"Steamed Hams" is now a Super Mario Maker 2 level because this meme will outlive us all

Every time it seems “Steamed Hams”—a classic Simpsons bit turned constant presence in online life—has reached its peak, it continues to morph into new, ever more ludicrous forms. Over a year ago, with all the unchecked naïveté of youth, we called one, Goldblum-featuring instance of the meme its zenith, believing that the Smash Mouth mash-ups, musical remixes, and input from the scene’s writers that came before it had already propelled the whole thing toward its breaking point. We were wrong. “Steamed Hams” continues ever onward, unchecked by the natural lifespan of the typical internet joke, constantly evolving to fit the shape of whatever new format it encounters.

The latest example of this combines the madness of “Steamed Hams” meme-makers with the kind of people who obsessively design Super Mario Maker 2 levels to create something that feels as inevitable as it does shocking: “Steamed Hams” as a Mario level.

Courtesy of @JFreshSplat, the course is a block-by-block rendering of Skinner presenting his plate of piping-hot hams to Superintendent Chalmers. Their faces made up of question mark boxes, the burger meat constructed of breakable brown boxes, this custom-made tableau may now be downloaded by players eager to explore its absurd geometry. It doesn’t look challenging in terms of navigation or enemies, but does present a level of intellectual difficulty for anyone hoping to unpack the nuances of modern culture represented in a still image showing its design.