Grumpy Cat Returns to SXSW

Celebrity product endorsements: when stars you love slap on a fake smile to get cheerful about whatever goods they're schilling. Thankfully, one global phenomenon feels no need to plaster on a forced grin. The feline arbiter of all things awful that is Grumpy Cat returns to Austin for another hateful year.

The glare that launched a thousand memes (photos by John Anderson)

It's all part of life on the road for Grumpy and her owner, Tabby Bundesen. "Grumpy's just a little star about it," said Bundesen. "The more we do it, the more surprised I am at how comfortable she is in social situations. Most cats would get up and run away, whereas Grumpy Cat just lies in her bed. Maybe she knows that she's something extra special."

The Internet's favored memetastic judge of what is worst in the world will be Downtown after consistently causing a commotion at SXSW since 2013. We presume that Grumpy Cat (known to friends – not that she has any – as Tardar Sauce) will be suitably disappointed by you, your friends, and all your selfies.

This year, GC returns to celebrate/denigrate Friskies' Cat Concoctions line of mixed-up cat foods. Lamb in clam flavored sauce? Sounds terrible, but Bundesen says it's actually her cat's favorite flavor. It's almost anathema to the idea of Grumpy Cat, the feline whose image denotes disdain. Yet Bundesen seems happy that the world can use her beloved pet as a way to channel all their negativity. She said, "I really think a lot of people just channel their negative energy through the cat. If you want to be like, 'I hate my boss,' you can say it and stick Grumpy Cat's face on it, and get away with it. You're not going to post a photo of yourself and say 'I hate my boss,' because you're going to get fired."

#CatConcoctions presented by Friskies

Clearly, Grumpy Cat does not appreciate being recorded. Go figure.