Keyboard Cat (Fatso)

Keyboard Cat is one of the foundational memes of the early internet — and, remarkably, the footage that made him famous was shot years before YouTube even existed. The original star was a female cat named Fatso, owned by artist Charlie Schmidt, who filmed her in 1984 dressed in a little blue shirt with her paws moved to "play" an electric keyboard. Schmidt uploaded the clip to YouTube in 2007 as "Cool Cat", and in 2009 user Brad O'Farrell paired it with a blooper reel, captioning it "Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat." The format exploded: any time someone failed, fell over, or embarrassed themselves on camera, the internet would cut to Keyboard Cat jauntily playing them off the stage, the way a vaudeville performer would be ushered away. Fatso herself had died in 1987, long before her fame, but her image launched thousands of remixes, an official merchandise line, appearances in advertising, and even a (brief) legal flurry over the meme's commercial use. Keyboard Cat remains shorthand for a graceful — or not so graceful — exit.