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2018 Internet meme From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bongo Cat is an Internet meme that originated when a Twitter user created and tweeted a GIF of a white cat-like blob smacking a table with its two paws.[1][2] The tweet was then replied to by another Twitter user[3] with an edited version of the GIF including bongos hit to the tune of a Super Mario World track.[4] The reply went viral and caused the GIF to be edited to many other songs.[5][6]
The original Bongo Cat GIF originated on May 7, 2018, when an animated cat GIF made by Twitter user @StrayRogue[2] was edited by @DitzyFlama, with the edit including bongos which were hit by the cat to the tune of "Athletic" from the Super Mario World soundtrack.[7] The original artist clarified that Bongo Cat was a cat-like blob rather than an actual cat, showing a drawing of the character's full body in another tweet.[2]
It has later been edited to many other songs and many different instruments in fan-made videos, appearing on social media such as YouTube and Twitter.[5][8] The meme has covered many songs from video game soundtracks, such as music from Persona 5 and Super Mario, as well as mainstream songs such as Toto’s "Africa" and Darude’s "Sandstorm".[9] After an increase in popularity, Stray Rogue began making and selling Bongo Cat merchandise.[1] Bongo Cat also has been made into an interactive website.[3]
In 2023, Bongo Cat's cover of "What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish was shared online. The cover went viral on TikTok and fans sang this version during Eilish's concerts in 2024.[10]
Polygon and Uproxx both described Bongo Cat as the best meme of 2018.[11][12] Ellen Scott of Metro also described Bongo Cat as bringing "happiness to all, even in the trashfire [sic] year that was 2018".[13] The Daily Dot described it as the most earnest and wholesome meme of 2018.[14] Reid McCarter of The A.V. Club and Megan Farokhmanesh of The Verge both praised the meme.[8][3] Nicole Clark of Vice described the meme as "the only good thing on the internet."[15]
Praised for its flexibility, Bongo Cat has also been compared to the keyboard cat meme.[2]
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