How a 2010 Hospital Demo Became the ‘They Did Surgery on a Grape’ Meme and Won the Internet
The phrase “They did surgery on a grape” consumed the internet in the late 2010s, spreading across every social media platform with no punchline and no twist. The viral moment traces back to a YouTube video posted on August 11, 2010, by Edward Hospital in Naperville, Illinois, which demonstrated a robot-assisted surgery tool by using it to peel a grape.
That tool was the da Vinci Surgical System, which “enhances the dexterity and range of motion for your surgeon’s hands and adds precision in hard-to-reach areas,” per Mayo Clinic. The FDA cleared the da Vinci robot for surgical use in July 2000.
Edward Hospital’s Original 2010 Video Had No Frills
The hospital’s video had a straightforward purpose: show what the da Vinci Surgical System could do. The system features three or four robotic arms holding surgical instruments and an endoscopic camera that allows a surgeon to see inside the human body. Instruments fit through small incisions, and a surgeon controls the robot throughout. The system got its name from Leonardo da Vinci’s study of human anatomy.
The grape demonstration was meant to be educational. Nobody at Edward Hospital could have predicted what would happen seven years later.
Cheddar’s 2017 Post Sparked the Meme
In July 2017, the news outlet Cheddar shared a version of Edward Hospital’s video on social media. “They did surgery on a grape,” the first clip in the video declared.
That single phrase blew up across the internet. Social media users began posting screenshots of the Cheddar video on every platform with the same caption, garnering millions of views. The repetition was the point. The absurdity was the hook.
The meme mutated in every direction. Users joked they randomly uttered the phrase during conversations in their real lives. Some made parody social media accounts from the perspective of the grape and the grape’s mom. Edited images of a grape on an operating table floated around the internet.
Cheddar’s Producer Responded to the Phenomenon
Cheddar posted a response video on YouTube titled “WE ACCIDENTALLY CREATED A VIRAL MEME.” Max Godnick, who produced the video, addressed the phenomenon directly.
“We know that new memes hit the internet every single day, but this one seems different. It’s weirder. It’s a little hypnotizing. It is my favorite meme of the year and only partially because I created it, sort of,” he said.
“Why is the whole world obsessed with the fact that they indisputably did surgery on a grape?” Grodnick questioned, noting that the video brought the planet together.
Da Vinci Surgery Released a Second Grape Video
Four years after the initial video was posted, da Vinci Surgery shared another video on YouTube of a seemingly different grape undergoing surgery. The video was titled “da Vinci Robot Stitches a Grape Back Together.”
The sequel confirmed that the internet’s strangest meme had enough staying power to warrant a follow-up from the surgical system’s own brand.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
