MA-0018 · first seen 22 September 2012
Grumpy Cat
A cat named Tardar Sauce whose permanent frown made her the face of disapproval and a licensed celebrity.
- Status
- ClassicPeaked more than five years ago
- Trend score
- 15/100Estimated
- Change, 90 days
- 0%Estimated
- Peak
- 82Mar 2013
- Years active
- 8Index of 30 or more
- First seen
- 201222 September 2012
Popularity over time
Monthly attention from Sep 2012 to Oct 2026. Hover or tab through the chart for each month.
- First appearance
- Went viral
- Peak
- Decline
Attention index, 0 to 100 on one scale for the whole archive. Estimated from each meme’s key dates, not measured.
About
A photo of a cat with a downturned mouth was posted to Reddit on 22 September 2012. Her real name was Tardar Sauce, and her expression came from an underbite and feline dwarfism. Overnight she became the perfect canvas for captions about Mondays, people and everything else.
Grumpy Cat appeared on Good Morning America in March 2013, starred in a Lifetime film in November 2014 and was the subject of a trademark lawsuit won by her owners in 2018. She died on 14 May 2019, aged seven, to tributes from fans and brands across the Internet.
Origin
A photo of Tardar Sauce posted to Reddit on 22 September 2012.
22 September 2012
Viralization
Captioned versions spread on Reddit and Facebook within days, followed by national media.
September 2012
Peak
Estimated peak in spring 2013, with a Good Morning America appearance on 22 March.
Mar 2013
Timeline
From the first post to where it stands today.
Origin
A frown on Reddit
A photo of a cat with a permanent scowl is posted to Reddit.
Early adoption
Captions everywhere
The image is captioned and shared on Facebook and image boards.
Viral
National television
Grumpy Cat appears on Good Morning America and visits Time magazine.
Peak
Celebrity cat
Books, merchandise and appearances follow.
Decline
A trademark verdict
A jury awards Grumpy Cat Limited $710,000 in a lawsuit over unlicensed use of her name and image.
Current
Remembered
Tardar Sauce dies at the age of seven, and fans share memories across the Internet.
Related memes
Chosen by shared era, category, platform and cultural link.
Success Kid
12/1000%Classic2007Same conversation · Same era
Nyan Cat
22/100+1%Classic2011Same conversation · Same era
LOLcats
9/1000%Classic2005Same conversation · Same kind of meme
Keyboard Cat
8/1000%Classic1984Same conversation · Same kind of meme