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Lil Bub

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Lil Bub
Lil Bub in 2013
SpeciesFelis catus
SexFemale
Born(2011-06-21)June 21, 2011[1]
Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.
DiedDecember 1, 2019(2019-12-01) (aged 8)
Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.
OwnerMike Bridavsky
Weight3.9 lb (1.8 kg)[2]

Lil Bub, officially Lil BUB (June 21, 2011 – December 1, 2019), was an American celebrity cat known for her unique physical appearance. Her photos were first posted to Tumblr in November 2011, before taking off after being featured on the social news website Reddit.[3] "Lil Bub" on Facebook has over three million likes.[4] Lil Bub starred in Lil Bub & Friendz, a documentary that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 18, 2013, and won the Tribeca Online Festival Best Feature Film.

Background

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Lil Bub was the runt of her litter born to a feral mother.[5] She was born with several genetic mutations, had to be bottle-fed, and had difficulty being adopted.[3][6] Lil Bub had an extreme form of feline dwarfism that caused her limbs and lower jaw to be quite small in comparison to the rest of her body. The shortened lower jaw meant that, among other things, she could not retain her tongue within her mouth.[7] She also had extra toes.[8] Her owner, Mike Bridavsky, adopted her when his friends asked him to give her a home. When Bridavsky first picked her up, he said "Hey, Bub!"[3][9]

Lil Bub suffered from osteopetrosis for which she received medication.[10][11] In late 2012, during the filming of Lil Bub & Friendz, she had a serious health episode and was diagnosed with osteopetrosis by a specialist in Indianapolis.[10][12][13] Lil Bub's short legs and osteopetrosis restricted her movement but she was termed "a fantastic waddler."[3][6][11] Vibrations from travel also break down the osteoclasts.[14]

A group of individuals launched a campaign on the website Experiment.com to sequence Lil Bub's genome.[15] The purpose of this project was to better understand Lil Bub's unique appearance (for example, her extra digits). The campaign reached its funding goal on May 25, 2015.[15] The scientists found Lil Bub had a mutation in gene RANK/TNFRSF11A which has also been found in one mouse and fifteen humans. Their research on Lil Bub is published at bioRxiv.[16][17]

Bridavsky sold a variety of merchandise under the LIL BUB moniker and donated much of the profits to animal rescue groups.[3] Some of the money also helped Bridavsky pay off six months of back rent on his recording studio.[3] Bridavsky has a policy to not "approach anybody for anything" and chose to not sign with talent agent Ben Lashes, whose clients have included Grumpy Cat.[18] Lil Bub’s Lil Book: The Extraordinary Life of the Most Amazing Cat on the Planet was released September 3, 2013.[3]

In May 2021, Bridavsky released a visual history coffee table book, Lil BUB: The Earth Years, with author Aaron Tanner.[19]

Meet and greets

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Bridavsky arranged "meet and greets" for both him and Lil Bub at animal shelters around the US. The shelters received donations and a cut of merchandise sales.[20] Lil Bub met Grumpy Cat at the second annual Internet Cat Video Film Festival. Lil Bub had a book signing for her new book at Strand Books on September 5.[14] A screening of Lil Bub & Friendz at Metro Chicago raised $1,800 for Tree House Humane Society.[21]

Media appearances

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Lil Bub appeared on Good Morning America in August 2012.[10] She did a photoshoot with Bullett Magazine in October 2012.[22] She was also featured in Bloom Magazine in the December 2012/January 2013 edition.[23] Lil Bub posed for a PETA campaign that encouraged people to spay and neuter their pets in 2013.[24]

She appeared on Today and The View in April 2013.[9][10][25] Lil Bub appeared in the YouTube Big Live Comedy Show with Jack McBrayer and the cast of Workaholics.[26][27] She also appeared on an episode of Meme'd on The Pet Collective.[28] In September 2014, Lil Bub was interviewed by David Yow of The Jesus Lizard for The A.V. Club.[29]

Lil Bub makes an appearance in the film Nine Lives (2016) as the cat form of the film's main antagonist Ian Cox (Mark Consuelos) after he is hit by a car and his soul goes inside the cat's body.[30] Her final media appearance was in the 2018 movie I'll Be Next Door for Christmas.[31]

An album was released under Lil Bub's name, with Bridavsky as producer, in 2015. The album, Science & Magic, features liner notes by Andrew W.K. and includes recordings of Lil Bub's vocalizations interpolated into instrumental electronic music tracks.[32]

Lil Bub's life story was featured for 30 minutes during the three hour "Animal Special" episode of the Japanese TV show Experience a Miracle – Unbelievable. In this dramatization the role of Mike Bridavsky was played by New Zealand actor Gregory Snelgar.[33][34]

Lil Bub & Friendz

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Main article: Lil Bub & Friendz

Lil Bub stars in Lil Bub & Friendz, a documentary directed by Andy Capper and Juliette Eisner and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 18, 2013.[35][36] The film also stars Keyboard Cat, Nyan Cat and Grumpy Cat.[35][12][37] Capper and Eisner decided to make a full-length film after meeting Lil Bub and seeing the turnout of 10,000 people at the 2012 Internet Cat Video Film Festival in Minneapolis.[3][10][37] Lil Bub & Friendz won the Tribeca Online Festival Best Feature Film.[38]

Lil Bub, Bridavsky, Capper and Eisner attended the Tribeca Drive-In outdoor screening at the World Financial Center Plaza on April 20.[36][10][39] Lil Bub did a petting and photo session.[10][39] Festival co-head Robert De Niro met Lil Bub at the Director's Brunch on April 23 after co-head Jane Rosenthal quipped to The Hollywood Reporter "I keep saying Little Bub needs to meet Big Bob."[40][41]

On Lil Bub's second birthday, June 21, 2013, it was announced that she would star in Lil BUB's Big SHOW web series with Revision3.[1][42] Bridavsky selected Rev3 for its connections to Discovery Communications and Animal Planet.[18] Bridavsky had full writing and creative control.[18] The talk show format was made possible by having a subtitled Lil Bub edited with footage of her guests recorded separately.[18] Her first guest was Whoopi Goldberg who met her on The View in April 2013.[43] The episode ended with Lil Bub introducing the audience to Tabby's Place, a cat sanctuary for disadvantaged felines. The episode aired September 3, 2013.[44]

Death

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Lil Bub died in her sleep on December 1, 2019. According to Bridavsky, Lil Bub had been fighting an aggressive bone infection at the time of her death.[45]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Lil BUBIRTHDAY: BUB Turns 2!". YouTube. June 21, 2013. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  2. ^ "25 Things You Didn't Know About Lil BUB". Complex. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Sykes, Tom (April 19, 2013). "Lil Bub, The World's Cutest Cat, Stars In Documentary Lil Bub & Friendz at Tribeca". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on April 23, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
  4. ^ Lil Bub. "Lil Bub – Bloomington, IN – Public Figure". Facebook. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  5. ^ Victor, Daniel (December 3, 2019). "Lil Bub, Pioneer in Internet-Famous Cats, Dies at 8". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Lil BubAboutTimelineAbout (June 21, 2011). "Lil Bub". Facebook. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  7. ^ "ABOUT – Lil BUB". lilbub.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  8. ^ Solly, Meilan. "Genome Sequencing Offers Clues About Celebrity Cat Lil Bub's Unusual Appearance". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Lil Bub Visits "The View"!". Beta.abc.go.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Zakarin, Jordan (April 21, 2013). "Lil Bub Movie: Tribeca Film Fest Screening Delights Fans". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 23, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  11. ^ a b Wellman, Victoria (April 20, 2013). "Lil Bub makes it big". NYPOST.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  12. ^ a b Rothman, Lily (March 7, 2013). "'Lil Bub & Friendz': Internet Cats, Behind the Memes". Entertainment.time.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  13. ^ Lil Bub & Friendz
  14. ^ a b Bratburd, Rebecca (September 6, 2013). ""Lil Bub's Lil Book" Party at Strand Books". Online.wsj.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  15. ^ a b Ibrahim, Daniel M.; Symmons, Uschi; Lupiáñez, Darío G. "The LilBubome – Sequencing LilBub's Magical Genome". Experiment.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  16. ^ Brulliard, Karin (March 4, 2019). "Scientists have finally discovered what makes celebrity cat Lil Bub so 'magical'". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  17. ^ Guarino, Ben (May 22, 2015). "What Lil Bub's Genetic Mutations Show About Her Lineage". Inverse. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  18. ^ a b c d Movies (July 12, 2013). "Rise of the Hollywood Cats: Inside Grumpy Cat and Lil BUB's Big Deals". Thewrap.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  19. ^ "'Lil BUB: The Earth Years' Book and Music Project to Feature Jack Black, El-P, Thurston Moore". Spin. March 23, 2021. Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  20. ^ "10 Ways Lil BUB's Charity Is Helping Cats Everywhere". Complex. April 16, 2013. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  21. ^ "Metro | Chicago | Concert Calendar". Metrochicago.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  22. ^ Price, Kathryn. "The Many Faces of Lil Bub, the Most Famous Cat on the Internet". Bullettmedia.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2013. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  23. ^ Abrams, Sophie (December 12, 2012). "The Most Amazing Creature on the Planet: Lil Bub". magbloom.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  24. ^ Laura Stampler. "PETA Goes The Uncontroversial Route And Hires Lil Bub As A Spokescat" Archived April 15, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, finance.yahoo.com, June 10, 2013.
  25. ^ "Cat stars in her own documentary". Today.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  26. ^ Geoffrey Golden (May 21, 2013). "8 Highlights From YouTube's Big Live Comedy Show". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 20, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  27. ^ "The Big Live Comedy Show". YouTube. May 19, 2013. Archived from the original on May 23, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  28. ^ "Memed: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Lil' Bub". Thepetcollective.tv. Archived from the original on August 17, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  29. ^ Modell, Josh (September 2, 2014). "David Yow of The Jesus Lizard Interviews Lil Bub, a Cat from Outer Space." Archived August 20, 2017, at the Wayback Machine AVClub.com. Onion, Inc. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  30. ^ Price, Joe (December 2, 2019). "Lil Bub, Internet Cat Sensation, Has Died". Complex. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  31. ^ "I'll Be Next Door for Christmas". December 4, 2018. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2019 – via IMDb.
  32. ^ [https://web.archive.org/web/20220808054440/https://www.allmusic.com/album/science-magic-mw0002889165 Archived August 8, 2022, at the Wayback Machine Review of Science & Magic, Allmusic
  33. ^ "奇跡体験！アンビリバボー – フジテレビ". フジテレビ (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 7, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  34. ^ "価格.com – 「奇跡体験！アンビリバボー ～春満開！アニマル映像3時間SP！～」2018年4月5日（木）放送内容 | テレビ紹介情報". kakaku.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 7, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  35. ^ a b Makarechi, Kia (March 18, 2013). "'Lil Bub & Friendz' Trailer: From Meme To The Movies (VIDEO)". Huffingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  36. ^ a b "Lil Bub & Friendz". Tribecafilm.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  37. ^ a b Angela Lutz (April 11, 2013). ""Good Job Bub": Lil Bub and Friendz Turns the Internet Cat Video Into an Adorable Documentary". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on April 17, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  38. ^ "Here Are Your TFF 2013 Award Winners". Tribecafilm.com. April 25, 2013. Archived from the original on April 30, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  39. ^ a b Wortham, Jenna (April 25, 2013). "Lil Bub Hits the Tribeca Film Festival". Artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  40. ^ "Robert De Niro Met Internet Kitty Lil Bub and Took This Amazingly Adorable Photo". E! Online. April 24, 2013. Archived from the original on April 25, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  41. ^ Zakarin, Jordan (April 9, 2013). "Tribeca: Robert De Niro, Lil Bub and New York Flavor". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 13, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  42. ^ "Lil BUB Joins Revision3 in a Big Way". Revision3. June 21, 2013. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  43. ^ Jaworski, Michelle (September 4, 2013). "Watch Lil Bub's weirdly adorable talk show". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  44. ^ "Lil Bub Has Accomplished More In Her Two Years Than You Probably Will In Your Whole Life". Catsparella. September 4, 2013. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  45. ^ "It's me, Mike - BUB's dude. BUB has departed, she's on her way home". us5.campaign-archive.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
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