Grumpy Cat image macros feature photographs of Tardar Sauce, a small cat with an underbite and feline dwarfism that gave her a permanently displeased expression3. The typical format places bold white text above and below a photo of the cat, delivering some kind of cynical, negative, or dismissive punchline from the cat's point of view. The most iconic caption is "I had fun once. It was awful"11.

What made Grumpy Cat work as a meme was simplicity. The cat's face needed no explanation. She looked miserable, and people projected their own grumpiest thoughts onto that expression. Unlike many memes that require context, Grumpy Cat was instantly readable to anyone who saw it8.

Grumpy Cat crossed over from internet joke to mainstream celebrity faster than almost any meme animal before her. She appeared on Today, Good Morning America, CBS Evening News, Anderson Cooper Live, VH1 Morning Buzz, and The Soup5. New York Magazine put her on the cover11. Madame Tussauds in San Francisco made a wax figure of her in 20153.

The commercial machine around Grumpy Cat was massive. Sponsorship deals with Friskies, partnerships with major retailers, multiple best-selling books, a Lifetime movie, a comic book series, and over 1,000 licensed products all grew from a single Reddit post3. Estimates of Grumpy Cat's total earnings varied wildly. A 2014 report claimed $100 million, though Tabatha Bundesen disputed that figure11.

The 2018 copyright lawsuit against Grenade Beverage set a legal precedent for how meme-based intellectual property could be defended in court. The $710,000 jury award showed that internet-famous animals could generate enforceable commercial rights8.

Grumpy Cat also inspired other artists and creators. The Lowe Mill art project in Alabama brought together 30 artists to create original works inspired by the meme, with pieces ranging from paintings to sculptures to chain mail art7.

Grumpy Cat's rise from a Reddit post to a full commercial brand happened at a speed that few internet-famous animals have matched. Meme manager Ben Lashes, who also represented Keyboard Cat and Nyan Cat, signed on to manage the cat's growing career3. By mid-2013, Tabatha Bundesen quit her job as a waitress at Red Lobster to manage Grumpy Cat's schedule full-time, while Bryan handled the website and social media accounts8.

The merchandising machine kicked into gear quickly. T-shirts appeared on sites like Clothes That Kill shortly after the initial viral wave2. Licensed merchandise expanded to Hot Topic, Walmart, and Thinkgeek5. By August 2018, Grumpy Cat Limited held eight trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and over 1,000 items were listed in the official online shop3. Products included mugs, stuffed animals from Gund and Ganz, guitar straps, and a Madame Tussauds waxwork unveiled in San Francisco in 20153.

The publishing side was just as aggressive. Chronicle Books released *Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book* on July 23, 2013, which debuted at number eight on Publishers Weekly's hardcover nonfiction best-seller list3. A second book, *The Grumpy Guide to Life: Observations by Grumpy Cat*, hit number three on the New York Times Best Seller list in Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous3. Dynamite Entertainment launched a comic book series in 2015, *The Misadventures of Grumpy Cat and Pokey*, featuring Tardar Sauce and her brother9. Dover Publications put out coloring books, paper dolls, and sticker books3.

In September 2013, Friskies named Grumpy Cat their official "Spokescat," starring her in the YouTube game show "Will Kitty Play With It?"13. For her SXSW appearance, TMZ reported that Friskies covered first-class flights, a private hotel room with a king-sized bed, a personal assistant, a chauffeur, and unlimited Friskies food and bottled water3.

Hollywood came calling too. Grumpy Cat appeared in *Lil Bub & Friendz*, a documentary that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 18, 2013, and won the Tribeca Online Festival Best Feature Film3. In May 2013, Broken Road Productions optioned the cat for a Garfield-style feature film. Producer Todd Garner said, "This started off as a picture of a cat, but rare is an image that evokes that much comedy"5. That big-screen project never materialized, but Lifetime produced *Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever* in 2014, with Aubrey Plaza voicing the cat8.

The brand's most dramatic moment came in the courtroom. In May 2013, Grumpy Cat Limited had partnered with Grenade Beverage LLC to produce "Grumppuccino" iced coffee drinks10. But when Grenade expanded beyond the agreed-upon product line, producing roasted ground coffee without authorization, Grumpy Cat Limited sued in December 20153. In January 2018, a California jury ruled in favor of Grumpy Cat and ordered Grenade to pay $710,000 in damages for copyright and trademark infringement8.

The cat's creative influence extended beyond the commercial sphere. In 2013, thirty artists at Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment in Huntsville, Alabama created original artworks inspired by Grumpy Cat, ranging from paintings to jewelry to chain mail sculptures, auctioning them to raise money for a playground7. "We really wanted to use this project to show how art can elevate even the silliest subject," organizer Dustin Timbrook said7.

Tardar Sauce died at home on May 14, 2019, following complications from a urinary tract infection. She was seven years old. Her family announced the death on May 17, saying she "helped millions of people smile all around the world"12. Tributes poured in from across the internet, including from the Garfield social media account and from Aubrey Plaza, who said her "heart was broken"8. At the time of her death, Grumpy Cat had 1.5 million followers on Twitter, 2.4 million on Instagram, and 8.5 million on Facebook12.