# I Should Buy a Boat > 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. ## Origin 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 town[3]. 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. - **Platform:** Björk's "Triumph of a Heart" music video (source image), Reddit (meme format) - **Creator:** DrTango (original Reddit poster), Spike Jonze (music video director) - **Date:** 2012 ## 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. ## 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[2]. 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 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[2]. 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[3]. - Spike Jonze, who directed the music video, is also known for directing *Being John Malkovich* and *Her*[3]. - 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[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is I Should Buy a Boat Cat? It's an image macro meme featuring a screenshot of a cat character from Björk's "Triumph of a Heart" music video, sitting at a table in a shirt reading a newspaper, captioned with contemplative thoughts like "I should buy a boat". ### Where did I Should Buy a Boat come from? The source image is from Björk's 2005 music video directed by Spike Jonze[3]. Reddit user DrTango turned it into a meme on February 2, 2012 by posting the screenshot with the "I should buy a boat" caption to /r/funny[1]. ### What does I Should Buy a Boat mean? The meme captures a moment of quiet, slightly absurd aspiration, like suddenly deciding to make a major purchase or life change while reading the morning paper. The cat's composed expression sells the dry humor. ### How do you use I Should Buy a Boat? Take the original cat image and add a caption describing a sudden desire or realization, typically in the format "I should buy/get/do a [thing]." The funnier or more unexpected the aspiration, the better[2]. ### Is I Should Buy a Boat still popular? The meme's peak was 2012-2013, but the image and the phrase are still widely recognized and referenced in internet culture, particularly on Reddit. ### Why is it called Sophisticated Cat? The cat's formal attire (a button-up shirt), newspaper reading, and composed expression at the breakfast table give it a dignified, sophisticated air, which led to the alternate names "Sophisticated Cat" and "Fancy Cat" on Quickmeme. ### What music video is the cat from? The cat appears in Björk's "Triumph of a Heart" video, released in early 2005 and directed by Spike Jonze, where it plays Björk's anthropomorphic cat husband[3]. ### What was the horse mask version? On November 6, 2012, Redditor TwoSwords posted a Photoshopped version with a horse head mask superimposed on the cat, responding to another user's "I should buy a horse mask" caption. Both posts reached the Reddit front page. ### What is the Boat Advice spinoff? A Quickmeme series launched in January 2013 that paired I Should Buy a Boat Cat with Actual Advice Mallard in a two-panel dialogue format about financial decisions. ### Who is DrTango? DrTango is the Reddit username of the person who created the original meme by posting the Björk video screenshot with the "I should buy a boat" caption to /r/funny on February 2, 2012[1]. ## References 1. [John McAfee]() 2. [Triumph of a Heart]() 3. [I Should Buy a Boat - Know Your Meme]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/i-should-buy-a-boat Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library