The Wide Putin meme comes from footage of Vladimir Putin's 2018 inauguration, showing him walking alone through the Grand Kremlin Palace. In 2020, edited versions stretched the frame wider and paired the walk with Song for Denise by Piano Fantasia, and remixes of that pairing spread quickly on YouTube and Discord. The stretched look and looping piano made the format easy to copy with other people, animals and game characters, which kept the sound in use as a template for mock serious entrances.