Before TikTok turned short videos into a global language and before social media creators became full-time celebrities, the internet had a much simpler way of making people laugh. A funny clip could appear almost anywhere and suddenly become a meme. One of the most recognizable examples is Keyboard Cat
The orange tabby wearing a blue shirt and appearing to play an electronic keyboard became one of the defining images of early internet culture.
The clip was used after embarrassing moments and failed stunts as a humorous way of saying, “It is time to leave the stage.”
He created the original video in 1984 and later became the person responsible for carrying the Keyboard Cat identity into the internet age.
So what happened to Charlie Schmidt and the cat behind the meme? Why did the original cat disappear? Who was Bento? What happened after Bento died? And is there still a Keyboard Cat today?
Here is the full story of Charlie Schmidt, Fatso and the unlikely journey of one of the internet’s most enduring memes.
Also Read: Can Fabio Silva Fill Portugal’s Striker Void?
Table of Contents
Who Is Charlie Schmidt?
Charlie Schmidt is an artist, musician, inventor and cat trainer from Spokane, Washington.1
He became internationally known after a home video he made decades earlier turned into the Keyboard Cat meme.
Schmidt’s connection with Keyboard Cat began long before YouTube existed. In 1984, Schmidt filmed his orange tabby cat Fatso sitting at an electronic keyboard.
Fatso wore a small blue shirt while Schmidt manipulated the cat’s paws from behind.
The result made it look as though Fatso was happily playing the keyboard. The idea was simple and playful rather than a carefully planned attempt to create a viral video.
In a 2009 interview with Love Meow, Schmidt explained that he worked with the tools he had available. He had Fatso, a keyboard with memory, a tripod and a camera. He also composed the music himself.
The footage was recorded on VHS and then forgotten for many years. That forgotten home video would eventually become one of the most famous pieces of early internet culture.
Why Did Keyboard Cat Become So Popular?
The success of Keyboard Cat was not based on a complicated story. That was part of its strength.
The meme could be understood almost instantly. A person did something embarrassing.
Keyboard Cat appeared. The music played. End of story.
The format was also extremely easy to reuse. People could add the clip to different fail videos and create their own versions.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the original video had already attracted hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube before the meme format really took off.
Brad O’Farrell’s mashup helped transform the clip into something much bigger. The meme then spread across websites and social media.
By April and May 2009, Keyboard Cat was appearing across the internet. It received attention from major media outlets and celebrities.
Ashton Kutcher also helped increase the meme’s visibility when he shared a Keyboard Cat video with his large following in May 2009.
Know Your Meme notes that Kutcher’s post helped bring even more attention to the phenomenon.
The cat was no longer just a funny home video. Keyboard Cat had become an internet character.
Tonight at V du V! pic.twitter.com/mxNM013T2a
— charlie schmidt (@chuckieart) September 5, 2025
Quick Stats
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Creator | Charlie Schmidt |
| Original cat | Fatso |
| Original footage | 1984 |
| Original platform upload | YouTube |
| YouTube upload | 2007 |
| Meme breakout | 2009 |
| Famous meme format | “Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat” |
| Meme amplifier | Brad O’Farrell |
| Second Keyboard Cat | Bento |
| Bento’s lifespan | 2008–2018 |
| Third Keyboard Cat | Skinny |
| Charlie Schmidt’s base | Spokane, Washington |
| Original instrument | Electronic keyboard |
| Original recording format | VHS |
Who Was the Original Keyboard Cat?
The original Keyboard Cat was Fatso, an orange tabby owned by Charlie Schmidt.2
The famous footage was filmed in 1984. Fatso was approximately one year old when the video was recorded.
Schmidt dressed the cat in a small blue shirt and positioned him in front of a keyboard. He then manipulated Fatso’s paws from behind the cat so that the movements looked like playing.
The video was not created as a professional production. It was essentially a homemade experiment.
Schmidt later explained that Fatso had a calm personality when handled correctly. He also said the cat had some training but described Fatso as something of a natural performer.
The catchy keyboard music also came from Schmidt. He said he composed the track in about two minutes because he wanted something for Fatso to “play out.”
That small creative decision helped make the clip memorable.
There was something almost perfect about the combination. The cat looked serious. The shirt looked ridiculous. The music sounded cheerful. And the performance was completely unexpected.
But Fatso would never know how famous the video eventually became.
What Happened to Fatso?
Fatso died in 1987. That means the original Keyboard Cat had already been gone for roughly two decades when his video was uploaded to YouTube in 2007. This is one of the strangest parts of the Keyboard Cat story.
When internet users discovered the video in the late 2000s they were watching footage of a cat that had died years earlier.
The meme therefore created a new digital life for Fatso long after his actual life had ended.
According to Know Your Meme, the original footage was recorded in 1984 and Fatso died in 1987.
The video itself remained largely forgotten for years. That changed when Schmidt digitized the old VHS footage and uploaded it to YouTube.
How Did Keyboard Cat Become a Meme?
Schmidt uploaded the old video to YouTube in 2007 under the title “charlie schmidt’s ‘cool cat.’”
At first it did not become a sensation. The internet was already growing rapidly but viral video culture was still developing.
YouTube had not yet become the enormous entertainment platform it would later become. The video sat online for nearly two years.
Then Brad O’Farrell discovered its potential. O’Farrell was involved with My Damn Channel and created a mashup in which the Keyboard Cat footage was placed at the end of a blooper clip.
The idea was that the cat was essentially playing a person offstage after an embarrassing failure.
That gave birth to the famous phrase:
“Play him off, Keyboard Cat.”
The concept had roots in an old theatrical tradition. Performers who were failing or taking too long could be symbolically “played off” the stage. The idea worked perfectly with internet fail videos.
Someone would fall. Someone would make an embarrassing mistake. Someone would suffer a ridiculous mishap.
Then Keyboard Cat would appear. The joke was immediate.
Know Your Meme records February 2, 2009 as an important date in the development of the “Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat” format.
Keyboard Cat Entered Mainstream Culture
The meme quickly escaped the boundaries of YouTube. Keyboard Cat appeared in television coverage and became part of the wider pop culture conversation around viral videos.
The Guardian reported on the phenomenon in 2009. CNN and other major outlets also covered the meme.
The character was referenced at events and appeared in commercial and entertainment projects. This was significant because the internet was still developing its relationship with mainstream entertainment.
Today it is normal for a meme to become a brand within hours.
In 2009 that process was much newer. Keyboard Cat was one of the examples that showed how an obscure internet clip could move from YouTube to television, advertising, merchandise and mainstream media.
What Happened to Charlie Schmidt After the Meme Became Famous?
Charlie Schmidt did not simply disappear after Keyboard Cat became famous.
He became closely associated with the character and its commercial opportunities.
He created websites and merchandise around Keyboard Cat. He also continued producing content featuring cats.
One of the most important developments was the arrival of a new cat named Bento.
Bento looked similar to Fatso and eventually became the second cat to carry the Keyboard Cat identity.
Schmidt announced Bento as the next Keyboard Cat around 2010. The cat became known as Keyboard Cat 2.0.
This meant that the Keyboard Cat brand could continue even though the original cat had been gone for decades.
Who Was Bento?
Bento was an orange tabby who became the second major Keyboard Cat. Unlike Fatso, Bento lived during the internet era and was able to experience the fame associated with the meme.
Bento appeared in new Keyboard Cat videos and became a recognizable internet personality in his own right.
He also appeared in commercial projects. One notable appearance came in a Wonderful Pistachios advertisement.
The Keyboard Cat character had moved from a homemade VHS video to professional advertising.
Bento also became part of the wider world of internet-famous cats.
The Guardian later included Bento among notable internet cats. Bento’s story was very different from Fatso’s.
Fatso became famous after his death. Bento became famous while he was alive.
What Happened to Bento the Keyboard Cat?
Bento died in March 2018. He was around nine years old according to several sources, although some contemporary reporting listed his age differently.
The Guardian reported his death as occurring at age eight. His death generated widespread reactions online.
For many internet users Bento was the Keyboard Cat they actually remembered from the peak of the meme era.
His passing therefore felt like the end of an important piece of early internet culture.
Schmidt posted a tribute to Bento and initially appeared uncertain about whether there would be another Keyboard Cat.
It was understandable. Fatso had been the original. Bento had carried the character into a new generation.
Replacing another beloved cat could have felt unnatural. But the Keyboard Cat story was not finished.
Who Is Skinny, the New Keyboard Cat?
In 2019, Charlie Schmidt introduced Skinny as the next Keyboard Cat. Skinny had actually been part of Schmidt’s household for years.
The cat was adopted in 2009 and was named after Fatso’s sister. Skinny had spent years watching Bento receive the attention associated with Keyboard Cat.
After Bento died, Skinny finally stepped into the spotlight. The Spokesman-Review reported in 2019 that Skinny had become Keyboard Cat 3.0.
Schmidt explained that Skinny had been around for years and had watched Bento receive the attention.
This was an important moment because it showed that Keyboard Cat was not simply one animal. It had become a character and a legacy.
Fatso created it. Bento carried it through the height of meme culture. Skinny became the next generation.
Also Read: Angela Nikolau Age, Bio, Career, Relationship and Net Worth 2026
Is Keyboard Cat Still Alive?
The answer depends on which Keyboard Cat you mean.
Fatso is not alive. He died in 1987. Bento is not alive. He died in 2018. But the Keyboard Cat identity continued with Skinny.
In 2019, Skinny was introduced as Keyboard Cat 3.0 and began making appearances with Schmidt. The Spokesman-Review described Skinny’s public debut as part of a Street Music Week event in Spokane.
So when people ask what happened to Keyboard Cat, the story is more complicated than simply saying that the cat died.
The original cat died decades ago. The second Keyboard Cat also died. But the character itself survived.
What Happened to Charlie Schmidt’s YouTube Channel?
Keyboard Cat’s internet history has not always been smooth.3
Schmidt’s original YouTube channel was reportedly hacked in 2020 by a cryptocurrency group.
The channel was later reinstated but the original videos were not restored at the time of later reporting. That was an ironic twist for a meme that had already survived so many changes.
Keyboard Cat had survived the death of its original star. It survived the death of its second star. It survived changing internet trends.
And it even survived problems with the channel that helped preserve its history.
The fact that the meme continued circulating through reposts and archives shows how internet culture can preserve material even when the original source disappears.
Why Is Keyboard Cat Still Important?
Keyboard Cat may look simple by modern standards.
There is no elaborate production. There are no special effects. There is no complex storyline.
It is simply a cat in a shirt appearing to play a keyboard. Yet that simplicity is exactly why the meme worked.
Keyboard Cat became a universal reaction to failure. The meme did not need language.
A viewer could understand the joke even without knowing the original video. That made it easy to use across different websites and communities.
It also arrived at an important moment in internet history. In 2009, viral videos were becoming a major part of online culture.
YouTube was growing quickly. Social media was changing how people shared content. Memes were becoming recognizable forms of communication.
Keyboard Cat was part of that transition.
Charlie Schmidt’s Role Was Bigger Than the Meme
It is easy to remember only the cat. But Charlie Schmidt was essential to the entire story.
He filmed the original footage. He trained and worked with Fatso. He created the music. He preserved the old video.
He uploaded it to YouTube. He gave permission for the footage to be reused.
He then continued the character through Bento and later Skinny. That makes Schmidt more than simply “the owner of Keyboard Cat.”
He was the creator and caretaker of one of the earliest major internet meme characters.
In an interview with Love Meow, Schmidt said he never expected the video to become a meme. His reaction to the public response was essentially one of surprise.
That is perhaps the most fitting part of the story. He did not set out to create internet history. He simply made a funny video with his cat.
Was Fatso Really Playing the Keyboard?
No. Fatso was not independently performing a complete keyboard piece. The appearance of playing was created by Schmidt manipulating the cat’s paws from behind.
The blue shirt helped hide Schmidt’s hands and made the illusion work. This is part of what made the original video so funny.
It was a playful piece of performance art rather than a genuine feline piano performance.
Schmidt’s ability to make the cat appear calm and focused was important too.
The result looked convincing enough to become a meme but silly enough to be instantly funny.
What Made the Blue Shirt So Iconic?
The blue shirt became part of Keyboard Cat’s visual identity. A simple orange tabby might have been difficult to distinguish from thousands of other cat videos.
But the combination of the orange fur, blue shirt and keyboard created a recognizable character.
The shirt also served a practical purpose. It helped hide Schmidt’s hands as he manipulated Fatso’s paws.
Over time the shirt became inseparable from the Keyboard Cat image.
Even people who never watched the original full video could recognize the character from a still image.
That is one of the strongest signs of a successful meme.
Did Charlie Schmidt Make Money From Keyboard Cat?
Keyboard Cat eventually became a commercial brand. The character appeared in advertising, merchandise and other projects.
Bento’s appearance in a Wonderful Pistachios campaign was one of the most visible examples.
The meme also inspired toys, clothing and other merchandise. Schmidt discussed merchandise and commercial opportunities during the early years of Keyboard Cat’s popularity.
However, exact figures about Schmidt’s total earnings or current net worth are not reliably established by authoritative public sources.
That is important because many websites publish estimated net worth numbers without showing how those figures were calculated.
There is no strong reason to treat those estimates as confirmed facts.
Keyboard Cat’s Legacy in Internet Culture
Keyboard Cat belongs to an earlier generation of memes.
It came from a time when viral content often spread through YouTube, blogs, forums and social media posts rather than the short-form video feeds that dominate today.
Yet the basic idea remains familiar. A funny clip is taken out of context. A reaction is added.
The new version becomes more popular than the original. That is exactly what happened with Keyboard Cat.
The original footage was made in 1984. It was uploaded in 2007. It became a major meme in 2009.
The gap between those dates is what makes the story so unusual.
Fatso’s short home-video performance became more famous than many professionally produced entertainment projects from the same era.
What Happened to Keyboard Cat After the Meme Era?
The internet moved on. New memes replaced old memes. Platforms changed. Social media changed.
The style of online humor changed. But Keyboard Cat never completely disappeared.
The character remained recognizable because the joke was so simple.
Whenever an old meme gets rediscovered, Keyboard Cat is one of the names that often comes up alongside other early internet icons.
The meme also helped establish a model for what later became common online.
A pet could become a character. A home video could become a brand. An ordinary person could become famous without planning to become famous.
And an old piece of media could suddenly become valuable years after it was created.
The Most Interesting Part of Charlie Schmidt’s Story
The most interesting part of Charlie Schmidt’s story may be that Keyboard Cat was never really about one cat.
It started with Fatso. Then it continued with Bento. Then came Skinny. The animal changed but the character remained.
That is similar to how fictional characters work in traditional entertainment.
An actor can change while the character survives. Keyboard Cat followed a surprisingly similar model.
The internet turned a homemade video into a character that could be passed from one cat to another.
Fatso remains the original. Bento became the cat most closely associated with the meme’s peak.
Skinny represented the continuation of the legacy.
View this post on Instagram
FAQ’s
Who created Keyboard Cat?
Keyboard Cat was created by artist and cat trainer Charlie Schmidt. He filmed the original footage of his cat Fatso in 1984. Brad O’Farrell later helped turn the footage into the “Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat” meme format.
What was the original Keyboard Cat’s name?
The original Keyboard Cat was named Fatso. He was an orange tabby owned by Charlie Schmidt.
Is the original Keyboard Cat still alive?
No. Fatso died in 1987, long before the video became a major internet meme in 2009.
When was the Keyboard Cat video filmed?
The original footage was filmed in 1984.
When did Keyboard Cat become famous?
Keyboard Cat became a major internet meme in 2009 after Brad O’Farrell created the “Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat” format.
Conclusion
The story of Keyboard Cat is much stranger than the meme itself.
The original video was created in 1984 by Charlie Schmidt as a playful home recording of his cat Fatso. It sat for years before Schmidt uploaded it to YouTube in 2007.
Then in 2009, Brad O’Farrell found a new way to use the footage.
By attaching Keyboard Cat to fail videos, he created the “Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat” format that helped turn a forgotten home video into a global meme.
But by the time millions of people discovered Keyboard Cat, Fatso had already been dead for more than 20 years.
More importantly, Charlie Schmidt’s story shows how unpredictable internet fame can be.
A homemade VHS recording made for fun became a defining meme more than two decades later.
Fatso never knew he was famous.
But the little orange cat in the blue shirt helped change the language of the early internet forever.
Also Read: Amy Beck Bio: Why Noah Beck’s Mom Suddenly Went Viral Again
