The image of the smurf cat has been wandering through thousands of threads and pages online. The little blue creature has left people wondering: Is it a cat, a mushroom, or a Smurf? TikTok users say it’s all of the above.
The internet is smitten by the blue smurf cat for a good reason — the adorable animal has sparked curiosity and engagement. Bored Panda followed the Smurf trail to discover what this intriguing little creature is and how it’s charmed its way into becoming a viral phenomenon.
Highlights
- Smurf cat, a blend of Smurf and cat, created by Nate Hallinan in 2011, gained fame on TikTok in 2023.
- TikToker @ghojam1's Smurf cat posts got over 2.1 million plays and 322,200 likes in four days.
- The meme has over 3.8 billion views on TikTok under #smurfcat with #шайлушай accumulating 1.1 billion views.
- Other mythical creatures like the Arabic strawberry elephant joined the trend with millions of views.
- Smurf cat meme boosted by Alan Walker's song 'The Spectre' and new trends like Fortnite's Smurf Cat Island.
What in The World Is the “Smurf Cat?”
Smurf cat is precisely what its name suggests: a hybrid between the iconic ’80s Smurf and what seems to be a blue creature with a cat-looking face.
The blue Smurf cat was created by Nate Hallinan, a concept artist and illustrator from the US. Hallinan’s curiosity drove him to imagine what he thought Smurfs would look like if they were real. On September 9, 2011, Hallinan translated his imagined musings into digital art and posted the image on his X account.
Hallinan’s interpretation of smurf is a cute cat-looking creature wearing what looks like a mushroom for a hat. On his page, Hallinan explains, “Smurfs seem like they are wearing a hat and pants, but as you can see, this isn't true (1).”
He also believes Smurfs have a symbiotic relationship with mushrooms: “The fungus provides camouflage and protective epidermal layers for the creature, while the creature provides nutrients and mobility for the spreading of spores.”
Hallinan portrays the creature as a hunter-gatherer. His image shows his smurf-like render “returning from a successful venture,” hunting stick and snail catch in tow.
The Blue Smurf Cat Turns Into a TikTok Meme
A decade after the Smurf cat was born, Hallinan’s creation took on Russian channels in 2023 when TikToker @ghojam1 posted versions of the illustrator’s work in a photo slideshow on August 26. The soundtrack of that original post was Dr. Dre’s “Keep Their Heads Ringin” song.
Image credits: ghojam1
The slideshow gained over 907,000 plays and 172,000 likes in just five days.
The next day, on August 27, 2023, @ghojam1 followed up his first post with another photo slideshow of Hallinan’s work. This time, he used a remix of the song “The Spectre” by Alan Walker, with a highlight on the lyrics: “We live. We love. We lie.” This time, his post gained even more plays: 2.1 million in just four days, and it now has 322,200 likes.
On @ghojam1’s posts and on other Russian posts that later followed, the image was popularly captioned “Шайлушай,” which in English reads as “shailushai.” According to Nicole Buckler on Web3 and Blockchain’s new site, The Chainsaw, this word is gibberish in Russian but is close to the word for scamp, which is “шалопай” (2). According to Wiktionary, this Russian word roughly translates to naughty boy, mischievous child, or scallywag in English (3).
The Spread
Other TikTokers joined the blue smurf cat streak and transformed the popular meme into their creative videos. It led to the exponential spread of the smurf cat with captions in various languages across different countries.
We see animations, cartoon versions, cosplay smurf cats, and even Minecraft renders with artists making versions of the reimagined Smurf. Simply put, users let their imaginations run wild through their smurf cat creations.
TikToker @noahgreencarter, who has 8.9 million followers, explored why the Smurf cat grew so popular in a video he posted on September 14, 2023. Curious viewers liked his video 608,000 times.
[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@noahglenncarter/video/7278398701456903466?_r=1&_t=8nhiPcBYZYV[/embed]
The Smurf Cat Gains Friends
The blue smurf cat meme’s undeniable fame on the internet also drew out other mythical creatures from hiding.
When the smurf cat hit feeds, it was pitted against or posted with other imagined creatures, like the Arabic strawberry elephant or strawberry morning elephant, the pineapple owl, and the homeless hamster. Each of these creatures was popular in its own right, but collectively, they’ve reached millions of views online.
For instance, the Arabic strawberry elephant (or strawberry morning elephant), which initially won TikTok user @mzic2403 the top spot in a Photoshop contest on the website worth1000 (now Design Crowd), now has 238.2 million views on TikTok under the hashtag #strawberryelephant.
On the other hand, the pineapple owl has earned its following with 55.4 million views on TikTok. TikTok @conquestor_ posted one of the first versions on September 11, 2024, which brought its fair share of engagement with 2.6 million likes and counting.
[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@conquestor__/video/7277348544703401221?_r=1&_t=8nhfeV9PWPH[/embed]
The homeless hamster, which looks a bit like the smurf cat wanderer, joined the troop of animal hybrids with 8.2 million views on TikTok. AI prompter Oziiiai uploaded the original post to Instagram on January 17, 2023.
The hamster later hit TikTok when user conquestor_o posted it as a meme on September 14, 2023. That video reached over 2.3 million views in five days and has gained 491,000 likes.
[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@conquestor__/video/7278459364917267717?_r=1&_t=8nhei2ZRr8h[/embed]
After using the Smurf cat for content on his channel, TikTok user @noahgreencarter later made a video commentary highlighting various animal hybrids on the platform — and how they may take over the Smurf cat’s top spot.
[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@noahglenncarter/video/7278780325348658475?_r=1&_t=8nhhT76sDQ2[/embed]
Despite @noahgreencarter’s remarks, the blue smurf cat has led the animal pack since its initial posting on the platform. Its related hashtags have also gathered a considerable number of likes and followers.
On TikTok, #smurfcat has gained over 3.8 billion views, #catsmurf has gotten over 347.8 million views, and its related Russian hashtag #шайлушай has garnered a staggering 1.1 billion views. There is no sign that the viral meme is dying just yet.
What Is Indo Ali in the Smurf Cat’s World?
In other parts of the globe, the charming blue cat continued to gain ground, with renders in different languages drawing in a truly global audience.
Brazilian TikTokers, for instance, captioned the creature Indo Ali, which translates as “going there” in English.
On September 7, 2023, TikToker @behedits posted the Smurf cat image with a caption: “indo ali aomossar,” which in the Brazilian context means “going there...to have lunch.” The post earned 1.3 million plays in a week and now has 270.700 likes.
[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@behedits/video/7276057670572969221?_r=1&_t=8nhYhShDsJE[/embed]
The Famous Smurf Cat Soundtrack
While the smurf cat evolved, most videos still use the same soundtrack that the @ghojam1 featured: “We Live. We Love. We Lie,” an excerpt from Alan Walker’s song “The Spectre.”
Whether the accompanying song boosted the meme’s popularity on TikTok or vice versa, other producers used the combo and took the meme to new heights on different social media platforms.
Rockit Music created a video on YouTube featuring smurf cat as the star. The video has gathered 524,000 views since it was posted on October 7, 2023.
[embed]https://youtu.be/WZ3c0lajA8o?si=0G6REnH-5-gKs79m[/embed]
What Is the Smurf Cat Up to Today?
Playing on the ubiquity of the Smurf Cat, another trend formed around the beloved creature. The latest reaction trend egged on followers to be the first to comment, “Image isn’t loading, but I swear to God if it’s that realistic Smurf Cat again,” on their social posts.
Subsequently, the replies followed “not again” or “you’re not gonna believe this,” referencing the popular meme. It has become a templated phrase used by TikTok users in comments sections everywhere, even unrelated posts.
Tech journalist and writer Alexis Murillo wrote on Bustle in 2023 that “it’s way easier to go viral via TikTok comments (4).” The new commenting trend keeps engagement figures high for the blue smurf cat since the famous comment line alone has managed to log more than 1.6 million views, cementing that the blue lil’ creature is here to stay.
Bonus Fact: Fortnite has even jumped on the Smurf Cat trend, creating a special Smurf Cat Island within the game where players can enjoy themed adventures, adding to the viral momentum!
[embed]https://youtu.be/MxPYdPz-iU8?si=7auALcdrRg6ELojQ[/embed]
References
- Nate Hallinan. “Smurf Sighting.” Nate Halinan, September 9, 2014. | https://natehallinan.com/projects/Z53ON?album_id=910810
- Nicole Buckler. "шалопай: The Blue Cat Smurf Meme On TikTok And Why The Shalushai Is So Cueird." The Chainsaw, April 23, 2024. | https://thechainsaw.com/artificial-intelligence/shailushai-what-is-the-blue-cat-smurf-trend-on-tiktok/
- “шалопай.” Wiktionary, January 2024. | https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D1%88%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%B9
- Alexis Murillo. “Let’s Face It: The Comments Section is the best part of TikTok.” Bustle.com. April 14, 2023. | https://www.bustle.com/life/why-tiktok-comments-are-the-best