Nollywood actor Osita Iheme, widely known as Pawpaw, has been included on a global list of internet legends whose fame stems from viral childhood-related moments, even though he was an adult when he first rose to stardom.
A social media post by the account REALIBITY placed Iheme alongside well-known meme figures such as Success Kid, Bad Luck Brian and Side-Eyeing Chloe.
Unlike most others on the list, Iheme was already 25 years old when he became famous. He starred opposite Chinedu Ikedieze in the 2002 hit film Aki na Ukwa, in which both men portrayed mischievous children despite being adults.
Their small stature and comic timing made them popular choices for child roles, and the characters of Aki and Pawpaw became lasting symbols of Nollywood popular culture.
Years later, clips and expressions from Iheme’s films gained new life on social media as reaction memes. By 2019, images of Iheme and Ikedieze were widely used online to convey confusion, frustration, excitement and disbelief, spreading beyond Nigeria to international audiences, brands and media outlets.
While Success Kid, Bad Luck Brian and Side-Eyeing Chloe achieved fame through childhood photographs or videos, Iheme’s online popularity grew from rediscovered scenes of his adult performances as a child character.
More than two decades after Aki na Ukwa, Iheme remains one of Nollywood’s most recognisable faces, and the Pawpaw persona continues to thrive through memes and viral moments across social media.
