nyancats

Nyancats refers to an internet meme featuring a pixelated gray tabby cat with a Pop-Tart-shaped body, flying through space and leaving a rainbow trail. The short animation is typically paired with a sped-up rendition of a Japanese Vocaloid song, creating a looping audiovisual joke that circulated across image boards and video platforms.

Originating in 2011, the animated GIF of the cat was created by artist Chris Torres and posted on his site, LOL-Comics. It quickly spread through online communities, gaining particular traction on YouTube where a video combining the cat with the Nyanyanyany song helped propel its popularity. The name derives from the cat’s meow, often rendered as “nyan.”

Numerous variants and remixes have appeared, including different animal bodies, foods, or backgrounds, and longer or altered versions. It has been used in memes, video games, and promotional material, and has inspired merchandise as well as ongoing fan art and discussions about remix culture and copyright in meme communities.

In terms of cultural impact, nyancats are considered one of the enduring symbols of early 2010s internet culture. They illustrate how simple, catchy animations can spread rapidly across multiple platforms, spawning countless parodies and continued appearances in new forms as internet memes evolve.