Grumpy Cat

Grumpy Cat emerged as one of the most commercially successful and culturally significant animal memes in internet history, transforming a small cat with a distinctive facial expression into a global brand worth millions while demonstrating the unprecedented potential for viral content to generate mainstream entertainment franchises.

The story began on April 4, 2012, when Tardar Sauce was born in Morristown, Arizona, to owner Tabatha Bundesen. Tardar Sauce was one of a litter of four kittens born to a calico mother and a blue-and-white tabby father. Her distinctive "grumpy" facial appearance was caused by feline dwarfism and an underbite, conditions that also affected her brother Pokey, who was born with similar features including "a flat face, bubble eyes, and a short tail" (Wikipedia, 2012).

The cat's unusual name originated from Bundesen's daughter Crystal, who was inspired by Tardar Sauce's original orange coloring that reminded her of tartar sauce, combined with the fact that Bundesen was working at Red Lobster at the time and had recently introduced Crystal to the condiment (Mental Floss, 2019).

The transformation into internet fame occurred on September 22, 2012, when Bryan Bundesen, Tabatha's brother, posted photographs of Tardar Sauce to Reddit's /r/pics subreddit. The post was titled simply with images of the permanently scowling cat, and the response was immediate and overwhelming. Within the first 24 hours, the Reddit post reached the front page with more than 25,300 upvotes, while the corresponding Imgur page gained nearly 1,030,000 views in just 48 hours (Know Your Meme, 2012).

The rapid viral spread was fueled by Reddit users who immediately began creating photoshopped parodies and image macros featuring Tardar Sauce's distinctive expression paired with humorously negative and cynical captions. The format built upon existing internet cat culture, particularly drawing from LOLcat traditions and previous "grumpy cat" imagery, but Tardar Sauce's genuinely sour expression provided the perfect vehicle for this type of humor.

On the same day as the Reddit post, Bundesen uploaded three video clips of the cat playing indoors to YouTube, further cementing the meme's multimedia presence. The combination of still images perfect for macro creation and videos showing the cat's actual personality created a more complete picture that sustained long-term interest.

The commercial exploitation of Grumpy Cat began almost immediately. On September 30, 2012, just eight days after the initial Reddit post, an official t-shirt line was launched through Clothes That Kill, marking the beginning of what would become an extensive merchandising empire (Know Your Meme, 2012).

Tabatha Bundesen recognized the commercial potential and took a leave of absence from her job at Red Lobster in 2013 to manage Grumpy Cat's increasingly demanding schedule. The family hired "meme manager" Ben Lashes, who also represented other internet-famous animals like Keyboard Cat and Nyan Cat, to handle business negotiations and brand management.

The meme's mainstream crossover was remarkable in scope and speed. Major achievements included becoming the official "spokescat" for Friskies cat food in September 2013, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 Friskies awards despite being less than two years old, and winning BuzzFeed's Meme of the Year Award at the 2013 Webby Awards. MSNBC named Grumpy Cat 2012's most influential cat, while The Wall Street Journal featured her in one of their signature stipple portraits.

The merchandising success was unprecedented for an internet meme. Products included books (with "Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book" debuting at #8 on the Publishers Weekly bestseller list), coffee drinks called "Grumppuccino," calendar series, stuffed toys, and eventually expanded into a feature film. In May 2013, Hollywood production company Broken Road Productions optioned the rights to create a family comedy film based on Grumpy Cat, which eventually became the Lifetime movie "Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever."

The legal aspects of the Grumpy Cat brand demonstrated the serious business potential of meme commercialization. In December 2015, Grumpy Cat Limited filed a lawsuit against Grenade Beverage LLC for trademark infringement when the company expanded beyond their agreed licensing terms. In January 2018, a U.S. District Court jury decided in favor of Grumpy Cat Limited, ordering Grenade to pay $710,000 in damages for copyright and trademark infringement (Wikipedia, 2012).

Despite her perpetually annoyed expression, those close to Tardar Sauce consistently emphasized that she was "ninety-nine percent of the time just a regular cat" with a calm, affectionate personality who enjoyed being held and petted. The contrast between her meme persona and actual temperament became part of the character's appeal.

Tragically, Tardar Sauce passed away on May 14, 2019, at the age of seven, following complications from a urinary tract infection. Her death prompted an outpouring of grief from fans worldwide and marked the end of one of the most successful animal celebrity careers in internet history. At the time of her death, Grumpy Cat maintained 8.3 million Facebook likes, 2.6 million Instagram followers, 1.5 million Twitter followers, and 276,000 YouTube subscribers.