Can someone please explain to me the appeal of...

[Dangit2019]

...Grumpy Cat?​

Look, I'm not a big fan of memes in general. I can't really get into a type of subculture that relies exclusively on variations of someone else's work, especially when the original work wasn't even a joke itself.

But this one specifically is starting to boggle me.

It's a cat with feline dwarfism that causes her to make a stereotypically grumpy face. Okay. The humor of that has a half-life of about 3 seconds. It's kind of cute, but not really the funniest thing I've seen on the internet.

So why the fuck is this,

http://mashable.com/2013/08/05/grumpy-cat-weather-app/

this,

http://www.thewrap.com/media/column-post/hollywoods-rising-media-star-grumpy-cat-sparks-feline-frenzy-kitson-105616

and this

http://search.hottopic.com/clothing/Grumpy-Cat

happening?

I mean, just this weekend at Warped Tour, I saw 3 different fuckers wearing Grumpy Cat T-shirts, and just the thought process of wanting to buy that is turning me for a loop. Are you supporting the artist? As in the guy who bought the deformed cat and whored it out to the Internet? Or is it supposed to spark some sort of conversation? I just don't get it.

Can someone help me out on why this is as big of a deal as the Internet would have me believe?

EDIT: Just as I started browsing after posting, this shit popped up:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/1402/?pfm=rightcolumn_NewStuffFTW_4

 

[Reeve]

I have absolutely no idea. But then again I also don't get the appeal of My Little Pony either, so...

 

[Sassafrass]

Can I explain the appeal of Grumpy Cat?

Spoiler

Seriously though, I can't. I mean it's a good reaction meme/image but as to why shirts are being made, I have no idea.

 

[Dangit2019]

I have absolutely no idea. But then again I also don't get the appeal of My Little Pony either, so...

Yeah, let's not even go there since this site can't handle a discussion over that for some reason.

But that's a TV show with multiple episodes, characters, and jokes.

This is a cat who has a funny looking face.

It's like if someone posted a video of jangling keys, and everyone started wearing T shirts and making memes about how distracting they are.

 

[Dangit2019]

Can I explain the appeal of Grumpy Cat?

Spoiler

Seriously though, I can't. I mean it's a good reaction meme/image but as to why shirts are being made, I have no idea.

Noice new avatar you got there, m8.

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

That's a grumpy cat? Everytime I've seen it, it reminds me of black metal.

Spoiler

 

[hazabaza1]

It's like if someone posted a video of jangling keys, and everyone started wearing T shirts and making memes about how distracting they are.

You basically just described every meme ever. Congrats.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

It's popular because it's a good reaction image. It's getting T-shirts and stuff because the family that owns the cat decided she was a license to print money after finding out about the meme, and has had a ton of merchandise made.

 

[Dangit2019]

It's popular because it's a good reaction image. It's getting T-shirts and stuff because the family that owns the cat decided she was a license to print money after finding out about the meme, and has had a ton of merchandise made.

Well, I can understand why they're selling it, I just don't understand why so many sane people are buying it.

 

[Leemaster777]

Grumpy Cat's popularity is actually quite simple, but entirely devious.

It combines two things that the internet loves more than anything else: Cuteness, and being cynical.

It's seriously no more complicated than that. People like cute things. And people like being cynical. That's it.

 

[Foolery]

Typically memes aren't copyrighted. So, no. I doubt the guy who owned the cat and put the picture up on the internet is getting any money. Although speaking of cat memes, Christopher Torres the guy who made Nyan Cat and Charles Schmidt who made Keyboard Cat are both suing Warner Bros. and 5th Cell because of Scribblenauts including them in the game.

 

[shrekfan246]

It's popular because it's a good reaction image. It's getting T-shirts and stuff because the family that owns the cat decided she was a license to print money after finding out about the meme, and has had a ton of merchandise made.

Well, I can understand why they're selling it, I just don't understand why so many sane people are buying it.

Why did so many people buy The War Z?

Why did Grown Ups 2 open with a better US box office pull than Pacific Rim?

Why are there new flash-in-the-pan pop artists that are "the new biggest thing" every three years or so?

Why did Twilight become so popular that Fifty Shades of Grey is actually a thing that exists?

'Sane' people do many things on a daily basis that may not make sense to you or I.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Typically memes aren't copyrighted. So, no. I doubt the guy who owned the cat and put the picture up on the internet is getting any money. Although speaking of cat memes, Christopher Torres the guy who made Nyan Cat and Charles Schmidt who made Keyboard Cat are both suing Warner Bros. and 5th Cell because of Scribblenauts including them in the game.

It's a whole family and they've done the talk show circuit with the cat, so yeah, they're making money on the danged thing. I'm too lazy to pull up the actual interviews, but <link=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumpy_Cat>here's the wikipedia article.

 

[Foolery]

Typically memes aren't copyrighted. So, no. I doubt the guy who owned the cat and put the picture up on the internet is getting any money. Although speaking of cat memes, Christopher Torres the guy who made Nyan Cat and Charles Schmidt who made Keyboard Cat are both suing Warner Bros. and 5th Cell because of Scribblenauts including them in the game.

It's a whole family and they've done the talk show circuit with the cat, so yeah, they're making money on the danged thing. I'm too lazy to pull up the actual interviews, but <link=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumpy_Cat>here's the wikipedia article.

Sorry, didn't notice your earlier post. It's name is Tardar Sauce? That's adorable. Licence to print money? Absolutely.

 

[Dangit2019]

It's popular because it's a good reaction image. It's getting T-shirts and stuff because the family that owns the cat decided she was a license to print money after finding out about the meme, and has had a ton of merchandise made.

Well, I can understand why they're selling it, I just don't understand why so many sane people are buying it.

Why did so many people buy The War Z?

To see action.

Why did Grown Ups 2 open with a better US box office pull than Pacific Rim?

Because Grown Ups 2 was a sequel working with a ensemble cast of bankable actors and Pacific Rim was a completely original IP focusing on a more niche demographic.

Why are there new flash-in-the-pan pop artists that are "the new biggest thing" every three years or so?

Because the media controls the masses and when they put something on the map at the same time it's getting airtime, it allows for an artist to achieve temporary stardom.

Why did Twilight become so popular that Fifty Shades of Grey is actually a thing that exists?

Because the teenage girls who liked the "dark and edgy" romance grew up to like the "dark and edgy" porn interpretation.

None of these examples explain why someone would pay $20 for a t shirt of a cat with a funny face on it.

 

[Hero of Lime]

My sister loves Grumpy Cat a little too much, I don't quite understand it, but if people get a kick out of a cat with a memorable face, so be it. Memes are hard to explain and justify in the first place, so you may as well get used to shrugging off weird, or random memes because they are the norm now.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

There isn't.

Seriously, memes aren't funny at all. I'm pretty sure it's just people who pretend they're "cool" on the internet that eat this shit up.

 

[lacktheknack]

None of these examples explain why someone would pay $20 for a t shirt of a cat with a funny face on it.

Because funny.

What? You don't find it funny? Well, drat. I thought The Hangover was the most abysmal turd to ever cross my screen, even though it was the "funniest movie evar", so clearly not everyone laughs at the same things.

 

[rob_simple]

Why do people enjoy Jersey/Geordie Shore? Why do people like FIFA games? Why do people listen to Taylor Swift? Why do people go to see movies starring Shia LaBeouf? Why do people eat couscous?

These are all things I dislike, so why are other people allowed to enjoy them?

That, in a nutshell, is the basis of your argument, OP.