“ASCII forehead slap” usually means text art showing a person reacting with a hand to the forehead. There is no established official design: an AnandTech forum thread titled “ASCII Forehead slap,” dated March 10, 2008, asked for a saved version and included large text-art examples. Here is a small, newly written ASCII-style sketch—not a reproduction of the forum artwork:
.-------.
/ o o
| ^ |
| _____ |
_________/
|
|___
____
The sketch is only an approximation of a facepalm gesture; it is not the image posted in the forum thread. For the historical examples, see the AnandTech discussion.
What “ASCII forehead slap” refers to
It is a descriptive phrase for text characters arranged to suggest someone slapping or covering their forehead in frustration, disbelief, embarrassment, or sudden realization. “Forehead slap” suggests the gesture itself; “facepalm” often means covering the face or forehead with a hand. Neither phrase names a standardized ASCII symbol.
Large text art is designed to be read in a fixed-width font, where each character occupies the same horizontal space. A compact kaomoji such as (-_-;) is a related text reaction, but it is not the same kind of large, picture-like artwork.
#1 Best Overall
- PERFECT FOR PERSONALIZING: Decorate your Car, Hard Hat, Helmet, Water Bottle, Tumbler, Cup, Laptop, Guitar, Cars, Bumper, Motorcycle, Bike, Skateboard, Luggage Box, Computer, Laptop, Phone Case or any other smooth surface with these stickers to add a touch of personality. This sticker is designed to be easy to apply and can be removed without leaving any residue, making it perfect for those who like to change up their decor.
- PERFECT GIFT IDEA: Stickers are great perfect gift idea for yourself and the one you love! Funny cute humor joke inspirational motivation saying quotes stickers, birthday gift for kids, adults, her, him, men, man, mother, father, sisters, brothers, grandpa, grandma, friends, boyfriend, girlfriend, boy, girls, couple, co-worker, teacher, student, worker... We offer you 5 size options: 2x2 inches, 3x3 inches, 4x4 inches, 5x5 inches, 6x6 inches. Multi Sticker Packs: We have up to 5 pcs/pack.
- i didnt say that sticker; funny jesus sticker; jesus facepalm decal; christian humor quote sticker; religious meme sticker; jesus reaction sticker; sarcastic christian sticker; faith humor vinyl decal; jesus saying sticker
- High Quality, Waterproof & UV Resistant: Our die-cut vinyl stickers are made from high-quality materials that offer excellent adhesion, that are waterproof, durable, ensuring they won't fall off even in extreme weather conditions, will last a long time and can be used both indoors and outdoors. Strong adhesive backing that ensures they will stay in place, even on curved or uneven surfaces. They are easy to apply and remove without leaving any residue or damaging the surface they are applied on.
- Fit all Occasions: The personalized sticker decal are great for Wedding Favors, Bridal Shower Favor, Drive by Bridal Shower, Graduation Thank You, Retirement Party, Thank You Stickers, Celebrations, Anniversary, Marketing Promotions, Sports Team, Company Events, Group Travels, School Activities, Volunteer Activities, and any other Group Activities. Great perfect gift idea for yourself and the one you love! perfect birthday gift for kids, adults, her, him, men, man, mother, father, couple...
Where the phrase is documented
The clearest exact-match record is an AnandTech thread titled “ASCII Forehead slap,” begun March 10, 2008. Its opening post asks for a saved ASCII-art image, and replies include large text-art examples. That documents the phrase’s use by that date; it does not prove when the art or phrase first appeared online, or identify a single canonical design. Read the thread.
A second AnandTech result has the same title. It may be a duplicate, mirror, or separate result for the discussion, so it should not be treated as independent proof of an original image. See the second result.
Rank #2
- Add some flair to your scrapbook, locker, notebook, or computer with iconic STAR TREK graphics
- This Die Cut 3" Vinyl Sticker Features an officially licensed image for authentic fan appeal.
- Perfect for customizing laptops, water bottles, notebooks, or gift bags, this sticker adds personality to your belongings or makes a thoughtful present.
- With unique designs, you'll find the perfect look featuring your favorite characters.
- Proudly Made in the USA – Officially licensed merchandise, expertly crafted with premium materials to ensure quality and satisfaction.
How to keep the art aligned
- Paste it into a code block or another fixed-width text area so spaces and line breaks remain visible.
- Use spaces rather than tabs: tab stops vary between apps and can shift the drawing.
- Keep punctuation and backslashes intact. Removing leading spaces or changing a character can alter the alignment.
- On a webpage, put the art in a
<pre>element and use a monospace font. Set horizontal scrolling if the line is wider than the screen.
<pre class="ascii-art">PASTE ASCII ART HERE</pre>.ascii-art {
font-family: monospace;
white-space: pre;
overflow-x: auto;
}white-space: pre preserves spaces and line breaks without wrapping. If wrapping is preferable on narrow screens, white-space: pre-wrap preserves whitespace but may break long lines and distort the picture.
Why it can look different after copying
- Ordinary HTML collapses runs of spaces, while proportional fonts give characters different widths.
- Some editors replace straight punctuation with typographic quotes or otherwise alter characters.
- Mobile screens and narrow chat windows may wrap long lines; email clients may also change the font.
- Markdown can interpret characters such as asterisks, underscores, and backticks. Programming-language strings can treat backslashes specially.
- Copying from a rendered page may lose leading spaces, even when the art looks aligned on screen.
Short alternatives for chat
🤦is the facepalm emoji.🤦♀️and🤦♂️are gendered facepalm emoji sequences.(-_-;),*facepalm*, or[facepalm]are compact text reactions.
Emoji are Unicode characters, not ASCII, and their appearance can vary by platform and font. Copy-and-paste collections also combine emoji with text labels; those combinations are alternatives to, not examples of, large ASCII art. See head-slap emoji combinations or this facepalm emoji reference.
Recommended Free Tools
Rank #3
- PERFECT FOR PERSONALIZING: Decorate your Car, Hard Hat, Helmet, Water Bottle, Tumbler, Cup, Laptop, Guitar, Cars, Bumper, Motorcycle, Bike, Skateboard, Luggage Box, Computer, Laptop, Phone Case or any other smooth surface with these stickers to add a touch of personality. This sticker is designed to be easy to apply and can be removed without leaving any residue, making it perfect for those who like to change up their decor.
- PERFECT GIFT IDEA: Stickers are great perfect gift idea for yourself and the one you love! Funny cute humor joke inspirational motivation saying quotes stickers, birthday gift for kids, adults, her, him, men, man, mother, father, sisters, brothers, grandpa, grandma, friends, boyfriend, girlfriend, boy, girls, couple, co-worker, teacher, student, worker... We offer you 5 size options: 2x2 inches, 3x3 inches, 4x4 inches, 5x5 inches, 6x6 inches. Multi Sticker Packs: We have up to 5 pcs/pack.
- omg you guys thats not what i said sticker; jesus facepalm sticker; funny jesus meme sticker; christian humor sticker; sarcastic jesus sticker; religious meme sticker; jesus quote sticker; bible humor sticker; christian joke sticker; jesus reaction meme; funny religious quote sticker; faith humor sticker; jesus saying sticker; church humor meme sticker; religious sarcasm sticker
- High Quality, Waterproof & UV Resistant: Our die-cut vinyl stickers are made from high-quality materials that offer excellent adhesion, that are waterproof, durable, ensuring they won't fall off even in extreme weather conditions, will last a long time and can be used both indoors and outdoors. Strong adhesive backing that ensures they will stay in place, even on curved or uneven surfaces. They are easy to apply and remove without leaving any residue or damaging the surface they are applied on.
- Fit all Occasions: The personalized sticker decal are great for Wedding Favors, Bridal Shower Favor, Drive by Bridal Shower, Graduation Thank You, Retirement Party, Thank You Stickers, Celebrations, Anniversary, Marketing Promotions, Sports Team, Company Events, Group Travels, School Activities, Volunteer Activities, and any other Group Activities. Great perfect gift idea for yourself and the one you love! perfect birthday gift for kids, adults, her, him, men, man, mother, father, couple...
Attribution and reuse
The AnandTech thread records user-posted examples, but the available page does not establish who originally created a particular design or what license applies. If you reuse one of those specific designs, credit it as posted by a forum participant in the 2008 AnandTech discussion; do not assume the post establishes authorship or public-domain status. The small sketch above is a new illustration for this article, not a claim about the thread’s artwork.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- QUALITY: This UV protected sticker is great for indoor or outdoor use. Printed on a high quality, thick sticker. We created our products to last years, not weeks. This is a 2 pack of stickers. Each sticker is 5 inch on the longest side.
- FADE RESISTANT: Printed with a high resolution UV protective ink to ensure vibrant long lasting colors.
- VERSATILE: Easy application - just apply sticker to clean, smooth surfaces. Popular use on cars, refrigerators, toolboxes, lockers, etc.
- MADE IN THE USA: We print, cut, and ship these stickers here in the USA from start to finish!
- LOVE IT OR SEND IT BACK: We're so confident that you'll love our product, that we'll give your hard-earned money back if you're not thrilled with your purchase.
Rank #4
- High-Quality Material: Made from durable, water-resistant vinyl that is perfect for both indoor and outdoor use.
- Vibrant, Long-Lasting Colors: Printed with eco-friendly inks that ensure your stickers stay bright and fade-resistant over time.
- Easy to Apply: Features a strong adhesive backing that sticks to most surfaces without peeling or leaving residue.
- Versatile Design: Great for decorating laptops, water bottles, phone cases, notebooks, and more.
- Perfect for Gifting: Ideal for gifting to friends, family, or anyone who loves personalized accessories.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
