![]() and 5th Cell released the video game Scribblenauts Unlimited. This problem became public in November 2012, when Warner Bros. “It took like two years to prove ownership of my work, and it wasn’t an easy time.” “I started noticing that several people had filed forms to copyright my image, like official U.S. Within two weeks of posting Nyan Cat, Torres was already fighting to prove his copyright. Though Torres enjoyed the ability to remain anonymous in public, he shared a common hurdle with all the meme creators: maintaining ownership of their work. “I was like, should I just put all my time and energy into this? I did, and it was the best choice I ever made.”Ĭhris Torres with Tron Guy (remember him?!) at ROFLCon 2012 Chris Torres “There came a point a year later where I just had to choose: Do I stick with this job, or do I give it a chance and see where Nyan Cat takes me?” he says. He was traveling the world, attending different meme conferences and cat video conventions, but it was difficult to balance the demands of being a meme creator with those of his day job. But for Torres, being Nyan Cat Guy wasn’t always Pop-Tarts and rainbows. In 2012, Cheezburger editor Emily Huh theorized why the internet was so drawn to felines: “Cat owners don't have a ‘cat park’ or a place where they can congregate in person to talk about their cats like how dog owners have a dog park to talk about their dogs.” So, the internet became a virtual “cat park,” and the eye-popping, slightly ridiculous Nyan Cat fit right in.īy the summer of 2011, Nyan Cat was everywhere: There were cosplays and an official video game YouTube even added a custom Nyan Cat progress bar to the video. I think that's what it's all about - when the internet just kind of understands an image and chooses it as something that they want to share with others."Ĭats have been long-running stars on the internet - think of Grumpy Cat, Coughing Cat, Keyboard Cat, or the Kitty Cat Dance. “I posted it on the internet, the internet loved it, and it just organically took off from there. ![]() “It was never meant to be anything that it became,” says the now 35-year-old artist. Today, Torres says he could never have anticipated this turn of events. From there, his GIF became one of the most ubiquitous images on the internet. But through Nyan Cat, a tribute to this much-loved kitty lives on.By the time Torres was starting his new insurance job, the video had been picked up by CollegeHumor and E4’s Attack of the Show. The original cat Marty died in November 2012, by the way. Of course the big question is: why? Why Nyan cat and not one of the countless other animations that circle the internet? Perhaps it's the sweetness of the whole thing? The cat's cheerful little face? The chirpy music? The rainbow? A perfect combination of all of these? Maybe it's the simplicity? Or perhaps it is just testament to the randomness of the universe? Within days other websites were picking it up and the little kitty was going viral. The result was posted on YouTube with the title Nyan Cat. The internet had other ideas, however, and decided in its infinite wisdom to combine the little film with a wacked-out song that had started life on Japanese video website Nico Nico Douga. For Torres, this Pop-Tart cat was a tribute to his beloved pet Marty. It began life with an animation posted on YouTube by prguitarman, otherwise known as artist Chris Torres. ![]() Just pause to think about that for a moment. And yet somehow this video was the fifth most watched on YouTube in 2011, and has had 99m views to date. Nothing happens, there's no evolution, no belly-laugh, no anything. For those who are unfamiliar with Nyan Cat, she/he/it is an animated gif of a cat's head on a Pop-Tart body, flying through space and leaving a rainbow trail to the maddeningly catchy soundtrack of a Japanese song with the lyrics Nyanyanyanyanya, and so on. We are speaking, of course (you've probably already guessed), of Nyan Cat. But sometimes the only serious reaction to a meme has to be, why? WHY? WHHHYYY? Sometimes they tell us interesting things about ourselves. Sometimes memes tell us interesting things about a culture. ![]()
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