Have you seen the blue Smurf cat meme while scrolling through your social media? Most likely, considering the overwhelming popularity of the image.
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The meme first appeared on TikTok with the Russian hashtag #aлуа. On social media, the image has received millions of views and comments.
The popularity of the hashtags #smurfcat and #шайлушай cannot be underestimated, as they have received over 691 million and 443 million views, respectively.
But what is the origin of the meme? The image was created in 2014 by a man named Nate Hallinan. A user on X (Twitter) shared the origin of the image, leaving internet users shocked.
art by @NateHallinan pic.twitter.com/XQUu6rAFaX
— origins of iconic images (@image_origins) September 15, 2023
“It’s not AI?” asked a social media user. “It’s a decently coherent design, it’s not AI,” replied another. “Imagine some dude in 2011 drawing a 3D realistic Smurf cat just for it to blow up 12 years later,” analyzed a third.
