Who doesn't admire Don Draper on Mad Men? He is the definition of cool and mysterious, effortlessly oozing charm and wit without even trying. Yet as suave as the ad-man makes himself out to be, if we dig a little deeper into his character, we discover that the man's got some serious demons. Like, big time. He may seem like a total boss on the outside, but if we take a closer look at this James Bond-wannabe we start to realize how messed up he truly is. Yet these flaws are able to make Don all the more fascinating as a character, played thoughtfully by Jon Hamm. Here are 10 of the most hilarious Don Draper memes that will make you want to put aside all your responsibilities so you can rewatch Mad Men for the billionth time from start to finish.
10. ANDROID USERS VS iPHONE USERS
Don Draper allowing yet another casual burn to escape his lips is prime meme fodder. Perhaps his most viral burn of all came from this classic scene when Mr. Draper confesses to his co-worker that he doesn't waste any energy thinking about him. Meanwhile, Michael Ginsberg spends a lot of his time getting all worked up over Don.
This reminds us a lot of Android users vs iPhone users (no offense, Android people!) While Android users are often caught hating on iPhones, iPhone users tend to not even consider Androids. iPhone people are too busy tapping along on the glass of their iPhones, exploring all of the awesome features that only the Apple phone can offer.
DON DRAPER NEEDS AN INTERVENTION
"Who gets drunk off of twelve drinks?" Don scoffs to himself. Yet Megan's face says it all when she expresses the general concern that most of us have for the man who prefers scotch for breakfast rather than OJ. For most people, twelve drinks are enough to cause us to spend the night hurling over the toilet while promising to ourselves that we will never drink again. Yet for Don, twelve drinks equals amateur hour. Yikes, Don! You better apologize to your liver and make amends before it's too late, buddy.
NOTHING LIKE A GOOD CRY TO EASE THE PAIN
Throughout Mad Men, Don Draper managed to be as stoic as they come, making a point to never express his feelings in front of anyone, including his wife and kids. It makes sense. Back in the '60s, the ideal man had certain requirements to fulfill in order to be perceived as masculine. Showing your emotions equated to weakness, especially compared to present-day. So when Don finally broke down and cried, fans of the hit TV series felt proud of Jon Hamm's character for finally uncovering his mask.
As great as that moment was, fans were quick to make "sad Don" memes featuring a crying Don Draper. Here he is having a good ole cry session with his BFF Sterling. Gotta love Sterling's face here in response to "sad Don".
ADVERTISING GOALS
This meme is great for anyone who might find themselves considering the advertising business. Don is a king when it comes to creative pitch ideas and his work is pretty much his entire life. Work comes first, everything else comes second. This mindset has made Don out to be a successful businessman, but it has destroyed the majority of his relationships outside of work and also made him extremely unhappy. It wasn't until the finale that Don finally started to appreciate the beauty all around him in order to create one of the most beloved advertisements of all time.
DON BASICALLY INVENTED THIS MEME
As handsome and debonair as Don Draper may be, he is far from husband material, ladies. It's almost as though the ad-man is addicted to danger and loves the adrenaline that comes from infidelity. Even when things seem perfectly happy and wonderful in his second marriage with Megan, he decides to jeopardize all of it by sleeping with Linda Cardellini! Not cool, bro, not cool. It isn't until his daughter Sally catches him in the act of cheating that Don realizes it's time to step up and change his ways for good. This is more proof that Don is out to self-sabotage his entire life. Luckily, things seem much more hopeful for Don in the finale of the series and we're glad the show ended on such an improved note for the protagonist.
PITCHES GONE WRONG
We all remember that classic episode of Mad Men when Don decided to give a pitch while he was roaring drunk. His pitch was absolutely awful and sloppy, so the internet decided to get creative and release a bunch of hilarious memes in response. One of those memes, as seen from above, showed Don pitching a terrible idea for a movie. It's a movie about the pope, but this time he's young. Sounds like a dumb comedy starring Rob Schneider. Every time a film or TV show comes out with a seemingly ridiculous concept, we imagine drunk Don pitching it to a room full of people.
Hem, hem. Dog With a Blog, anyone?
TRYING TO FEEL HEALTHY LIKE DON
Memes started to blow up based on Don Draper's final shot in the Mad Men finale. This was the scene when he finally started to find peace within himself so he could ultimately become a better person. Whenever we mortals do something as simple as eating a piece of fruit (after consuming copious amounts of McDonald's fries), we suddenly feel as though we have been changed for the better. After one apple, we are wellness gods sent down from the heavens to teach the world our healthy ways of being.
CAN STERLING PLEASE BE KAREN SMITH?
People all over the internet are really into making Mean Girls/Mad Men crossover memes. For some reason, it is freaking hilarious. Don Draper would be the perfect 1960s male version of Regina George if we might say so ourselves, and we think Roger Sterling would be the best '60s era version of Karen Smith. Here they are imitating the iconic scene from the film where Regina George honks her car horn and famously says, "Get in loser, we're going shopping." Does this make Peggy the perfect Janis Ian? We think yes.
WE'D CRY TOO, DON. WE'D CRY TOO
Here is another hilarious yet somewhat depressing "sad Don" meme. In this case, he is placed in the moment from The Lion King when Simba discovers his dead father Mufasa. Oh, memes. You can always count on them to create laughter out of traumatic moments from our favorite movies and shows. In a way, it eases the tension of certain situations and makes them comical so they end up being less miserable in our minds. Seeing Don Draper cry is almost as shocking as if we witnessed Lord Voldemort sobbing into his pillow. It's extremely rare and unexpected, which is what makes it so epic. Let those tears fall, Don... You just let 'em out, big guy.
SEND THIS VALENTINE TO YOUR DEAREST NEMESIS
Ah, what a lovely Valentine's Day card! The perfect one to send to your worst enemy. As shown in the first slide on this list, Don Draper doesn't have the time to think about anyone but himself. He doesn't concern himself with the people around him ,whereas they spend most of their time trying to crack open this mysterious man who has "the emotional range of a teaspoon", as Hermione Granger would put it. This is as warm as Don will ever get, people, so soak it in while it lasts.