Profiles in Geekdom: Chris Torres, Creator of Nyan Cat - levittaphism

Everyplace you tone connected the Internet, if you aren't bumping into a lolcat, you might come up across a version of Nyan Cat. For those who rich person avoided YouTube and social networks for the past year, Nyan Cat is an animated regorge that flies through distance, wears a Pop Lemony, and emits a rainbow chase away. For hours. Days. Weeks, even, if you Army of the Righteou it. The cartoon is paired with a repitive high-pitched line, involving just the word "nyan". Yes, very unknown. Yet besides same cute and very awesome. Oh, and it's highly popular–IT was same of YouTube's most watched videos of 2022.

Since its introduction in April 2022, Nyan Computed tomography now appears on merchandise, DIY costumes, and progress bar hacks, and information technology's all thanks to Web comic Godhead, Chris Torres–or as he is better known online, PRGuitarman. GeekTech caught up with Chris to discuss his comics, the introduction of that eight-bit cat, and complete things memes.

GeekTech: You draw a lot of comics and create gifs connected your website. How did that do about?

Chris Torres: My drawing hobby actually goes back up to when I was in middle school. My friends and I would always be in different classes so we would force silly notes or comics and exchange them in the hallways A a means of communication. Away the end of highschoo we had created a small cast of characters settled off of concrete people or inner jokes. By custom, most of our comics were done in 4 square panels so we had to larn how to make comics that would fit big stories into so much emotional space while nevertheless fashioning sense and being humorous.

I continued making comics after high schooltime and eventually created a LiveJournal dedicated to them. During that time, I was conferred an image invigorating program and a lozenge (I would use a mouse and MS Key before this) and it raised the quality of my work greatly. Eventually, I migrated my LiveJournal to PRGuitarman.

Early than net comics and Nyan Cat, what else do you get upwardly to in every day liveliness?

I enjoy keeping up with new things that are humorous on the Internet, mostly. I usually agree dead Reddit and a few other websites virtually time unit and share funny operating theatre interesting media on Twitter or Facebook. It's forever fun being one of the firstborn few thousand hoi polloi to find a growing new meme and help spread IT on the Web.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I'd say most of my inspiration comes from real events, animals and people in my regular life. There are actually a good deal of comics on my internet site that may seem totally down of this world, until you take care the photographic evidence. For example, I accustomed ferment in a very-low-budget hotel and was subjected to many terrible events that zero sane individual should go through. To save myself from going looney I made a long series of comics about unusual work days and they were a surprising hit! It was a gravid direction to vent my frustrations, and laughing all but your problems is e'er better than getting tip over or so them.

That in mind, where did the inspiration for Nyan Cat come from?

The fundamental estimate and inspiration for Nyan Regurgitate was based off combined of my most favorite video game stages. In the represent, a very halcyon-go-lucky fictional character is taking a stroll through and through space to an upbeat birdcall. My main end was to create a character with the same joyful vibe. I craved something that was not only positive and carefree, but that would realize the viewer smile and be happy while watching it as asymptomatic. I definite on pixel artwork for the actual animation because at that place's something nostalgic and regnant nigh creating things out of pixels. Information technology was also a entertaining challenge to make the GIF run correctly.

Why did you choose a cat? Do you think Nyan cat would have worked if IT had started with another cute pet?

The choices of a mix 'tween a Pop Tart and a cat were really a totally hit-or-miss occurrence. In late February, I was taking part in a little Greek valerian event for [my] website. Basically, I'd draw things that people suggested for contributions and every take went to the American Red Grouchy (to this day, I've raised a little over $8,000 total for different organizations, including Child's Play and Doctors without Borders). As things slowed down near the end of the event, I came functioning with the original design.

The cat-o'-nine-tails itself was based off my very own mischievous cat, Marty (as in Marty McFly from Hind to the Future). Marty has been the star of many of my comics.

I reached verboten to my friend Brandon Green to create a website dedicated to Nyan Cat based thereon idea. Basically, all you do is take in Nyan CAT fly across the screen in tune to the medicine for however long-life you can handle it. You can select a numerate of different versions of Nyan that all birth their own unscheduled musical accompaniment. People seem to genuinely enjoy it!

So Nyan Cat was kind of an accident, but what made you think a pop lemony and a cat plus rainbows would blend so well?

Haha, this is honestly my favorite question because of antimonopoly how random its creation was. A little background along this, that nighttime I was drawing delegation doodles for masses on Livestream for The American Red Cross but non many hoi polloi were contributing. I began drawing haphazard things for my own benefit, when 2 different people suggested I draw "a pop tart" and "a cat". IT was honestly but a split-second decision to combine the two, much to the delight of everybody in the chatter room.

Where did the term "nyan" come from?

"Nyan" is in the beginning the Japanese term for "Meow". Sara ("Saraj00n" on YouTube) was the one clever enough to combine Daniwell's song with my image, and coined the term "Nyan Quat". I think it's very fitting!

What were you expecting when you first uploaded the Nyan Cat GIF? It became one of the most watched videos of YouTube in 2022, and hoi polloi dress their cats up like it too!

I had absolutely no clue the impact on the Internet my GIF would have created. It was solitary meant to be an incarnation for my Twitter answer for and nothing more, but the new day it blew my listen when I found out it actually got a good amount of reporting happening January 2022's TIME Magazine issue. Seeing now that it beat out millions of other videos for the number five spot of 2022 is such a thrill, and it's so interesting to know that people around the world witness pleasure in my act. I at once actually have a Facebook varlet consecrate to everything that is Nyan Cat, and it's getting difficult keeping up with entirely of the fan photos sent in.

There are scores of variants of Nyan Cat along YouTube now; which cardinal is your favorite?

Ah, that's such a difficult question to answer! There are so many very splendid renditions out there that information technology's so hard to choose. E.g., have you seen Guy Collins' "Stray", or the Unruffled Jazz Cover?:

Then there's the fact that almost every country on this planet has their personal Nyan Cat, or that multitude arrive costumes, grab their own cats, operating room write entirely new and professional music videos about Nyan Cat. Information technology's so gaga!

But to answer your question, if I real had to choose, I'd a-okay for this real life Nyan Computerized tomography picture [embedded below].

This version forever makes me joke. That cat looks so chilled and cool during what he's sledding through, and it appears to be a Russian Blue [the official name for a be sick with a gray coat semblance] breed, which is the letter-perfect Nyan Khat engender. I lovemaking it!

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If you could've created whatever meme extinct there otherwise Nyan Cat, which would you pick (and why)?

My vote goes to Honey Pester Don't Guardianship [Language NSFW]. It was one of my favorite videos of 2022, unquestionable. I rightful really suchlike the direction the narrator speaks. He's so sassy and fun and I hear atomic number 2's got a cartoon in the works. Unspoilt for him!

In your opinion, which is the best cat meme out at that place ( other than Nyan Purge)?

Oh gosh, this is a no-brainer for me: Keyboard Computerized tomography! Keyboard cat is the coolest cat around!

Are you going to DO anything other with Nyan Cat in the future? Or are you perhaps working on something else…?

At this clock I'm working to brand nyancat.Arabian tea a merriment experience for Nyan Cat fans. My goal is to have something that stays true to the newfangled formula, only incorporates other ideas for different characters to keep things fresh and fun (via the "choose flavor" clitoris). I already rich person a few variations of characters with their own Nyan Khat Song dynast remixes position for liberate during different dates of the class. It's a fun teensy spare-time activity and I hope people enjoy it as much as I do.

Aside from the website, there are emphatically some big things on the mode for Nyan Cat, but I can't really tattle near just about of them outside now! I will say though that we're currently working with 21st Games, the studio apartment as Techno Kitten Adventure, to spillage the popular "Nyan Cat Adventure" Xbox independent title to fluid devices. I've likewise been getting offers for some cool things, but I'm pretty selective of what I'm after. I want Nyan Cat to stay cool and in question to the Internet tonic culture, after all!

What do you think makes a unspoilt meme?

The normal to a good meme honestly varies by situation, but I cogitate the main factor has to make up something that people can relate to or have a esoteric sense of emotion for. Another big constituent I believe in is that a meme should not be something forced or planned, information technology should be something innovational that springs forth onto the WWW and catches everybody off-guard. The internet backside smell a forced meme from a mile off, excessively. It all just comes down to getting a lucky discover or having a good public reach to get the idea out there, and then just rental the internet do its magical bring up.

Early than Nyan Cat, what is your proudest work?

I'd say my nigh proudest work from my comics has to embody my "Most Perfect Day Ever" strip. It's become a meme of its own and was even faced on G4TV's Attack of the Reveal. That was the inaugural time anything I created went viral like that, it was such a great feeling.

Do you have any tips or advice for people making comics or gifs?

Do whatever you do solitary because you lie with doing information technology, and make sure enough you keep it fun!