2017 / Meme / Creator-owned exploitable webcomic

Running Away Balloon

A balloon labeled “opportunities” floated away while shyness held on tight.

The original is hosted off-site; this page provides context and a link to it.

What was this?

A gray figure reaches for “OPPORTUNITIES” while a pink figure marked “SHYNESS” holds them back.

Why it spread

Saflor’s original post drew major sharing before users adapted the labels on Twitter, Reddit, and meme pages.

Elmer Saflor’s Running Away Balloon comic: a gray figure reaches for an OPPORTUNITIES balloon while a pink SHYNESS figure holds them back
Image shown from its documented source.

What happened

A gray figure reaches for “OPPORTUNITIES” while a pink figure marked “SHYNESS” holds them back.

Where it came from

Filipino artist Elmer Saflor, posting as Superelmer, shared the original two-panel comic on Facebook on April 21, 2017.

Why it mattered

Running Away Balloon is a strong provenance case: a named working artist made an original webcomic that became a mainstream template.

How it spread

Saflor’s original post drew major sharing before users adapted the labels on Twitter, Reddit, and meme pages.