El Risitas

In 2007, Spanish comedian Juan Joya Borja—known as "El Risitas" (The Giggles)—appeared on the talk show Ratones Coloraos to tell a story about his time working as a kitchen hand. The story itself was mundane: something about leaving paella pans in the ocean and the tide taking them. But his laugh—that wheeze, that full-body convulsion of joy—was transcendent.

The clip spread slowly at first, then exploded when someone had the genius idea to add fake subtitles. Suddenly El Risitas was laughing about botched video game launches, corporate disasters, and every tech company's worst decisions. The format was perfect: his mounting hysteria matched the escalating absurdity of whatever subtitle writers could invent.

When Juan Joya Borja passed away in April 2021, the tributes were genuine. He'd spent his final years aware of his internet fame and reportedly enjoyed it. The man who brought uncontrollable laughter to millions had lived long enough to see himself become a universal symbol of finding humor in catastrophe.

The laugh echoes still. Every botched product launch, every PR disaster, every corporate fumble—somewhere, El Risitas is wheezing through fake subtitles, and the internet wheezes with him.