farewell to Orlando Bloom after he shot his scenes battling a "serious orc" for 12 hours for the film "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies."
Jackson said that when they finally got the shots they wanted and the day done, they "said goodbye to Orlando, had a couple of beers... and couldn't resist doing this!"
It seems the meme has also reached the world-renowned director, as he had Orlando Bloom sing along with the meme. The video featured Jackson shifting from his phone that is playing the video of the meme, to Orlando singing along, saying his iconic lines with amusement.
