Keyboard Cat, the internet's first music cat

Keyboard Cat is a 1984 home video of an orange cat named Fatso "playing" a keyboard while wearing a blue shirt. Owner Charlie Schmidt moved the paws from off camera. He put it on YouTube in 2007, and in 2009 it became the "play him off, Keyboard Cat" meme.

The Keyboard Cat timeline

1984. Charlie Schmidt films Fatso at the keyboard, just for fun.
1987. Fatso dies, long before anyone online knows the clip.
2007. Schmidt digitizes the tape and uploads it to YouTube. It gets modest views.
2009. Brad O'Farrell adds the clip to the end of a video where things go wrong. "Play him off, Keyboard Cat" becomes the way to end any awkward moment.
Later. Schmidt's next cat, Bento, takes over the role in new videos.

Why the meme lasted

Keyboard Cat is a punchline you can attach to anything. Something embarrassing happens, cut to the cat, the jaunty tune plays, the moment is over. Schmidt let people use the clip freely, which helped it spread.

It also shows how old memes can be. The cat on the screen was filmed before the internet as we know it existed.

Music game ideas for Keyboard Cat

Play them off. Funny fails pop up on screen. Hit the right keys in time to play each one off.
Cat band. Keyboard Cat leads a band of animals. Listen to the tune, then repeat it.
Jam session. Friends each pick an instrument. The cat keeps the beat, you keep up.

Music games on Roam

Monster Orchestra is a musical memory puzzle like Simon: listen close, then seat the band in the right order. Disco Legends is a rhythm dance tapper in the spirit of Guitar Hero. A cat in a blue shirt would lead either one.

Play it on Roam

Make your own Keyboard Cat game with Roam

Describe the band, the songs and the fails. Roam builds it as a music game you can play solo or with friends. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.

Try: "music memory game, an orange cat in a blue shirt plays a tune on a keyboard, repeat it to play off funny fails, longer tunes each round, friends join the band"

Create it with Roam Pre-register on Android See Roam

Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play.

Questions people ask

Who was Keyboard Cat?

An orange cat named Fatso, filmed by owner Charlie Schmidt in 1984.

What does "play him off, Keyboard Cat" mean?

It is a way to end an awkward or failed moment by cutting to the cat playing a cheerful tune.

Is Keyboard Cat still alive?

Fatso died in 1987. A later cat, Bento, played the role in new videos.