AboutWhat does the meme depict?

The "If I Had A Nickel" meme features Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz from the animated film 'Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension.' In the visual, Dr. Doofenshmirtz expresses surprise and slight amusement at being betrayed in a peculiarly specific way twice in his life. This image is commonly used online to highlight rare yet inexplicably repetitive events.

OriginWho did it first?

The "If I had a nickel for every time [X happened], I'd be rich" trope is commonly used to emphasize the frequency of improbable events. It has roots in literature, notably seen in Mark Twain's 1809 book Following the Equator, where Twain uses a similar expression. The specific line from Dr. Doofenshmirtz emerged in 'Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension' when the character humorously remarks, "Wow! If I had a nickel for every time I was 'doomed' by a puppet, I'd have two nickels-- which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. Right?", following a betrayal involving a puppet. This formulaic expression and the comedic situation around it were pivotal in its virality. Subsequently, an image of this scene was set as a reaction image on Quickmeme on August 9th, 2011, and later, the exact movie screenshot used in the meme was uploaded on Imgur on April 24th, 2019. To witness the cinematic moment that sparked this meme, view the clip here.^[1]

Origin: 2011