![Nyan Cat! [Official] — NyanCat channel thumbnail (2011)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2yJgwwDcgV8/hqdefault.jpg)
Nyan Cat
A pixelated cat with a Pop-Tart body flying through space leaving a rainbow trail — pure early-internet whimsy.
An animated GIF of a grey cat with a Pop-Tart body flying through space, trailing a rainbow, set to the Japanese song 'Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!' by daniwell. Represents peak early-internet absurdist joy.
History
Created by artist Chris Torres (prguitarman) and posted on April 2, 2011. YouTube user saraj00n combined the animation with daniwellP's Japanese song 'Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!' The resulting video went globally viral within days; Wikipedia notes tens of millions of views within weeks. In February 2021 Torres sold the original Nyan Cat GIF as an NFT for about 300 ETH (~$590,000 at the time), a landmark early-NFT art sale.
Cultural scores
Editorial estimates of cultural weight — Current Popularity tracks how much people are posting about this now, not historical fame.
Current Popularity = how actively people are posting about this today. Influence = lasting footprint. Cringe = online reception. Brainrot = absurdist energy. Scores last reviewed 2026-07-25. How scoring works
Timeline
Apr 2, 2011
Chris Torres posts the original Nyan Cat GIF
Apr 2011
YouTube video combining the GIF with daniwell's song goes viral worldwide
2011
Tens of millions of YouTube views accumulated within weeks
Feb 2021
Torres sells the original Nyan Cat as an NFT for approximately 300 ETH
Examples
- “I left Nyan Cat looping in a browser tab for ten hours.”
- “Nyan nyan nyan — that earworm never leaves.”
- “Did you know the original Nyan Cat GIF sold as an NFT for hundreds of thousands of dollars?”
Media
The official Nyan Cat video on the NyanCat YouTube channel — the canonical home of the original Pop-Tart cat animation since the saraj00n channel video was moved in November 2023. 26M+ views.
Related entries
Culturally linked — not random recommendations.
Keyboard Cat
MemeA cat in a blue shirt playing keyboard — used to 'play off' blunders, falls, and awkward moments.
Grumpy Cat
MemeTardar Sauce — the frowning cat whose permanent scowl became one of the defining animal memes and merchandising empires of the 2010s.
Annoying Orange
MemeDane Boedigheimer's talking kitchen fruit — the late-2000s YouTube comedy machine that became a cartoon and punchline for loud web humor.
All Your Base Are Belong to Us
MemeThe Zero Wing Engrish catchphrase that became one of the internet's first mainstream memes — 'All your base are belong to us.'
Dat Boi
MemeThe 2016 green frog on a unicycle — 'here come dat boi! o shit waddup!' — peak absurdist Tumblr/Twitter meme energy.
Doge
MemeThe iconic Shiba Inu meme that defined an era — 'such wow, very internet' — and eventually inspired a cryptocurrency.
References
Sources behind this entry. Prefer primary reporting and established culture archives over rumor.
- Nyan Cat — Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org