The Internet’s most famous feline is celebrating its first birthday.
The video of the smiling cat with a Pop Tart body and a rainbow coming out of its rear was uploaded to YouTube a year ago with the high-pitched song “Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!” playing on repeat. It was called the Nyan Cat and 69 million views later, it is still making people smile—and plug their ears in disgust.
“Happy Birthday, Nyan Cat! Here is a poem in your language,” wrote MCblocknation on YouTube Thursday morning. “Nyan nyan nyan nya nyan nyan,/ Nyan nyan nyan nya nyan,/ Nya nyan nyan nyan nyan./ Nyan nyanyanyan nyan.”
The Nyan Cat GIF animation was created by Chris Torres and posted on his personal site on April 2, 2011, three days before YouTuber saraj00n combined it with a version of daniwell’s song “Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!” Since then, the cat has become one of the most beloved memes of all times and has even been turned into a video game.
“When I posted the image of Nyan Cat one year ago it was only meant to be a new Twitter avatar for myself,” Torres told the Daily Dot.
“I never meant it to be anything more than that. However, it’s evolved into its own subculture now, with people dressing up as Nyan Cat, making cakes, parades, and thousands of remixes and spinoffs. It’s been an incredible experience and it makes me very happy that so many people around the world enjoy Nyan Cat, and enjoy it for years to come.”
So in celebration of the cat, make sure you visit nyancat.cat to see a special birthday message.
