Boy 10 steals parents car to visit grandparents
The image presented appears to be a screenshot of a news article headline juxtaposed with an image macro commonly associated with the "Skyrim" video game meme format. The headline at the top details an amusing and unusual news story, stating, "Boy, 10, steals parents' car to visit grandparents 68 miles away... then tells police he is a dwarf who has forgotten his licence." The date and time stamps indicate the article was published and updated on the 13th of February, 2014 by someone named Kate Lyons.
Beneath the news headline are three separate skill bars labeled "SNEAK 100," "SPEECH 100," and "ILLUSION 100," respectively. Each skill bar is fully filled, indicating a maximum level achievement in the respective categories within the context of a role-playing game. The bars and the entire format mimic the graphical user interface elements found in the popular video game "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim," where such skills are developed by the player's character throughout the game.
The humor in this image comes from the absurdity of the real-life event and how it is wittily connected to video game mechanics. The fact that a 10-year-old boy managed not only to steal a car and drive 68 miles but also attempted to deceive the police with a fantastical explanation is already an extraordinary and amusing narrative. His audacious claim to be a dwarf who has simply forgotten his license adds another layer of humor due to its implausibility and creativity.
The use of the "Skyrim" meme format adds a comedic lens through which to view the boy's actions, drawing a parallel between his real-world exploits and in-game skills. The "SNEAK 100" bar humorously suggests the boy was exceptionally stealthy to have taken the car without being detected. Similarly, the "SPEECH 100" implies a high level of persuasive ability, as in the game this skill would allow the player to more effectively communicate, barter, or even convince others of untruths.
The "ILLUSION 100" skill bar denotes the boy's attempt at creating a false reality or deception - in this case, posing as a dwarf—a notion that would fit thematically with illusion spells in a fantasy RPG (Role Playing Game) setting. The juxtaposition of the boy's seemingly fantastical story and his successful, albeit temporary, escape with the car mirrors the escapism and imaginative aspects of role-playing games.
Lastly, the humor can also be seen as deriving from the meme's ability to convey the impressiveness of the boy's actions in a lighthearted way. While the actual event might warrant a serious response concerning juvenile safety and the legal ramifications of taking a vehicle, the meme format allows people to engage with the story with levity, focusing on the child's inventive explanation and likening it to the achievements of a game character. This can evoke laughter as viewers are reminded of the innocent, if misguided, imagination of children and the video game trope of achieving maximum skill effectiveness. Boy 10 steals parents car to visit grandparents 68 miles away then tells police he is a dwarf who has forgotten his licence SNEAK 100 SPEECH 100 ILLUSION 100
