Countdown to 2011: Suzi's Top 10 Internet Memes of 2010

Seattlest will be counting down to 2011 with a series of posts on our highlights of this year and what we're looking forward to in the next. Got a list to suggest? Send it our way. See the entire series here.

This year was full of entertaining Internet memes, and choosing the year's top 10 was no easy task. The list contains a bunch of shoo-in contenders, as well as a few lesser-known memes that had to be shared. Read on to reminisce about those moments that kept you laughing throughout the year.

1. Old Spice Guy
Isaiah Mustafa, a former NFL wide receiver, starred in a series of steamy Old Spice commercials that have led to several television appearances for Mustafa, and the creation of several video responses directed at the public's reaction.

2. Keenan Cahill
In the same spirit as Gary Brolsma, better known as the "Numa Numa Guy," fifteen year old Keenan Cahill has garnered over 100 million YouTube hits by sitting in front of his computer and lip-synching. He's recorded renditions of pop hits such as "Teenage Dream" and "Like a G6," but his most famous clip is his version of 50 Cent's "Down on Me," with Fiddy in the background.

3. Inception Memes
One of this year's most exciting films was Christopher Nolan's sci-fi thriller Inception, which was so popular it spawned memes playing on the themes of redundancy and setting up dreams within dreams. Many Inception memes parody already established memes, such as Xhibit's Yo Dawg. Also related to this meme is the Strutting Leo meme.

Photo from Nolan Fans

4. Double Rainbow [all the way]
Whether you believe this guy was under the influence of natural substances, or just high on life, the appeal of Paul Vasquez and his wondrous reaction to seeing a double rainbow is undeniable. In addition to multiple YouTube remixes, Vasquez, a former cage fighter, was also featured on Jimmy Kimmel live in July.

5. Sad Keanu / Keanu is Sad
In May, a series of candid images of actor Keanu Reeves sitting glumly on a bench, eating a sandwich, surfaced online. The image has since been cropped to fit into various scenarios, including one with Forrest Gump, Kim Jong Il, and George Wendt. There is even a Tumblr site dedicated to Sad Keanu images.

Photo from The Checking Line

6. Panda Cheese
Panda Cheese is a real product from Arab Dairy, and it is reportedly extremely popular in Egypt and the Middle East. In this case, it's not the product, but the dark yet humorous ads which feature a silent panda that wants everyone to eat Panda Cheese. The bottom line? Never say no to Panda!

7. Bed Intruder / Antoine Dodson
Likely one of the most viral videos of the year, the Bed Intruder meme is based on Antoine Dodson, the star of a Huntsville news report about an attempted rape. A viral video franchise spun off of the initial news report, most famously the auto-tune remix. Dodson is now a full-fledged Internet sensation, and the "Bed Intruder Song" is the top YouTube video of the year.

8. Bros Icing Bros
In case you aren't already familiar, "icing" is a popular fratboy drinking game based on the premise that upon being presented with a Smirnoff Ice, one must stop what they are doing, knee down, and down the Ice. The game was supposedly founded by a bunch of South Carolina college students, and it has since spawned its own Brosicingbros.com website. While the viral website was shut down in June by Diageo, Smirnoff's parent company, there's little doubt that the game still lives on in college campuses and beyond.

Photo from Viral Prints

9. Birthday Dog (aka Stoner Dog)
Earlier this year, a photo of Riley the dog wearing a birthday hat and a blissfully stoned expression hit the Internet and became the target of comical photoshopped images, including this one of Obama and Birthday Dog.

Photo from Buzz Feed

10. Pants on the Ground
The wildly popular reality TV show American Idol wrapped up its ninth season this year, and one of the most famous names to come from the season was General Larry Platt. The 62 year old Platt was a contestant for the show in Atlanta, and he auditioned with his original song, "Pants on the Ground." Since the performance was aired on January 13, 2010, it has gained over 7 million views.