Kitler

Kitler

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Updated Aug 15, 2019 at 06:10AM EDT by shevyrolet.

Added Sep 24, 2009 at 11:45AM EDT by Trulsrohk.

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black and white photo of Hitler next to photo of Kitler, a cat that looks very much like Adolf Hitler

About

"Kitler" is a nickname used to describe white cats with black markings under their noses that resemble German dictator Adolf Hitler’s toothbrush mustache.[1] Cats with these coats were popularized in June 2006 by the single topic site Cats that Look Like Hitler.

Origin

In May 2006, Dutch journalist Koos Plegt[2] set up a blog[7] to showcase photos of cats with black fur under their noses, resembling Adolf Hitler's famous moustache[6] after seeing a cat with this coat pattern in his hometown of Zwolle, Holland.[3] A month after the site's inception, Plegt was contacted by British web developer Paul Neve[4] about turning the blog into a collaborative website. Cats That Look Like Hitler[5] was launched on June 26th, 2006. Users can rate and comment on the cat photos as well as submit their own.


screen grab of Koos Plegt's blog of cats that look like Hitler

Spread

Plegt's original blog was linked on the Geek Culture Forums[13], MetaFilter[8], I Am Bored[10] and Fresh Pics[11] as well as personal blogs like Dvorak[9] and Kitten Fluff.[12] After the domain had been set up, the new link was shared on art blog Meathaus[14], StumbleUpon[15] and web culture blog The Churning.[16] In January 2007, PopMatters[17] linked to the blog as well. "Kitler" was first defined on Urban Dictionary[19] on July 20th, 2006.

In 2009, Cats That Look Like Hitler was featured on the BBC talk show The Graham Norton Show, during which Norton browsed through the site with his guests and showcased some of his favorite cats. The site hit American television in July 2010 with a mention on The Colbert Report[18] followed by a CNN segment broadcasted the next day.

in the 2010 movie, The Social Network, in a scene that takes place in 2004, a girl gets an email about Zuckerberg's new site. When she initially sees the message alert, she tells her friend she hopes its another website of pictures of cat's that look like Hitler. IMDB even considered this a possible movie mistake, but pointed out that cats that look like Hitler was an existing concept before the site came out in 2006.[28]



Kitler in England

On July 29th, 2011, British newspaper the Telegraph[20] reported that an animal shelter in Godmanchester was having trouble finding a home for an abandoned kitten due to its black nose markings. Luminus, who was six weeks old at the time, was given the nickname Kitler by staff at the shelter. Within hours, news of the kitten's predicament spread across the Huffington Post[21], Uproxx[22], Buzzfeed[23] and Best Week Ever.[24] Later that day, the shelter announced[25] that Luminus had found a home thanks to all the attention from the web, which was covered by the Metro UK[26] and the Daily What.[27]


abandoned kitten because of black nose marking that appeared similar to HItler's Kitler cat Liminus being cute in a coffee cup

Notable Examples


close up of a kitler cat with Hitler like mustache lolcat meme of Adolf Kitler is not pleased Kitler cat on a table
Kitler cat looking even more like Hitler with Nazi paraphernalia surrounding him very surprised looking kitten with Hitler mustache Kitler cat posing for a picture

Search Interest

Search for the phrase "cats that look like Hitler" started picking up in June 2006, peaking in July 2006. Searches for Kitler tend to follow similar patterns.

External References

[1] Wikipedia – Toothbrush Mustache

[2] Twitter – @plegtermans

[3] Cats That Look Like Hitler – FAQ

[4] Twitter – @loccy

[5] Cats That Look Like Hitler – Home

[6] Vanity Fair via Wayback Machine – Becoming Adolf

[7] Web Archive – Hitler cats!

[8] Metafilter – Hitler Cats

[9] Dvorak – Dubious Blog of the Month -- Dedicated to Cats that Look Like Hitler

[10] I Am Bored – Hitler Cats

[11] Fresh Pics – Hitler Cats

[12] Kitten Fluff – Cats that look like Hitler

[13] Geek Culture Forums – Hitler Cats (cats that look like Hitler)

[14] Meathaus – Cats That Look Like Hitler

[15] StumbleUpon – Cats That Look Like Hitler!

[16] The Churning – Hitler Cats

[17] PopMatters – Mein Kat

[18] Wikipedia – Cats That Look Like Hitler

[19] Urban Dictionary – Definitions for "Kitler"

[20] The Telegraph – Hitler cat 'overlooked for adoption because of markings'

[21] The Huffington Post – Kitler, Cat Who Looks Like Hitler, Has Trouble Getting Adopted

[22] Uproxx – Heil Kitler!

[23] Buzzfeed – Kitler In Real Life

[24] Best Week Ever – Meet “Kitler,” The Adorable Cat That Looks Like Hitler

[25] Wood Green via Wayback Machine – Luminus finds a new home

[26] Metro via Wayback Machine – Kitler, the kitten who looks like Hitler, finds a new home

[27] The Daily What via Wayback Machine – I Can Has Lebensraum? of the Day

[28] IMDB – The Social Network Goofs

Recent Videos 3 total

Recent Images 36 total


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