LOLcats
i can haz topik page? The strange and remarkable story of the LOLcat.
Just The Facts
- This phenomenon is believed to have spawned from the seething cauldron of Internet memes that is 4chan
- The largest website dedicated to this cult is IcanhasCheezburger.com, receiving over two million hits a day.
- LOLcats are not known to be decipherable by anyone over the age of 50 without the use of a translator.
Cracked on LOLcats
Sometime around the year 2005, an anonymous 4chan user (are there any other kind?) used the word "lolcat" and started a phenomenon that may never fully be explained. By June 14th, 2006, LOLcats.com had been registered, and soon images of fuzzy kittens splattered with the grammatical roadkill known as "LOLspeak" began appearing all over the internet and in email inboxes. You can see more examples of when LOLcats crossed the line in Ian Coopers "When LOLcats Attack".
In January 2007 Icanhascheezburger.com appeared, and English professors around the globe screamed in horror. The very first picture to appear on Icanhascheezburger was a grey cat known as Happycat, begging for a cheezburger. Created by a blogger from Hawaii, this small collection of cutsie images and internet memes soon exploded in popularity and according to TIME Magazine, was acquired by a group of investors in September 2007 for US $2 million. Yes, you read that right, two million US dollars for a blog site that allowed people to post their own pictures of cats with terribly mispelled "capshuns". The American dream lives on, and it is laughing at you and your 9-5 job.
The first LOLcat book was published in 2008, bringing these fuzzy destroyers of grammar off of the internet and onto coffee tables around the world. We can only imagine what may come next, Rick Astley "rick rolling" people at parades?
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The virus has breached reality, we'll never contain it now.
The popularity of LOLcats has spawned numerous copycat sites, including ones that promote dogs instead of cats, slap captions on celebrities, and several that offer lolcat translator programs for those who wish to be amused but lack an understanding of lolspeak. Others, apparently having mastered the language, have chosen to work together to translate the Christian bible into lolspeak for some nefarious purpose only known to those who are followers of this strange cult.
You could become the smartest person on Earth, but you'll never understand icanhazcheezburgerz will be more popular than your book on science.
Replyit was actually intended to show people how stupid their bad grammar was but instead became the cutest meme of all time
ReplyALL HAELZ TEH CHEEZBURGAR
Someone needs to mention that LOLCats are old.
ReplyAnd anything like them is old.
Is there a saying when you need to tell someone something is overdone and not funny anymore? It seems like there is, but I can't think of it.
"Played out" is my general phrase for that situation.
No mention of Caturday. The author is terribly ignorant of the subject if (s)he thinks it started with someone coming up with the word for it we use now.
ReplyI can't explain why, but I am always amused by LOLCats.
ReplyThe appeal of LOLCats is one of the great mysteries of the 21st century.
LOL cats: The only blemish on the otherwise flawless body of information and productivity that is the internet.
ReplyWUT INTARNET IZ YU TALKIN ABUOT?
i can kill cheezburger?
ReplyLol cats is alright, but sometimes the captions are so stupid.
Replythe head shot one was so cute.
Jesus christ that link to the LOLcat bible freaks me the hell out. What...? Why would anyone...? Who would even...?
ReplyAn teh sky kitteh said, i can haz lites? And there wuz.
Okay, I confess the grievous flaw that I really like LOLcats. There are some that at least pretend to be witty. Sigh. I know. I really need to get out more ... (BTW that Headshot one was awesome ... heh heh heh
ReplyThe way I see it, if liking lolcats is your (and my :-P) "grievous flaw", we have no reason to feel bad.