Grumpy Cat

Grumpy Cat — real name Tardar Sauce — became one of the most recognisable animals on the internet after a photo of her perpetual scowl was posted to Reddit in September 2012 and went viral within hours. Her grumpy expression was the result of feline dwarfism and an underbite, not actual unhappiness; by all accounts she was a pleasant, affectionate cat. Her owner Tabatha Bundesen, a waitress from Arizona, quickly found herself running a small business: Grumpy Cat had her own manager, film deal (the 2014 Lifetime movie Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever), a New York Times bestselling book series, and merchandise estimated to have generated over $100 million. She appeared on the cover of New York magazine and was named Time magazine's internet sensation of the year. Tardar Sauce died in May 2019 from complications from a urinary tract infection, aged seven. Her legacy lives on through her social media accounts, which retain tens of millions of followers.