''Laugh-Out-Loud Cats'' is a series of

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...

s created by Adam "Ape Lad" Koford that features two

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

hobo A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; and a bum neither travels nor works. E ...

cats named Kitteh and Pip. The series consists of mostly single-panel cartoons that combine

internet memes An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...

associated with

LOLcats A lolcat (pronounced ), or LOLcat, is an image macro of one or more cats. Lolcat images' idiosyncratic and intentionally grammatically incorrect text is known as lolspeak. Lolcat is a compound word of the acronymic abbreviation LOL (laugh ou ...

(from which the series takes its name) and other forms of

internet slang Internet slang (also called Internet shorthand, cyber-slang, netspeak, digispeak or chatspeak) is a non-standard or unofficial form of language used by people on the Internet to communicate to one another. An example of Internet slang is "LOL" m ...

and contemporary humor with a visual style that pays homage to early 20th century

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

s such as ''

Krazy Kat ''Krazy Kat'' (also known as ''Krazy & Ignatz'' in some reprints and compilations) is an US, American newspaper comic strip, by cartoonist George Herriman, which ran from 1913 to 1944. It first appeared in the ''New York Journal-American, New Yor ...

''. In January 2008, Koford published a small run of ''Meet the Laugh-Out-Loud Cats'', the first ''Laugh-Out-Loud Cats'' book. In 2009, a second book was published by

Abrams ComicArts Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher La Martinière Groupe. Run by President and CEO Michael ...

: ''The Laugh-Out-Loud Cats Sell Out'', with an introduction by comedian

John Hodgman John Kellogg Hodgman (born June 3, 1971) is an American author, actor, and humorist. In addition to his published written works, such as '' The Areas of My Expertise'', ''More Information Than You Require'', and '' That Is All'', he is known for ...

. The origins of the series can be traced to the development of society, the emergence of 'teen' culture, and the synthesis of exclusive slang use. As of January 2017, Koford has posted over 2,800 panels, which are presented on his blog ''HOBOTOPIA'' and on

Flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...

.Ape Lad
the Laugh-Out-Loud Cats
- a set on Flickr. Accessed 13 August 2013.

Concept and influences

The basic concept of ''Laugh-Out-Loud Cats'', as a review by ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' describes it, is "that two hobo cats from a long-lost early-20th-century comic speak in 21st-century net-slang". The ''Laugh-Out-Loud Cats'' comics are presented by Adam Koford as having been produced originally by "A. Koford", his grandfather Aloysius Gamaliel Koford, for a short-lived syndicated newspaper comic strip that started in 1912. Koford has pointed to a number of influences on the series (or rather, "cultural touchstones

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

show evidence of being influenced by my great-grandfather's handiwork", as he puts it): the 1973

road movie A road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the theme of alienatio ...

''Paper Moon'' and the 1941 comedy film ''

Sullivan's Travels ''Sullivan's Travels'' is a 1941 American comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges. A satire on the film industry, it follows a famous Hollywood comedy director (Joel McCrea) who, longing to make a socially relevant drama, sets out to ...

'', the character design from the 1910s comic strip ''

Old Doc Yak ''Old Doc Yak'' is a comic strip by Sidney Smith that centers on a talking goat. The origin of the character was Buck Nix, a goat Smith drew in 1908 for the '' Chicago Evening Journal''. For three years, Nix romanced a she-goat called Nanny. In ...

'' by Sidney Smith, the cartooning style of

Hank Ketcham Henry King Ketcham (March 14, 1920 – June 1, 2001) was an American cartoonist who created the '' Dennis the Menace'' comic strip, writing and drawing it from 1951 to 1994, when he retired from drawing the daily cartoon and took up painti ...

and

Al Wiseman Alvin R. Wiseman (August 25, 1918 – May 17, 1988)"United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J586-V26 : accessed 06 Mar 2013), Alvin R Wiseman, 17 May 1988. was an American cartoon ...

from '' Dennis the Menace'', and the work of cartoonist

B. Kliban Bernard "Hap" Kliban (January 1, 1935 – August 12, 1990) was an American cartoonist. Early life and education Born in Norwalk, Connecticut, Kliban studied at the Pratt Institute and Cooper Union but "flunked out". He spent time painting ...

.Adam Koford.
The Influences Behind The ''Laugh-Out-Loud Cats'' by Adam Koford
, ''Neatorama'', 10 March 2009. Accessed 15 March 2009.

References

External links

* {{official site, http://hobotopia.com/
HOBOTOPIA
- old official site
the ''Laugh-Out-Loud Cats''
- archive on Flickr
The Webcomic Overlook #38: Meet the ''Laugh-Out-Loud Cats'' (printed book)
- review of first book Short_form_webcomics 2010s_webcomics Internet slang Fictional cats Fictional hoboes