'We Live, We Love, We Lie,' How A TikTok Meme Universe Sprouted Up Around This Little Blue Smurf Cat

The Russian-language meme called "Smurf Cat," also known as the "Blue Mushroom Cat" and originally named "Шайлушай" or "Shailushai" in English, features a blue, elf-like creature with a mushroom head and a cat's face, resembling a Smurf from the animated series. The meme initially gained popularity on TikTok in mid-2023, often shown in photo slideshows with captions in Impact font, using the word "Шайлушай," which is gibberish in Russian but similar to "шалопай," meaning "little scoundrel."

The creatures in the artwork are typically seen walking through a forest with a snail hanging from a stick, while memes using it often include the song "The Spectre" by Alan Walker, particularly the lyrics "We live. We love. We lie," which also became a notable element of its meme evolution.

The original image was created by artist Nate Hallinan way back in 2011, titled "Smurf Sighting," which largely flew under the radar until September when it went viral on TikTok, leading to comparisons and powerscaling edits and the emergence of other food-animal hybrids like the Pineapple Owl and Blueberry Cat.

In our latest video, we explore the history of this seemingly random image and follow along its journey to becoming one of this year's biggest memes and viral images.