Once upon a prehistoric time—well, 2009, to be exact—the Philosoraptor burst onto the internet like a velociraptor on a brainstorming bender! This meme, featuring a pensive raptor with a claw to its chin, was born from a clever mashup by Sam Smith, creator of the "Velociraptor Awareness" t-shirt line. Smith’s design, meant to humorously "raise awareness" of sneaky dinos, got a philosophical twist when meme-makers paired it with deep, absurd questions like, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one’s around, does it still make a sound?”
 

The Philosoraptor clawed its way to fame via sites like Reddit and Know Your Meme, becoming a staple of early 2010s internet culture. Its signature style—paradoxes and mind-benders like “If time is money, are ATMs time machines?”—tickled brains and sparked laughs. By 2011, it was a viral sensation, racking up millions of views and shares across forums and social media.
 

Today, Philosoraptor remains a dino-sized icon, popping up in tweets, TikToks, and even classroom debates. While exact stats are scarce, Know Your Meme logs thousands of iterations, and Google Trends shows steady searches since 2010. From pondering ethics to roasting daily life, this raptor’s impact is Jurassic-ally huge—proof that deep thoughts and dino claws never go extinct!