I Should Buy a Boat

2012Image macro / snowcloneclassic

Also known as: Sophisticated Cat · Fancy Cat

I Should Buy a Boat Cat is a 2012 image-macro snowclone from Björk's "Triumph of a Heart" music video, featuring a contemplative suited cat that spawned a caption template for imagining frivolous purchases with "I should buy a boat.

I Should Buy a Boat Cat is an image macro meme built from a screenshot of Björk's 2005 music video "Triumph of a Heart," in which an anthropomorphic cat sits at a table reading a newspaper while wearing a suit. The format took off on Reddit in February 2012 when user DrTango captioned the still with "I should buy a boat," and it quickly spawned a snowclone template where the cat contemplates various life upgrades and epiphanies.

image macro memessnowclone memescatsearly 2010s memes

Overview

The meme features a single frame from Björk's "Triumph of a Heart" music video showing a cat character dressed in a blue shirt, seated at a table with a newspaper and coffee. The cat's composed, slightly bored expression gives the image a contemplative quality that pairs perfectly with captions about sudden realizations and aspirational desires. Most versions follow the snowclone format "I should buy a [noun]," though the template expanded over time to cover any wistful thought or dry observation the cat might have while scanning the morning paper.

The source image comes from Björk's music video for "Triumph of a Heart," a track from her 2005 album *Medúlla*3. Directed by Spike Jonze, the video depicts Björk married to an anthropomorphic housecat who she leaves behind for a night out on the town3. At around the 3:56 mark, the cat husband is shown sitting at a kitchen table in a button-up shirt, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.

Seven years later, on February 2, 2012, Reddit user DrTango posted the screenshot to /r/funny with the title "I'll just leave this here" and the caption "I should buy a boat"1. The post pulled in over 12,350 upvotes and 165 comments before archiving.

Origin & Background

Platform
Björk's "Triumph of a Heart" music video (source image), Reddit (meme format)
Key People
DrTango, Spike Jonze
Date
2012

The source image comes from Björk's music video for "Triumph of a Heart," a track from her 2005 album *Medúlla*. Directed by Spike Jonze, the video depicts Björk married to an anthropomorphic housecat who she leaves behind for a night out on the town. At around the 3:56 mark, the cat husband is shown sitting at a kitchen table in a button-up shirt, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.

Seven years later, on February 2, 2012, Reddit user DrTango posted the screenshot to /r/funny with the title "I'll just leave this here" and the caption "I should buy a boat". The post pulled in over 12,350 upvotes and 165 comments before archiving.

How It Spread

The meme moved fast. One day after DrTango's post, 9gag reposted the image, where it picked up over 40,400 upvotes and 4,200 Facebook shares in the following months. By February 9, College Humor had reblogged it as well.

The format started generating variations almost immediately. On September 10, 2012, Redditor RoTTaax posted a version to /r/AdviceAnimals with the caption "I should write a book," framing it as a reaction to spending effort on a long comment that only gets three upvotes. That post earned over 9,900 upvotes. On August 31, the YouTube gaming show *Game Grumps* referenced the image during an episode, pushing it further into gaming communities.

November 6, 2012 brought one of the meme's stranger crossover moments. Redditor bathroomstalin posted a version captioned "I should buy a horse mask" to /r/AdviceAnimals, and the same day, user TwoSwords responded with a Photoshopped edit showing the cat wearing a horse head mask. Both posts hit the Reddit front page within 24 hours.

By that point, the Quickmeme page for "Sophisticated Cat" had accumulated over 630 submissions, while a "Fancy Cat" variant page had 75+. On Tumblr, people started applying the "I should buy a boat" caption to other photographs of animals or people with contemplative expressions.

A crossover with another advice animal happened in January 2013. Redditor al19 posted a photo of a cat and duck walking together to /r/aww, and the comments filled up with jokes about I Should Buy a Boat Cat consulting Actual Advice Mallard on financial decisions. This spawned a short-lived "Boat Advice" spinoff on Quickmeme pairing the two characters in dialogue format.

How to Use This Meme

The template is straightforward. Take the original cat-at-table image and add a caption describing some kind of sudden desire or quiet epiphany, typically following the "I should buy a [thing]" pattern. The humor works best when the ambition is either mundane, absurd, or wildly impractical for a cat. Variations also work with any contemplative realization ("I should write a book," "I should get a second cat") or dry commentary on a situation. The cat's unflappable expression sells whatever caption you pair with it.

Cultural Impact

I Should Buy a Boat Cat was one of the defining advice animal memes of 2012, sitting alongside Grumpy Cat and First World Problems in that era's image macro boom. The meme's appeal came from its versatility. Unlike advice animals tied to a specific personality (Courage Wolf for motivation, Confession Bear for secrets), the Sophisticated Cat worked as a blank slate for any quiet, contemplative thought.

The "I should buy a boat" phrase itself became shorthand on Reddit for that specific feeling of suddenly wanting to make a major life change after reading or seeing something inspiring. It showed up regularly in comment threads well beyond the meme's peak, usually as a one-liner reaction to impressive posts.

Fun Facts

The cat in the original video is Björk's fictional husband, and the "Triumph of a Heart" storyline involves Björk leaving him to go clubbing and then drunkenly returning home to reconcile.

Spike Jonze, who directed the music video, is also known for directing *Being John Malkovich* and *Her*.

The image sat unused for seven years between the video's 2005 release and DrTango's 2012 Reddit post.

The Quickmeme page for "Sophisticated Cat" had more than eight times the submissions of the "Fancy Cat" page, making Sophisticated Cat the dominant name on that platform.

"Triumph of a Heart" featured beatboxer Rahzel from The Roots, making the cat's domestic scene a contrast to the track's experimental vocal production.

Derivatives & Variations

"I should write a book" variant

— Posted by RoTTaax as a reaction to writing long comments for minimal upvotes[2].

Horse mask crossover

— A Photoshopped version combining the cat with the popular horse head mask trend of 2012.

Boat Advice

— A short-lived Quickmeme series pairing the cat with Actual Advice Mallard in a two-panel financial advice dialogue.

Non-cat applications

— Tumblr users applied the "I should buy a boat" caption to other contemplative-looking subjects, expanding the format beyond the original image.

Frequently Asked Questions

References (3)

  1. 1
    John McAfeeencyclopedia
  2. 2
    Triumph of a Heartencyclopedia
  3. 3
    I Should Buy a Boat - Know Your Memeencyclopedia

I Should Buy a Boat

2012Image macro / snowcloneclassic

Also known as: Sophisticated Cat · Fancy Cat

I Should Buy a Boat Cat is a 2012 image-macro snowclone from Björk's "Triumph of a Heart" music video, featuring a contemplative suited cat that spawned a caption template for imagining frivolous purchases with "I should buy a boat.

I Should Buy a Boat Cat is an image macro meme built from a screenshot of Björk's 2005 music video "Triumph of a Heart," in which an anthropomorphic cat sits at a table reading a newspaper while wearing a suit. The format took off on Reddit in February 2012 when user DrTango captioned the still with "I should buy a boat," and it quickly spawned a snowclone template where the cat contemplates various life upgrades and epiphanies.

image macro memes snowclone memes cats early 2010s memes

Overview

The meme features a single frame from Björk's "Triumph of a Heart" music video showing a cat character dressed in a blue shirt, seated at a table with a newspaper and coffee. The cat's composed, slightly bored expression gives the image a contemplative quality that pairs perfectly with captions about sudden realizations and aspirational desires. Most versions follow the snowclone format "I should buy a [noun]," though the template expanded over time to cover any wistful thought or dry observation the cat might have while scanning the morning paper.

The source image comes from Björk's music video for "Triumph of a Heart," a track from her 2005 album *Medúlla*. Directed by Spike Jonze, the video depicts Björk married to an anthropomorphic housecat who she leaves behind for a night out on the town. At around the 3:56 mark, the cat husband is shown sitting at a kitchen table in a button-up shirt, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.

Seven years later, on February 2, 2012, Reddit user DrTango posted the screenshot to /r/funny with the title "I'll just leave this here" and the caption "I should buy a boat". The post pulled in over 12,350 upvotes and 165 comments before archiving.

Origin & Background

Platform
Björk's "Triumph of a Heart" music video (source image), Reddit (meme format)
Key People
DrTango, Spike Jonze
Date
2012

The source image comes from Björk's music video for "Triumph of a Heart," a track from her 2005 album *Medúlla*. Directed by Spike Jonze, the video depicts Björk married to an anthropomorphic housecat who she leaves behind for a night out on the town. At around the 3:56 mark, the cat husband is shown sitting at a kitchen table in a button-up shirt, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.

Seven years later, on February 2, 2012, Reddit user DrTango posted the screenshot to /r/funny with the title "I'll just leave this here" and the caption "I should buy a boat". The post pulled in over 12,350 upvotes and 165 comments before archiving.

How It Spread

The meme moved fast. One day after DrTango's post, 9gag reposted the image, where it picked up over 40,400 upvotes and 4,200 Facebook shares in the following months. By February 9, College Humor had reblogged it as well.

The format started generating variations almost immediately. On September 10, 2012, Redditor RoTTaax posted a version to /r/AdviceAnimals with the caption "I should write a book," framing it as a reaction to spending effort on a long comment that only gets three upvotes. That post earned over 9,900 upvotes. On August 31, the YouTube gaming show *Game Grumps* referenced the image during an episode, pushing it further into gaming communities.

November 6, 2012 brought one of the meme's stranger crossover moments. Redditor bathroomstalin posted a version captioned "I should buy a horse mask" to /r/AdviceAnimals, and the same day, user TwoSwords responded with a Photoshopped edit showing the cat wearing a horse head mask. Both posts hit the Reddit front page within 24 hours.

By that point, the Quickmeme page for "Sophisticated Cat" had accumulated over 630 submissions, while a "Fancy Cat" variant page had 75+. On Tumblr, people started applying the "I should buy a boat" caption to other photographs of animals or people with contemplative expressions.

A crossover with another advice animal happened in January 2013. Redditor al19 posted a photo of a cat and duck walking together to /r/aww, and the comments filled up with jokes about I Should Buy a Boat Cat consulting Actual Advice Mallard on financial decisions. This spawned a short-lived "Boat Advice" spinoff on Quickmeme pairing the two characters in dialogue format.

How to Use This Meme

The template is straightforward. Take the original cat-at-table image and add a caption describing some kind of sudden desire or quiet epiphany, typically following the "I should buy a [thing]" pattern. The humor works best when the ambition is either mundane, absurd, or wildly impractical for a cat. Variations also work with any contemplative realization ("I should write a book," "I should get a second cat") or dry commentary on a situation. The cat's unflappable expression sells whatever caption you pair with it.

Cultural Impact

I Should Buy a Boat Cat was one of the defining advice animal memes of 2012, sitting alongside Grumpy Cat and First World Problems in that era's image macro boom. The meme's appeal came from its versatility. Unlike advice animals tied to a specific personality (Courage Wolf for motivation, Confession Bear for secrets), the Sophisticated Cat worked as a blank slate for any quiet, contemplative thought.

The "I should buy a boat" phrase itself became shorthand on Reddit for that specific feeling of suddenly wanting to make a major life change after reading or seeing something inspiring. It showed up regularly in comment threads well beyond the meme's peak, usually as a one-liner reaction to impressive posts.

Fun Facts

The cat in the original video is Björk's fictional husband, and the "Triumph of a Heart" storyline involves Björk leaving him to go clubbing and then drunkenly returning home to reconcile.

Spike Jonze, who directed the music video, is also known for directing *Being John Malkovich* and *Her*.

The image sat unused for seven years between the video's 2005 release and DrTango's 2012 Reddit post.

The Quickmeme page for "Sophisticated Cat" had more than eight times the submissions of the "Fancy Cat" page, making Sophisticated Cat the dominant name on that platform.

"Triumph of a Heart" featured beatboxer Rahzel from The Roots, making the cat's domestic scene a contrast to the track's experimental vocal production.

Derivatives & Variations

"I should write a book" variant

— Posted by RoTTaax as a reaction to writing long comments for minimal upvotes[2].

Horse mask crossover

— A Photoshopped version combining the cat with the popular horse head mask trend of 2012.

Boat Advice

— A short-lived Quickmeme series pairing the cat with Actual Advice Mallard in a two-panel financial advice dialogue.

Non-cat applications

— Tumblr users applied the "I should buy a boat" caption to other contemplative-looking subjects, expanding the format beyond the original image.

Frequently Asked Questions

References (3)

  1. 1
    John McAfeeencyclopedia
  2. 2
    Triumph of a Heartencyclopedia
  3. 3
    I Should Buy a Boat - Know Your Memeencyclopedia