Nyan Cat [original] Apr 2026

: The character was based on Torres’ own Russian Blue cat, Marty , who sadly passed away in November 2012.

The original animation (first known as "Pop Tart Cat") was posted on April 2, 2011 , by artist Christopher Torres , known online as prguitarman . The pixel art GIF features a cat with a Pop-Tart for a body flying through space, leaving a rainbow trail in its wake. The Creation Story Nyan Cat [original]

: While Torres originally called it "Pop Tart Cat," it became universally known as "Nyan Cat" because of the song's lyrics— nyan being the Japanese onomatopoeia for a cat's meow. : The character was based on Torres’ own

Watch the story of how a simple doodle became one of the internet's most iconic memes: I Accidentally Became A Meme - Nyan Cat BuzzFeedVideo YouTube• Jul 1, 2021 The Creation Story : While Torres originally called

The character was born during a Red Cross charity drawing event on a livestream when two different viewers suggested Torres draw a "Pop-Tart" and a "cat". He merged the ideas into a single doodle and later animated it into the iconic GIF.

: On April 5, 2011, YouTuber saraj00n (Sara June) paired the GIF with the Japanese song "Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!" by daniwellP. This combination turned the GIF into a global phenomenon, amassing over 200 million views before the original upload was eventually moved.