Could Confused Travolta GIFs revive the actor’s career?

17 Dec 2015

John Travolta pictured in 2013, before he was confused. Photo via Ales Studeny/Shutterstock

A scene from John Travolta’s past is putting the actor back in the spotlight, but not in a way he might have expected.

Lest ye forget, John Travolta kicked off 2015 in memes following his creepy Oscars behaviour, but the year-end GIF creation coming out of Imgur has been dubbed by New York magazine as Travolta’s best role in years.

Imgur user ILikeToWonkaMyWilly posted what appears to be the original Confused Travolta GIF on Imgur in November, capturing the challenge that is Christmas shopping without clear instructions.

In her defense, she&#039;s only 3.User Sub Edit:Wait, are we still supposed to announce when its OC? I feel like that&#039;s a bit… Idk, self serving? Well, yes, this is OC. I made dis. And I can show you how to make dis too!Front Page Edit:Ok so I&#039;m getting a huge amount of PM requests, on top of comment requests. I&#039;m gonna put together a proper post and get it uploaded as soon as possible. I&#039;m at work right now, though. So there&#039;s only so much I can do. I&#039;ll continue replying to PMs and comments, at the quickest speed possible.Here&#039;s the tutorial! <a rel=”noreferrer nofollow” target=”_blank” href=”http://imgur.com/gallery/JWFFe”>http://imgur.com/gallery/JWFFe</a>Sorry for the sloppy language. PM me if you need any specific details or troubleshooting. I took 3 years of CAD and Commercial Art classes. So I may be able to help with what you&#039;re wanting to do.

As you can see, not only did ILikeToWonkaMyWilly bring us this fantastic GIF, they also provided instructions on how to make your very own. How helpful! And what a gift to the internet community!

Confused Travolta GIF

Armed with newfound abilities to put Confused Travolta in any situation, the meme spread like wildfire, launching a subreddit and a Facebook page to share the multitude of confounded creations that cropped up.


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In case you’re not familiar with the Quentin Tarantino canon, the original Confused Travolta comes from a scene in cult sensation, Pulp Fiction, in which Vincent Vega (played by Travolta) is looking for an intercom.

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But Vega/Travolta is confused by many things. He is confused by snow.

Confused Travolta GIF

He is confused by car parks.

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He is confused by international politics.


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He is confused by Microsoft software.

&quot;Royal with cheese.&quot;

Confused Travolta GIF

He is confused by Where’s Wally?.

Confused Travolta GIF

He is confused by strange goings-on at London’s King’s Cross.


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He is confused by Hank Scorpio’s jokes.

Confused Travolta GIF

Watching the evolution of this meme, New York magazine could be right – just look at the acting talent on display here. Confused Travolta can play anything, such as a serial killer’s sidekick.

Confused Travolta GIF

He makes a convincing sci-fi villain.

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He can even take on multiple roles at once.

Confused Travolta GIF

He can be a scary genetically engineered dinosaur.


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He could cameo as a disturbing vision in a horror masterpiece.

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He can bring to life the story behind a classic work of art.

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He can portray the internal mechanics of a machine of war.

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With a resumé like this he might just land himself a career-reviving role in the next Star Wars.


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Confused Travolta GIF

The real secret sauce behind the success of Confused Travolta is that we’ve all been there. Confusion is a common feeling, making this a reaction GIF of perpetual application.

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Keep watching Siliconrepublic.com as we look back on the greatest memes of 2015. Let us know your favourite at @siliconrepublic on Twitter.

Main John Travolta image by Ales Studeny via Shutterstock

Elaine Burke is the host of For Tech’s Sake, a co-production from Silicon Republic and The HeadStuff Podcast Network. She was previously the editor of Silicon Republic.

editorial@siliconrepublic.com