AboutWhat does the meme depict?

The meme template 'Maybe The Real Treasure Was the Friends We Made Along the Way' is inspired by a well-known storytelling cliché about a treasure that turns out to be worthless, emphasizing that the journey and the camaraderie were the true rewards. In this meme, users humorously replace 'treasure' with other concepts to jokingly comment on various life and cultural disappointments. The template typically features a textual setup, where the phrase is altered to reflect a specific disappointment.

OriginWho did it first?

The exact beginning of the 'Maybe The Real Treasure Was the Friends We Made Along the Way' meme is unclear, but its earliest known use is traced to a post by an anonymous user on 4chan, stating, 'if that really was the ending it would probably be some sentimental bullshit like THE REAL TREASURE IS THE FRIENDS WE MADE ALONG THE WAY!' The phrase echoes a common theme found in media, such as the 1985 film Stand By Me, which portrays a group of boys realizing that friendship is the greatest reward from their adventure. TV Tropes has an entry discussing this cliché, which has been influential in spreading its use as a meme template. Additionally, the cliché's use in cultural references is visible in forms such as the movie extract shared on YouTube.^[1]

Origin: 2008