Thanks to the rise of social media, the internet has the ability to turn almost any cute animal into an overnight celebrity. That effect has been felt many times over the years, but for no beloved pet was it more keenly felt than for Tardar Sauce, better known as Grumpy Cat.
Grumpy Cat shot to fame in 2012, when photos of her disgruntled visage were posted to Reddit. Since then, she’s racked up more than 1.5 million Twitter followers, and 2.4 million followers on Instagram. Sadly, a recent post from Grumpy Cat’s family earlier today confirmed that she had passed away this week due to complications from a recent infection.
This being the internet, of course, Grumpy Cat has long-since been immortalised in some of her fans’ favourite games. Way back in 2013, Tardar Sauce appeared in a mod for The Sims 3: Pets. While that mod couldn’t quite capture the sheer grouchy-ness that seemed to emanate from Grumpy Cat, I have to admit that in nearly every other way it’s a pretty decent likeness.
More recently, Tardar Sauce showed up in Stardew Valley, thanks to a retexture mod that replaces the pet that arrives on your doorstep at the start of the game with Grumpy Cat herself. That mod showed up barely a month after the game’s original release in 2016, which if nothing else is testament to Grumpy Cat’s enduring popularity.
Those mods aren’t Grumpy Cat’s only appearance in the virtual world. Official videogames released in 2013 and 2016, but if you ask me, I feel like Stardew Valley’s gentle farm life is a much more fitting forever home.