Posted on 05/19/2007 3:27:51 AM PDT by Daffynition
websearch/?p=112) that received a great reader response. Since then, though, an entire kitty subculture has emerged on the Web in the form of cat photos with funny sayings written on them.
At first, they were called cat macros, but now go mostly by the name lolcats -- combining the Web abbreviation for "laugh out loud" (LOL) and "cats." The captions are written with poor English and bad grammar, as if the cat is commenting on the situation depicted in the photo, which sometimes is digitally altered for exaggeration.
For example, one lolcat posted online recently showed a black and white cat sticking out its tongue. Its eyes looked artificially brightened and bugged out with the aid of an image-editing program such as Photoshop. The caption: "mai tung dryd out."
To the casual viewer, lolcats might seem nonsensical at first. But once you get into the cadence of how they're written, they can be quite funny.
The Intelligence Group, which monitors the Web for things that appeal to Gen X, Gen Y and tweens, recently identified lolcats as a hot online trend. But I got in on them awhile ago when former colleague Shruti Mathur, who moved to New Jersey last year (www.newtojersey.blogspot.com), e-mailed me to gush about them.
"It cracks me up," she said. "They have other animals, but lolcats are always the funniest, even for a dog person like me."
The most popular of the lolcat sites is arguably I Can Has Cheezburger? (www.icanhascheezburger.com). It started in January with an image of a pudgy kitty, a big smile on its face and wide eyes, and the caption: "I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER?" That spawned funny follow-up photos with burger kitty, and, well, here we are today.
Other lolcat sites include:
• community.livejournal.com/cat--macros
Most images posted on the sites are family-friendly, but some occasionally feature naughty humor or noncat subject matter that might be considered inappropriate for kids.
How to create a lolcat
1. Find an engaging photo of a cat.
2. Think of a funny caption.
3. Add it to the photo with image-editing software.
4. Use a sans-serif font.
5. Make it read as if said by the cat, with bad grammar and spelling.
6. Post it to one of the Web sites listed above.
7. Laugh.
Web Search Randy
Salas
LOL..Great thread..Bookmarking to explore the links!
Except for the species, that could be my JRT Janey in her younger days. :^)
LOL!
Yeah, Wolfie, you need to get a new girlfriend. That's un-American. LOL! Cats RULE! ;O)
Sheryl Crowcat, you HYPOCRITE!
Nothing cuter than a big gentle dog and a playful kitten.
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