The original YouTube videoof this beloved cartoon cat with a Pop-Tart body, which flies through space leaving a trail of rainbows, has been viewed nearly 100 million times since April 2011. And there’s a pot of gold at the end of this meme’s rainbow. Its creator Chris Torres has copyrighted the character, which is managed by Grumpy Cat’s agent Lashes, and built a career off its success. A complete line of Nyan Cat merchandise, including plush toys, clothing and accessories, debuted in December at a pop-up store in New York and is now sold on sites like Amazon.
This meme of a shirt-wearing, piano-playing tabby has hit the big time. Keyboard Cat has appeared in commercials for Wonderful Pistachios and Google Chrome. Its creator Charlie Schmidt has fought hard to squash any unauthorized uses of Keyboard Cat’s likeness. He and Nyan Cat’s creator, Torres, this year filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Warner Bros. over a video game, which appears to feature both cats.