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Lil BUB’s legacy lives on in Bloomington

By Katy Szpak

Posted February 1, 2024

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Lil BUB was one of the first viral Internet cats of the 2010s. (Courtesy Mike Bridavsky)

The Buskirk-Chumley Theater is hosting an event this weekend to memorialize Lil BUB, Bloomington’s celebrity cat.

The event is called “Remembering Lil BUB: A Celebration of History’s Most Magical Space Cat!”

Lil BUB was one of the first viral Internet cats of the 2010s, rising to fame after owners Mike and Stacy Bridavsky began posting videos of her to YouTube after rescuing her in 2011.

Poster of Lil Bub's event at the Buskirk-Chumley theater — The poster for Lil BUB's event at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. *(Devan Ridgway, WTIU News)*

She was born with several abnormalities — big green eyes, extra toes and a tongue that hung from her mouth, and she never grew much larger than a kitten. All the same reasons the internet fell in love with her.

“She wouldn't have survived more than a few months if she hadn't become world renowned for the internet,” Mike said. “And she came right at the dawn of the Internet, and at the dawn of cats getting famous, specifically to do this and make a big difference.”

She died December 2019 at just eight years old, but her legacy continues to touch the hearts of millions of people worldwide.

“There's not a lot of cultural dialogue around people who feel different, or people with disabilities or people who have chronic illness,” Stacy said. “There's not a lot of ways to talk about that, that feel positive and uplifting. And I think BUB provided that and continues to provide that.”

The Bridavskys originally scheduled BUB’s memorial for March 2020, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 shutdown. In the meantime, they put their efforts into building out BUB’s nonprofit, Lil BUB’s Big Fund. Stacy is the executive director of the fund. She said it's the first animal welfare group in the nation that focused on supporting special needs pets.

“There's not a lot of people who are doing what we're doing, because special needs pets are often the first to be euthanized,” she said. “They take a lot of time, they take a lot of energy, a lot of resources, but we know their lives have value.”

BUB’s celebration comes four years later than anticipated, but Mike said it all happened for a reason.

“When our event got canceled 24 hours before happening, it was BUB saying, ‘now's not the time.’ … She wanted us to, in some ways, prove ourselves and prove that we could extend her legacy and do the right thing before we could have this event,” he said.

The event will include guest speakers, live music, and exclusive BUB videos, including a screening of BUB’s 2013 documentary, “Lil BUB & Friendz,” and her Animal Planet show “Lil BUB’s Special Special.”

One of BUB’s charity partners, Binx’s Home for Black Cats, will premiere the first episode of its docuseries at the event.

There will also be a meet and greet with BUB’s brother, Mister Marbles.

Mister Marbles in his "Magically Marbelous Yule Log Video." (Courtesy Mike Bridavsky)

“It was originally her memorial event,” Mike said. “And now it's four years later, we're finally doing it. And, so, I still have been calling it her memorial event, but it's really a celebration at this point of her life and about all the good work she's done.”

Tickets can be purchased on the Buskirk-Chumley website.