Princess Scott Culture 12.09.2022 19:Dec PM EST

[VIRAL FLASHBACK] 5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Keyboard Cat Meme

Every day, while surfing various social media accounts, we would encounter hundreds of funny pictures, memes, and viral videos. It appears that almost everyone wants to have 15 minutes of viral internet fame.

Perhaps you have already encountered "Keyboard Cat." It features a strange-looking fat cat that is dressed in a blue shirt. The cat is banging away at a keyboard with his paws, creating a jazzy little tune.

Keyboard Cat is not only a viral video now; it has also been turned into countless memes, GIFs, and more. Do you know why the owner took the video of Keyboard Cat in the first place? In this article, we listed five interesting facts about Keyboard Cat.

1. Keyboard Cat is Actually Multiple Cats

You would probably think that there is only one Keyboard Cat. But there are, in fact, three cats behind the viral video, according to Mashable. The first one is Fatso. The cat's video was recorded by the owner Charlie Schmidt. He put the cat in a blue shirt belonging to him. He then manipulated the cat's paws to make it appear that the cat is playing the keyboard.

Unfortunately, Fatso passed away in 1987. As the original video of Fatso became viral, Schmidt began using his other cat Bento in making the videos of Keyboard Cat. When Bento died in 2018, the legend of Keyboard Cat lived on. This time, Schmidt is posting videos of a new cat named Skinny.

2. The Original Form of Keyboard Cat was a 1984 Video of Fatso

The original video of Keyboard Cat came from VHS footage that was recorded by Schmidt. In 1984, he recorded his cat playing the keyboard. In reality, he only manipulated the cat's paws to make it appear like he was playing a musical instrument.

Schmidt uploaded the video to his YouTube channel on June 7, 2007. The video was originally titled "Charlie Schmidt's Cool Cats." When Schmidt saw that the video was beginning to gain popularity, he decided to change the name to "Charlie Schmidt's Keyboard Cat - The Original."

3. Keyboard Cat's Popularity Grew Throughout 2009 With Various Media References

Throughout 2009, Keyboard Cat references in the media grew, fully establishing the content as a meme. During the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, the opening monologue of Andy Samberg suggested that winners whose speech went on too long would be played off by Keyboard Cat.

Meanwhile, in a segment of Tosh.0 entitled "Keyboard Kato," Kato Kaelin also spoofed Keyboard Cat in the series' first episode.

4. The Death of Bento was Covered by Major Media Outlets

When Fatso died in 1987, Schmidt found Keyboard Cat 2.0 in Bento. But eventually, in 2018, Bento passed away at the age of 9. The famous cat's death was covered by major media outlets such as Consequence of Sound, Mashable, and Twitter Moments, according to Know Your Meme. A lot of Twitter users also reacted to the news of Bento's death with tributes to the cat.

5. The First "Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat" Video was Created by Brad O'Farrell

Brad O'Farrell created the first "Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat." He was the syndication manager of the video website My Damn Channel. He secured Schmidt's permission to use the footage. Likewise, he asked Schmidt to allow anyone to use the footage with or without permission.

O'Farrel used the footage by appending it to the end of a video of a person in a wheelchair falling awkwardly off an escalator. It comes with the appended Fatso footage appearing to "play" that person offstage in a similar manner as getting the hook in the days of vaudeville.