Maru (cat)
 Maru on the cover of his book from 2009 | |
| Other name | Round |
|---|---|
| Species | Cat |
| Breed | Scottish straight |
| Sex | Male |
| Born | 24 May 2007 Japan |
| Died | 6 September 2025 (aged 18) Japan |
| Years active | 2008–2025 |
| Known for | Internet celebrity cat |
| sisinmaru | |
Maru (Japanese: まる; 24 May 2007 – 6 September 2025) was a male Scottish Straight cat in Japan who became popular on YouTube. Videos featuring Maru have been viewed over 577 million times[1] and at one point he held the Guinness World Records for the most YouTube video views of an individual animal. Maru was described as the "most famous cat on the internet".[2]
Life
[edit]Maru, a Scottish Straight cat, was born on 24 May 2007. When he was four months old, he came under the care of a Japanese woman known pseudonymously as Mugumogu. She named him Maru, the Japanese word for "round".[3]
Beginning in 2008, Mugumogu started posting videos of Maru on her eponymous YouTube channel. On 25 October 2008, Mugumogu posted a video of Maru attempting to squeeze into a cardboard box as part of a YouTube contest.[3] The video quickly went viral[3] and has been viewed 19,004,972 times as of 7 September 2025.[4] Most videos on the Mugumugo channel follow along a similar vein; Maru squeezing into, leaping into, or playing with cardboard boxes,[2] as well as other videos of him playing.[3] To maintain the channel's focus on Maru, Mugumogu divulged little information about herself and also stylized herself as his roommate, not owner.[3] Mugumogu attributed Maru's success to his skill at fitting into small cardboard boxes, love for his living room swing and his cuteness.[5] She also attributed his charisma to his curiosity and "handsome round face".[3]
In June 2013, Mugumogu adopted a two-month old kitten named Hana from a veterinarian. According to Mugumogu, Maru and Hana got along unexpectedly well.[6] In November 2020, Mugumogu adopted another kitten, Miri, from a neighbor who had rescued Miri from a storm drain.[7]
Maru died on 6 September 2025, at the age of 18, after several weeks of poor health and following a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma.[8][5][9]
Fame
[edit]Entertainment Weekly mentioned Maru alongside Keyboard Cat and Nora in its "Notable Kitty Videos" article, for his "Maru and the Big Box" video.[10][11] In 2010, Maru was featured in an article in The New York Times.[12] Maru appeared in various commercials, including commercials for the cat litter brand Fresh Step and the casual-wear brand Uniqlo.[13][14]
The Mugumogu channel won the pet animal category at the official Japanese YouTube Video Awards in 2008, 2009 and 2010, at which point it was placed into a special hall of fame and removed from eligibility.[15] In September 2016, Maru was certified as the most viewed animal on YouTube by Guinness World Records.[16][5] In March 2018, Maru's record was overtaken by the dog Maymo.[9] Maru's videos have been watched a total of 577,962,505 times as of 7 September 2025.[1]
Published media
[edit]In August 2011, a book about Maru written by Mugumogu entitled I Am Maru was released in the United States.[3] The book included previously unpublished information about Maru and featured photographs of him.[3] The Christian Science Monitor called the book an unprecedented attempt to convert viral fame into a successful book.[17]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "mugumogu". YouTube. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ^ a b Lewis-Kraus, Gideon (31 August 2012). "In Search of the Living, Purring, Singing Heart of the Online Cat-Industrial Complex". Wired. Vol. 20, no. 9. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Donahue, Deirdre (22 August 2011). "Maru, the cat's meow of YouTube, stars in a new book". USA Today. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011.
- ^ I am Maru. (25 October 2008). 特訓するねこ。. Retrieved 7 September 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b c Newman, Vicki (8 September 2025). "Maru the cat, who broke record by squishing himself into tiny cardboard boxes, dies at 18". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
- ^ mugumogu (6 August 2013). "まるです". Sisinmaru.blog17.fc2.com. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "新しい家族。New family". 私信 まるです。 (in Japanese). 25 November 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ^ "いつも応援してくださる皆さまへ。To everyone who always supports Maru". 私信 まるです。 (in Japanese). 6 September 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ^ a b Thomas, Moná (9 September 2025). "Maru the Box-Loving Cat, Once the Most Viewed Animal on YouTube, Dies at 18". People.com. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ^ Svetkey, Benjamin (7 August 2009). "Notable Kitty Videos". p. 39. Archived from the original on 4 September 2009.
- ^ Svetkey, Benjamin (30 July 2009). "Cat videos! Cat videos! Cat videos! Help us grade the cat videos!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (23 July 2010). "On Films and TV, Cats and Dogs Playing Cute". The New York Times.
- ^ Bhasin, Kim. "Uniqlo Is Counting On Legendary Internet Cat Maru To Win American Hearts". Business Insider. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ^ Welikala, Judith (2 September 2012). "Maru, the Internet's Favorite Cat, Gets a Uniqlo Commercial". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
- ^ "2011 年のベスト動画を選ぼう！YouTube Video Awards Japan 2011 を開催". YouTube Japan Blog (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 September 2025.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Maru - The most watched animal on YouTube - Japan Tour. YouTube. Guinness World Records. 24 March 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- ^ Haq, Hasnu (23 August 2011). "Maru the cat hopes to be the next literary sensation". The Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
