Keyboard Cat features an orange tabby cat named Fatso wearing a blue shirt and 'playing' an upbeat tune on an electronic keyboard. The footage was originally recorded by Charlie Schmidt in 1984 but didn't become a viral sensation until 2007 when it was used as a 'play him off' gag for fail videos. The meme serves as a comedic punctuation mark, signaling that someone has failed so miserably or awkwardly that they need to be ushered off the stage by a musical cat. It remains one of the most foundational pillars of early YouTube culture and internet humor, representing the transition of home videos into global digital icons.