While cat memes are no stranger to the internet, Smurf Cat has left many confused and scratching their heads as to how it became so viral. Like many memes, pictures of Smurf Cat seem to start popping up on people’s social media accounts overnight with no context or trace of a reason for its sudden popularity.
While the exact reason why the Smurf Cat meme went viral remains a mystery, we do know where the meme image came from. The original image is concept art created by a talented artist named Nate Hallinan. He didn’t intend for his artwork to go viral, but it’s certainly a welcome surprise that it ended up gaining worldwide recognition.
Smurf Cat Image Source
The original Smurf Cat image was created by Nate Hallinan. Hallinan is a concept artist and illustrator who has created many concept art pieces of fantasy and sci-fi creatures and animals. His portfolio includes Smurf Sighting, which is his take on a realistic rendition of a Smurf. Although Hallinan has not explicitly stated that his artwork is modeled after a cat, many people view his version of a Smurf as having feline looks and features.
The Rise in Popularity of the Smurf Cat Meme
Hallinan created the Smurf Sighting on September 9, 2014, but it didn’t reach internet fame until almost a decade later. It is unclear who first started using this image as a meme, but the image began to be reposted in August 2023. It first spread on Russian social media with the hashtag “Шайлушай,” which translates to “Shailushai” in English. This meme eventually found its way to TikTok, where it was also paired with the lyrics “We live. We love. We lie.” from the song “The Spectre” by Alan Walker.
It wasn’t long before the Smurf Cat meme began to take over TikTok, and its popularity spread to other platforms, including Instagram and YouTube. Discourse about Smurf Cat also began to appear on Reddit.
True to the trend of viral memes, the Smurf Cat meme evolved as people added their personal needs to it. It has become such a sensation that you can find people making their own versions of it in Minecraft and other popular games.
The Smurf Cat meme peaked in popularity in the fall of 2023. Although the meme craze has waned since then, it’s still worth noting its impressive reach. The hashtag #smurfcat has over 3.4 billion views, and #Шайлушай has over 1.1 billion views on Russian social media.
Why Did The Smurf Cat Meme Go Viral?
It is not clear why the Smurf Cat Meme became so popular so quickly. However, most of the speculation revolves around the idea that its appeal has to do with many people not understanding its appeal. As the meme posts began to cycle, many people took to social media to question why the meme was popular or to ask people to stop reposting it. These types of posts and complaints seem to only cause others to make more posts featuring Smurf Cat.
Conclusion
Whether you love Smurf Cat or are confused by it, there’s no denying that the internet loves cats and creating cat memes and content. Although its peak popularity has passed, it remains a widely recognized meme. Considering that the original photo was taken nearly a decade ago, we wouldn’t be surprised if this meme resurfaced and caused another stir on social media platforms in the future. It’s an amazing feat for it to be relevant again in another 10 years.
Featured Image Credit: Property of Deviant Art. All rights reserved to copyright owners.
