Grumpy Cat

Grumpy Cat
Grumpy Cat at VidCon 2014
Other name(s) Tardar Sauce
Species Felis catus
Breed Mixed
Sex Female
Born (2012-04-04) April 4, 2012
Morristown, Arizona, U.S.
Occupation
  • Pet
  • Internet personality
  • Media personality
Years active 2012–present
Known for Internet meme
Owner Tabatha Bundesen
Residence Morristown, Arizona, U.S.
Parent(s) Calico (mother) and an unknown father
Named after Tartar sauce
www.grumpycats.com

Tardar Sauce (born April 4, 2012),[1] commonly known as Grumpy Cat, is an American internet celebrity cat. She is known for her permanently "grumpy" facial appearance, which is caused by an underbite and feline dwarfism.[1][2][3] She came to prominence when a photograph of her was posted on September 22, 2012 on social news website Reddit by Bryan Bundesen, the brother of her owner Tabatha Bundesen.[4][5] Lolcats and parodies created from the photograph by Reddit users went viral. She is the subject of a popular internet meme in which negative, cynical images are made from photographs of her.[6]

Background

Tardar Sauce was one of a litter of four kittens born to a calico mother and a father of an unknown breed at the home of her owner, Tabatha Bundesen.[7] The Bundesens say that Tardar Sauce's face appears grumpy because the feline has a form of dwarfism. Though the mother and father are described as "normal sized domestic short hair cats"[8], Tardar Sauce is undersized and has hind legs that are "a bit different".[4] Both she and her brother, Pokey, were born with "a flat face, bubble eyes, and a short tail".[9] Although she has a "grumpy" appearance and is called "Grumpy Cat", according to the Bundesens, "Ninety-nine percent of the time she is just a regular cat."[3]

Meme Manager, Ben Lashes, represents Grumpy Cat, in addition to Keyboard Cat and Nyan Cat.[10] In 2013, Tabatha Bundesen took a leave of absence from her day job at Red Lobster to manage Grumpy Cat's schedule while Bryan Bundesen manages the Grumpy Cat website, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter accounts.[11][12]

Social media presence

As of July 30, 2018, Grumpy Cat has 8.6 million total followers on Facebook, 2.5 million followers on Instagram and 1.5 million followers on Twitter.

Media appearances

Since her debut in 2012, Grumpy Cat has made many media appearances, typically accompanied by her owner, Tabatha Bundesen, Tabatha's brother, Bryan Bundesen, and occasionally Tabatha's daughter, Crystal, who are interviewed by the respective hosts of each program. She has also been featured in advertising campaigns for Friskies and General Mills' Honey Nut Cheerios, and makes public appearances to promote her own brand.

2012

2013

South By Southwest (SXSW)

In March 2013, Tardar Sauce attended SXSW Interactive, hosted at the Mashable House,[3][5][24] where she appeared for two-hours each day as Grumpy Cat.[25] As part of her Spokescat sponsorship, Friskies paid travel expenses to SXSW in Austin, Texas in order to film "Will Kitty Play With It?" [26]

CNN, CBS, and CNET called Grumpy Cat the undisputed "biggest star" of SXSW Interactive over Elon Musk, Al Gore, and Neil Gaiman.[5][27][28] Over 600 fans waited for hours in the line, which was nearly three blocks long, to take a photo.[3][29][5][30] Among the crowds were Internet entrepreneur, Dennis Crowley, singer/songwriter and music producer, Andrew W. K., and actor, Ian Somerhalder. Somerhalder took photos with Grumpy Cat and called her his "new love", and described her as "very peaced out", "sweet as pumpkin pie", and "kind of amazing".[31][32][33][34][35]

2014

2016

Friskies sponsorship

Grumpy Cat appeared in episodes of the Friskies YouTube game show "Will Kitty Play With It?"[3][26][40][41] In September 2013, it was announced that Grumpy Cat would become the Official Spokescat of Friskies.[42] TMZ reported that for Grumpy Cat's SXSW Interactive appearance in Austin, Texas, Friskies paid for first class flights, a private hotel room with king-sized bed, a personal assistant, a chauffeur, and unlimited Friskies food and bottled water.[26] On March 22, 2013, Grumpy Cat traveled to New York City promoting the show and appeared on Good Morning America[14] and Anderson Live[16] and visited Time for a photoshoot.[29]

Merchandising

As of August 2018, Grumpy Cat Limited holds 8 trademarks registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and there are 1082 items available on the official Grumpy Cat online shop.[43]

Licensed merchandise

Licensed merchandise like t-shirts and mugs are advertised on the Grumpy Cat website and sold at Hot Topic.[44] Stuffed toys are also available, the original official plush was produced by Gund, though as of August 2018, no Grumpy Cat merchandise was available on the Gund website.[45][46] Ganz, the company behind Webkinz, produced a small Grumpy Cat plush which allowed anyone to play with her electronic likeness on the Webkinz website.[47]

Additionally, Chronicle Books has published The Grumpy Cat Wall Calendar each year since 2013, with a 2019 edition available as of August 2018.[48] [49]

Books

The official Grumpy Cat book, Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book, was published on July 23, 2013, by Chronicle Books.[12] The book is available in both print and digital formats from retailers worldwide. It debuted at #8 Hardcover Nonfiction on the Publishers Weekly best seller list.[50] Another Grumpy Cat book called The Grumpy Guide to Life: Observations by Grumpy Cat was published by Chronicle Books and debuted at #3 on the New York Times Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous Bestseller List.[51]

Dynamite Entertainment publishes a comic book about Grumpy Cat and her brother, titled The Misadventures of Grumpy Cat and Pokey.[52][53]

Dover Publications has also published Grumpy Cat paper doll, sticker, coloring, and tattoo books.[54]

Digital games

In December 2013, an official video game called Grumpy Cat: Unimpressed was released by Ganz Studios and is playable on Facebook, iOS devices and Android devices. The game is a match-three game where if combos are performed, Grumpy Cat's insults will appear. The players unlock her memes as they pass each level and she can be made angry with meows, hairballs and laser pointers.[55]

In December 2016, Lucky Kat Studios released a game app for iOS and Android devices called Grumpy Cat's Worst Game Ever. Players can attempt to win mini-games, unlock iMessage stickers (iOS only), share memes, and more.[56]

Grumpy Cat Limited vs Grenade Beverage LLC

In May 2013, Grumpy Cat Limited partnered with Grenade Beverage LLC to market "Grumppuccino" iced coffee beverages.[12][57][58]

In December 2015, Grumpy Cat Limited filed a lawsuit against Grenade Beverage LLC citing trademark infringement when the beverage company expanded its line of Grumpy Cat coffee offerings beyond what was originally agreed upon, producing and marketing a Grumpy Cat roasted ground coffee even after being specifically told in writing via email that they were not approved to do so.[59]

In January 2018, the California Federal Court jury sided with Grumpy Cat Limited and ordered Grenade Beverage Company to pay $710,000 in damages for copyright and trademark infringement, as well as a $1 nominal damage fee for breach of contract.[60][61]

Film

Grumpy Cat appears in Lil Bub & Friendz, a documentary premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 18, 2013, and won the Tribeca Online Festival Best Feature Film.[44][62][63][64] In May 2013, Broken Road Productions optioned Grumpy Cat for a "Garfield-like feature film" adaptation.[12][65][66][67] Producer Todd Garner said, "We think we can build a big family comedy around this character".[65]

On June 11, 2014, it was announced that Lifetime would be producing a film about Grumpy Cat, entitled Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever, which debuted on November 29, 2014. Filming took place over the summer, and Tim Hill and Jeff Morris wrote the script.[68] It was reported that Aubrey Plaza would be lending her voice talent for the Grumpy Cat character.[69] Plaza is also a producer on the film and on November 6, 2014, Lifetime released a tongue-in-cheek video about the casting and Plaza's "process" for becoming the voice of Grumpy Cat.[70]

Earnings

In March 2013, Bryan Bundesen indicated that Grumpy Cat earned them income in the "mid-five figures", which increased to "low-six-figures" by May 2013.[5][12] As of August 2018, the Bundesens have not disclosed the Grumpy Cat brand's net worth, though online speculation estimates it between $1,000,000 and $100,000,000.[71][72]

Recognition

  • MSNBC named Grumpy Cat 2012's most influential cat.[65]
  • Grumpy Cat is one of a few select non-humans to receive one of the Wall Street Journal's signature stipple portraits.[73]
  • Grumpy Cat won BuzzFeed's Meme of the Year Award at the 2013 Webby Awards.[74][75]
  • Grumpy Cat won first prize Golden Kitty at the second annual Internet Cat Video Film Festival.[76][77]
  • Grumpy Cat won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 Friskies.[78]
  • Swarm by Foursquare released a limited edition sticker featuring Grumpy Cat.[79]
  • Grumpy Cat won People's Voice Award in the Social Content and Marketing - Animals Category at the 2015 Webby Awards.[80]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "16 Fun Facts About Grumpy Cat". 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
  2. ↑ "Internet finds world's grumpiest cat, named Tardar Sauce". Fox News Channel. news.com.au. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Stern, Joanna (March 9, 2013). "Grumpy Cat: The Internet's Favorite Sour Cat Draws Crowds at SXSW - ABC News". www.abcnews.go.com. ABC News Internet Ventures. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  4. 1 2 McCarthy, Erin (October 16, 2013). "16 Fun Facts About Grumpy Cat". Mental Floss. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "The unlikely star of SXSW: Grumpy Cat". CNN.com. 2011-11-14. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  6. ↑ "Grumpy Cat". Know Your Meme. Retrieved 2018-08-04.
  7. ↑ McCarthy, Erin (October 16, 2013). "16 fun facts about Grumpy Cat". mentalfloss.com. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Grumpy Cat". https://www.grumpycats.com. Retrieved 2018-07-31. External link in |website= (help)
  9. ↑ "Internet finds world's grumpiest cat, named Tardar Sauce". Fox News. 2012-09-28. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  10. ↑ Rothman, Lily (2013-03-07). "'Lil Bub & Friendz': Internet Cats, Behind the Memes | TIME.com". Entertainment.time.com. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  11. ↑ "The 7-Figure Scowl: How Grumpy Cat Is Building a Media Empire". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-08-04.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Rosman, Katherine (May 31, 2013). "Grumpy Cat Has an Agent, and Now a Movie Deal". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  13. ↑ "Meet 'Tardar Sauce,' the grumpy cat gone viral - Video on". Today.com. 2012-12-02. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  14. 1 2 03/22/2013. "Grumpy Cat Interview 2013 on 'GMA': Meme Star Exclusive Video | Video - ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
  15. ↑ Grumpy Cat, meet Lil Bub; Lil Bub, meet Grumpy Cat, retrieved 2018-08-04
  16. 1 2 "Grumpy Cat in the House!". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
  17. ↑ "Big Morning Buzz Live" Steve Carell/Angela 'Big Ang' Raiola/Grumpy Cat (TV Episode 2013), retrieved 2018-08-04
  18. ↑ hghostify (2012-11-01), Tardar Sauce the Grumpy Cat, retrieved 2018-08-04
  19. ↑ American Idol (2014-04-24), Top 6 - Look! It's Grumpy Cat! - AMERICAN IDOL XIII, retrieved 2018-08-04
  20. ↑ "BookExpo on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-08-04.
  21. ↑ Kellogg, Carolyn (2013-07-22). "Grumpy Cat to give 'pawtographs' in L.A.: Exclusive book preview". latimes.com. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  22. ↑ "Grumpy Cat Does Not Look Impressed At Book Signing In Los Angeles (PICTURES)". Huffingtonpost.co.uk. 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  23. ↑ Noer, Michael (August 6, 2016). "Grumpy Cat: The Forbes Interview". Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  24. ↑ Dani Fankhauser (2011-11-18). "SXSWi Day 1: Grumpy Cat, 3D Printing and Other Highlights". Mashable.com. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  25. ↑ Movies. "Rise of the Hollywood Cats: Inside Grumpy Cat and Lil BUB's Big Deals | The Wrap Movies". Thewrap.com. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  26. 1 2 3 "Grumpy Cat - Pamprrrrd at Friskies Photo Shoot". TMZ.com. 2013-03-08. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  27. ↑ March 11, 2013, 5:54 PM (2013-03-11). "As SXSW Interactive winds down, Grumpy cat is clear winner". CBS News. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  28. ↑ Terdiman, Daniel (2013-01-23). "If Grumpy Cat is the biggest news of all, is SXSW in trouble? | SXSW - CNET News". News.cnet.com. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  29. 1 2 "Internet Celebrity Grumpy Cat Is Not Impressed by TIME's Photo Shoot | TIME.com". Newsfeed.time.com. 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
  30. ↑ Elise Hu; Laura Sydell (2013-02-28). "The Most Talked About Tech And Culture Trends At SXSW Interactive : All Tech Considered". NPR. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  31. ↑ Schwartz, Alison (2013-01-14). "Ian Somerhalder Meets Grumpy Cat at SXSW 2013 : People.com". Peoplepets.com. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  32. ↑ "'Vampire Diaries' star falls for a certain grumpy cat – The Marquee Blog - CNN.com Blogs". Marquee.blogs.cnn.com. 2013-03-12. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  33. ↑ "Twitter / iansomerhalder: Me and my new love". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  34. ↑ Door ian somerhalder @iansomerhalder. "Twitter / iansomerhalder: Oops! I left out Grumpy cat!!!". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  35. ↑ "Ian Somerhalder's New Love: She Is a Sweetie Pie With Beautiful Eyes". E! Online. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  36. ↑ The Random Cat Lover's (2016-04-20), When grumpy cat meets honey nut cherrios bee, retrieved 2018-08-03
  37. ↑ Sorren, Martha. "Grumpy Cat Isn't a Josh Murray Fan". Bustle. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
  38. ↑ "Grumpy Cat to Host WWE's Monday Night Raw". 2014-11-10.
  39. ↑ "Grumpy Cat Pitch".
  40. ↑ Helen A.S. Open (2012-10-24). "Sex, death and Grumpy Cat: The true meaning of SXSW - Technology on". Nbcnews.com. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  41. ↑ "Grumpy Cat on Friskies® Cat Game Show, "Will Kitty Play With It?"". www.youtube.com. YouTube. March 23, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  42. ↑ Smith, Aaron (2013-09-18). "Grumpy Cat signs endorsement deal with Friskies". money.cnn.com.
  43. ↑ "Grumpy Cat Limited Trademarks :: Justia Trademarks". trademarks.justia.com. Retrieved 2018-08-04.
  44. 1 2 "Yes, You Could Totally Meet Grumpy Cat at SXSW: And here's an interview with the people behind the varmint - SXSW Blog". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  45. ↑ "Grumpy Cat: Gund Characters". Gund website. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  46. ↑ Gund. "grumpy cat". Gund. Retrieved 2018-08-04.
  47. ↑ "Ganz Press Release - GRUMPY CAT™ will meet new namesake Webkinz™ on opening day of Toy Fair". Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  48. ↑ "Grumpy Cat 2014 Wall Calendar". www.thinkgeek.com. 2012-09-28. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  49. ↑ "Grumpy Cat 2019 Wall Calendar". Chronicle Books. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  50. ↑ August 2, 2013 (2013-08-02). "Best-sellers: Best-sellers of hardcover fiction and nonfiction". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
  51. ↑ Sehgal, Parul (2014-08-24). "The New York Times Best Seller List". NYTimes.
  52. ↑ "Preview: The Misadventures of Grumpy Cat and Pokey #1". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  53. ↑ "Dynamite - The Official Site | Barbarella, Charlie's Angels, Fruit Ninja & Jetpack Joyride Hardcover, The Boys and More!". www.dynamite.com. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  54. ↑ "Search: Grumpy Cat". Dover PUblications. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  55. ↑ "Grumpy Cat: Unimpressed". www.giantbomb.com. December 19, 2003. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  56. ↑ "Grumpy Cat". Lucky Kat Studios. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  57. ↑ "Grumpy Cat expands empire with iced coffee called Grumppuccino". Fox News. 2013-07-31. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
  58. ↑ @woolyknickers (2013-07-30). "Grumpy Cat Grumpuccino Is Sure to Make You (Not) Smile | TIME.com". Newsfeed.time.com. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
  59. ↑ "Grumpy Cat Complaint". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-04.
  60. ↑ "Grumpy Cat wins $710,000 payout in copyright lawsuit". BBC. BBC. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  61. ↑ "Grumpy Cat Verdict". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-04.
  62. ↑ Makarechi, Kia (2013-03-18). "'Lil Bub & Friendz' Trailer: From Meme To The Movies (VIDEO)". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
  63. ↑ "Lil Bub & Friendz". www.tribecafilm.com. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  64. ↑ The Editors (2013-04-25). "Here Are Your TFF 2013 Award Winners | Tribeca". Tribecafilm.com. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
  65. 1 2 3 Fleming, Mike. "Grumpy Cat Gets Garfield-Like Movie Deal". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
  66. ↑ Franklin, Garth (May 30, 2014). "That "Grumpy Cat" Meme Becomes A Movie". www.darkhorizons.com. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  67. ↑ Deming, Mark (2013-05-30). "What Fans Want From Grumpy Cat, the Movie". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  68. ↑ Jarvey, Natalie (11 June 2014). "Grumpy Cat to Star in Lifetime Holiday Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  69. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (17 September 2014). "Lifetime Chooses Voice of Grumpy Cat". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  70. ↑ Huggins, Sarah (November 6, 2014). "Watch Aubrey Plaza nail the Grumpy Cat audition video". www.screenertv.com. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  71. ↑ Van Syckle, Katie (2013-09-29). "Boom Brands 2013: Grumpy Cat". New York. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  72. ↑ Angeles, Mike Parker in Los (2014-12-07). "Cheer up Grumpy Cat, you've got a £64million fortune". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-08-04.
  73. ↑ Layne, Ken. "Grumpy Cat Latest Non-Human Entity To Get WSJ Stipple Portrait". Gawker. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  74. ↑ "Grumpy Cat wins Meme of the Year at The 17th Annual Webby Awards! | Grumpy Cat™ - The internet's grumpiest cat!". Grumpycats.com. 2013-05-15. Archived from the original on 2013-06-07. Retrieved 2013-05-23.
  75. ↑ "Patton Oswalt Presents Meme of the Year". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
  76. ↑ Brooks, Jennifer (August 29, 2013). "Glamorous. Glowering. Grumpy Cat visits the fair". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2013-08-29.
  77. ↑ "Grumpy Cat Wins Top Award at Internet Cat Video Festival | TIME.com". Newsfeed.time.com. 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
  78. ↑ "Grumpy Cat Wins Lifetime Achievement Award at The Friskies Awards | TIME.com". Newsfeed.time.com. 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
  79. ↑ "#EveryCheckInSavesAKitten". blog.foursquare.com. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  80. ↑ "Grumpy Cat | The Webby Awards". Retrieved 2018-07-27.
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