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Grumpy Cat

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"Tardar Sauce" redirects here. For the sauce, see Tartar sauce.
Tardar Sauce
Grumpy Cat at the 2013 South by Southwest festival
Other name(s)Grumpy Cat, Tard
SpeciesFelis catus
BreedMixed
SexFemale
Born (2012-04-04) April 4, 2012 (age 12)
Morristown, Arizona
Known forGrumpy facial expression
OwnerTabatha Bundesen

Grumpy Cat (born April 4, 2012), real name Tardar Sauce,[1][2][3] is a female cat and Internet celebrity known for her grumpy facial expression.[4] Her owner Tabatha Bundesen says that her permanently grumpy-looking face is due to feline dwarfism.[4][5] Grumpy Cat's popularity originated from a picture posted to the social news website Reddit by Bundesen's brother Bryan on September 22, 2012.[4][6][7] It was made into an image macro with grumpy captions. "The Official Grumpy Cat" on Facebook has over 1.3 million Likes.[8] Grumpy Cat was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal on May 30, 2013.[9] Grumpy Cat was featured on the cover of the October 7 2013 issue of New York Magazine.[10][3]

Background

The Bundesens say that Tardar Sauce's face appears grumpy because of feline dwarfism and an under bite.[4][5][11] She and her brother Pokey were born to normal parents with "a flat face, bubble eyes, and a short tail".[11] Tardar Sauce is undersized and has hind legs that "are a bit different".[4][5] Ironically, Tardar Sauce is calm and "actually really nice," whereas Pokey has a grumpy personality.[12][13]

File:Austin Marathon 2013 Grumpy Cat.jpg
"I ran once...it was horrible". A sign paying homage to Grumpy Cat at the Austin Marathon.

According to the Bundesens, Tardar Sauce is a normal cat "99% of the time".[4][5][14] Photo sessions are only once a week, and handling by strangers is limited.[4] At SXSW Tardar Sauce made limited two-hour appearances each day as Grumpy Cat.[13]

Management

Ben Lashes is Grumpy Cat's manager who also represents Keyboard Cat and Nyan Cat.[12][15] Bundesen took a leave of absence from her day job at Red Lobster to manage Grumpy Cat's schedule[14][9][3] and Bryan manages her website, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.[6] According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office database, "Grumpy Cat Inc. Corp. Ohio" applied to trademark "Grumpy Cat" and an image of her at the end of January 2013.[16] Licensed merchandise like t-shirts and mugs are advertised on the website and sold at Hot Topic.[4][12] Plush toys are in the works.[12] Bryan said that by March 2013 they earned "mid-five figures"[6] and "low-six-figure" by May 2013.[9] The corporation has a estimated value of $1 million.[3] Grenade Beverage LLC makes Grumpy Cat "Grumpuccino" iced coffee beverages.[9][17][18]

Recognition

MSNBC named Grumpy Cat 2012's most influential cat.[19] Grumpy Cat won BuzzFeed's Meme of the Year Award at the 2013 Webby Awards.[20][21] Grumpy Cat won first prize at the second annual Internet Cat Video Film Festival.[22]

Book and calendar

The official Grumpy Cat book was published on July 23, 2013 by Chronicle Books.[9] Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book "teaches the fine art of grumpiness and includes enough bad attitude to cast a dark cloud over the whole world. Featuring brand new as well as classic photos, and including grump-inspiring activities and games, Grumpy Cat delivers unmatched, hilarious grumpiness that puts any bad mood in perspective."[1] The book is available in both print and digital formats from retailers worldwide. It debuted at #8 Hardcover Nonfiction on Publishers Weekly's best seller list[23] and #7 on the New York Times Best Seller List[24]

Additionally, Chronicle Books is publishing The Grumpy Cat 2014 Wall Calendar on July 23, 2013.[25]

Media appearances

Grumpy Cat has appeared on Today,[26] Good Morning America,[27] CBS Evening News, Anderson Live,[28] VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live and The Soup.[19] Grumpy Cat appeared on the world famous "Garage Logic" radio broadcast the day of the MN State Fair live Internet Cat Film Festival. Grumpy Cat promoted Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book at BookExpo America.[9] She attended her book's launch at Kitson[29] and The Grove's Barnes & Noble[30] in Los Angeles.

Grumpy Cat met Lil Bub at the second annual Internet Cat Video Film Festival at the Minnesota State Fair in August 2013.

Friskies

Grumpy Cat appeared in episodes of the Friskies YouTube game show "Will Kitty Play With It?"[5][31][32][33] TMZ reported that Friskies paid for flying first class, a private hotel room with king-sized bed, a personal assistant, a chauffeur, and unlimited Friskies food and bottled water.[31] Bryan Bundesen said the car was a BMW X5 with tinted windows.[9] On March 22, 2013, Grumpy Cat traveled to New York City promoting the show and appeared on Good Morning America[27] and Anderson Live[28] and visited Time for a photoshoot.[34] Michael Noer "interviewed" Grumpy Cat for Forbes, released March 25.[35]

2013 SXSW Interactive

In March 2013, Grumpy Cat attended SXSW Interactive, hosted at the Mashable House.[5][6][36] Friskies paid travel expenses to Austin in order to film "Will Kitty Play With It?"[31][9] CNN, CBS, and CNET called Grumpy Cat the undisputed "biggest star" of SXSW Interactive over Elon Musk, Al Gore, and Neil Gaiman.[6][37][38] Over 600[34] fans, including Dennis Crowley, waited for hours in the line, which was nearly three blocks long, to take a photo.[5][6][39] Ian Somerhalder took photos with Grumpy Cat and called her "my new love", "very peaced out", "sweet as pumpkin pie", and "kind of amazing".[40][41][42][43][44]

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.[12][45][46][47] In May 2013, Broken Road Productions optioned Grumpy Cat for a "Garfield-like feature film" adaptation.[9][48][49][19] Producer Todd Garner said "We think we can build a big family comedy around this character."[19]

Criticism

The t-shirt "I HAD FUN ONCE/IT WAS AWFUL." was taken from Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton.[50][51]

References

  1. ^ a b "What a sourpuss! Tardar Sauce the Grumpy Cat becomes latest Internet sensation". Daily Mail. 29 September 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2013. Cite error: The named reference ":0" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  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. On her paperwork, though, from the vet? It's spelled right, with a "T" – for the record.
  3. ^ a b c d Van, Katie (2013-09-26). "Boom Brands 2013 - Grumpy Cat - New York Magazine". Nymag.com. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h September 30th, 2012 post by Grumpy Cat (2012-09-30). "About Grumpy Cat | Grumpy Cat™ - The internet's grumpiest cat!". Grumpycats.com. Retrieved 2013-03-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Grumpy Cat: The Internet's Favorite Sour Cat Draws Crowds at SXSW - ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. 2012-04-04. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "The unlikely star of SXSW: Grumpy Cat". CNN.com. 2011-11-14. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  7. ^ "Meet grumpy cat : pics". Reddit.com. 2012-09-22. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  8. ^ "The Official Grumpy Cat". Facebook. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rosman, Katherine. "Grumpy Cat Has an Agent, and Now a Movie Deal". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  10. ^ "Table of Contents - October 7, 2013 Issue of New York Magazine". Nymag.com. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  11. ^ a b "Internet finds world's grumpiest cat, named Tardar Sauce". Fox News. 2012-09-28. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  12. ^ a b c d e "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.
  13. ^ a b Movies. "Rise of the Hollywood Cats: Inside Grumpy Cat and Lil BUB's Big Deals | The Wrap Movies". Thewrap.com. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  14. ^ a b Harrington, Kristine. "Grumpy Cat back home in Arizona after stealing show at SXSW | azfamily.com Phoenix". Azfamily.com. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  15. ^ Rothman, Lily (2013-03-07). "'Lil Bub & Friendz': Internet Cats, Behind the Memes | TIME.com". Entertainment.time.com. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  16. ^ Slind, Victoria. "Bayer, Apple, Spanx, Grumpy Cat: Intellectual Property". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  17. ^ "Grumpy Cat expands empire with iced coffee called Grumppuccino". Fox News. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
  18. ^ @woolyknickers (2013-07-30). "Grumpy Cat Grumpuccino Is Sure to Make You (Not) Smile | TIME.com". Newsfeed.time.com. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
  19. ^ a b c d Fleming, Mike. "Grumpy Cat Gets Garfield-Like Movie Deal". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
  20. ^ Name * (2013-05-15). "Grumpy Cat wins Meme of the Year at The 17th Annual Webby Awards! | Grumpy Cat™ - The internet's grumpiest cat!". Grumpycats.com. Retrieved 2013-05-23.
  21. ^ "Patton Oswalt Presents Meme of the Year". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
  22. ^ Photos by JERRY HOLT • jerry.holt@startribune.com. "Glamorous. Glowering. Grumpy Cat visits the fair". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2013-08-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ August 2, 2013. "Best-sellers: Best-sellers of hardcover fiction and nonfiction". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2013-08-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ "The Official Grumpy Cat". Facebook. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
  25. ^ September 28th, 2012 post by Grumpy Cat (2012-09-28). "Official Grumpy Cat™ Merchandise | Grumpy Cat™ - The internet's grumpiest cat!". Grumpycats.com. Retrieved 2013-07-25. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ "Meet 'Tardar Sauce,' the grumpy cat gone viral - Video on". Today.com. 2012-12-02. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  27. ^ a b 03/22/2013. "Grumpy Cat Interview 2013 on 'GMA': Meme Star Exclusive Video | Video - ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved 2013-03-22. {{cite web}}: |author= has numeric name (help)
  28. ^ a b "Grumpy Cat in the House!". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
  29. ^ Kellogg, Carolyn (2013-07-22). "Grumpy Cat to give 'pawtographs' in L.A.: Exclusive book preview". latimes.com. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  30. ^ "Grumpy Cat Does Not Look Impressed At Book Signing In Los Angeles (PICTURES)". Huffingtonpost.co.uk. 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  31. ^ a b c "Grumpy Cat - Pamprrrrd at Friskies Photo Shoot". TMZ.com. 2013-03-08. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  32. ^ Helen A.S. Popkin (2012-10-24). "Sex, death and Grumpy Cat: The true meaning of SXSW - Technology on". Nbcnews.com. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  33. ^ "Grumpy Cat on Friskies® Cat Game Show, "Will Kitty Play With It?"". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
  34. ^ a b "Internet Celebrity Grumpy Cat Is Not Impressed by TIME's Photo Shoot | TIME.com". Newsfeed.time.com. 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
  35. ^ "Grumpy Cat: The Forbes Interview". Forbes. 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
  36. ^ Dani Fankhauser (2011-11-18). "SXSWi Day 1: Grumpy Cat, 3D Printing and Other Highlights". Mashable.com. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  37. ^ March 11, 2013, 5:54 PM. "As SXSW Interactive winds down, Grumpy cat is clear winner". CBS News. Retrieved 2013-03-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ 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.
  39. ^ Elise Hu and Laura Sydell (2013-02-28). "The Most Talked About Tech And Culture Trends At SXSW Interactive : All Tech Considered". NPR. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  40. ^ Schwartz, Alison (2013-01-14). "Ian Somerhalder Meets Grumpy Cat at SXSW 2013 : People.com". Peoplepets.com. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  41. ^ "'Vampire Diaries' star falls for a certain grumpy cat – The Marquee Blog - CNN.com Blogs". Marquee.blogs.cnn.com. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  42. ^ "Twitter / iansomerhalder: Me and my new love". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  43. ^ Door ian somerhalder @iansomerhalder. "Twitter / iansomerhalder: Oops! I left out Grumpy cat!!!". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  44. ^ "Ian Somerhalder's New Love: She Is a Sweetie Pie With Beautiful Eyes". E! Online. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  45. ^ "'Lil Bub & Friendz' Trailer: From Meme To The Movies (VIDEO)". Huffingtonpost.com. 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
  46. ^ "Lil Bub & Friendz | 2013 Tribeca Film Festival". Tribecafilm.com. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
  47. ^ The Editors (2013-04-25). "Here Are Your TFF 2013 Award Winners | Tribeca". Tribecafilm.com. Retrieved 2013-04-29. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  48. ^ "That "Grumpy Cat" Meme Gets A Movie". Dark Horizons. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  49. ^ Deming, Mark (2013-05-30). "What Fans Want From Grumpy Cat, the Movie". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  50. ^ Max Read (9/30/13). "How to Get Rich from Memes: Steal Other Memes". Gawker.com. Retrieved 2013-10-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  51. ^ "309". Hark, a vagrant. Retrieved 2013-10-08.
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