All About The LOLcat

May 5, 2007

I’m sure you’ve heard of it – I can’t stop looking. No, I’m not talking about Twitter, I mean the strange creation called “LOLcats“: photographs of cats with cute phrases written in text message or leet speak on them.

Here’s one I just made using our two cats, Lilikoi and Java:

Here are of my favorite examples:

• i can has walkthrough?
• DO NOT WANT
• aggressive cat vs defensive cat

Here are the best sites I’ve found that collect LOLcat pictures:

• The unquestionably best resource: I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER?.
• Some more vintage LOLcat examples at Error: Access Denied.
• Meme Cats.
• ROLFcats.
• LOLcats Compendium on flickr.

Now you may want to create your own:

• How To Do It.
• LOLcat builder.
• Roflbot – make your own image macros
  

Once you get the general idea, it’s time to branch off:

Analysis

• Anil Dash does a smart breakdown of the language used in LOLcats (invisible items, I’m in Ur X Ying your Z, etc.)
• Zero Sum Mind has a really involved analysis.
• Lanelle log has another breakdown.
• Kottke.org doesn’t think the LOLcats are funny. Is this the result? LOLkottke.
• LOLcats have always been popular on Digg – even to the point where they get in on the HD DVD game.
• LOLcat Bible.

Variations

• The walrus (with his pail, also called a lolrus), gerbils (gebril), and the lolsnake.
• Here’s a place that tries to do Star Trek as LOL cat style. Personally, I don’t find this as funny because I don’t see Star Trek as a cute show, so imagining Kirk saying “No Wai You Be Up To No Good” doesn’t do it for me. A for effort though.
• Here’s someone applying the LOL style to MySpace photographs.
• LOLcats as applied to… librarians.
• LOLgay. Saturdrag? Whuttabot Saturgay?
• Twitter likes LOLcats, as they pop up as error messages. Check out examples at the Twitter Fan Wiki.
• LOLgeeks.
• LOLbushes.

So to sum up, I find LOLcats really hilarious. I think it’s partly because we’re obsessed with our cats, and even talk to them in cute voices.

Here are some more cat-related links (because it’s Caturday):

• Check out MyCatBlogLog for more cat links and news. Some other cat related memes are Ceiling Cat and Stuff On My Cat, Cats that Look Like Hitler, etc.
• Engtech is running a contest where he invites folks to LOL-ify his cat. Here’s my entry:

I don’t think I’m gonna win. So why don’t you have a go? You can download a bunch of cat photographs via the engtech blog.

Meanwhile, I’m creating a new page for the above LOLcat resources, to which I’ll add to over time.