19th May 2025 – (Seoul) A creative shadow art trend known as the “Cat Shadow Trend” has taken South Korea by storm, achieving viral status in May 2025. The trend involves participants crouching and positioning their bodies to cast a shadow resembling a cat, complete with pointy ears and whiskers. By crossing their elbows and sticking out their fingers, individuals create the feline-inspired silhouette, reminiscent of shadow puppetry.
Originating from a photograph that sparked widespread fascination, the trend has also inspired a range of artistic redraws on social media platforms. On May 9, 2025, artist @Akiko_oc shared the earliest notable redraw on X (formerly Twitter), featuring their original character (OC). The post quickly gained traction, amassing over 1,700 reposts and 28,000 likes within four days.
The momentum continued as other artists joined the movement. On May 12, user @tabakko shared a fan art depiction of VTuber Shirakami Fubuki performing the iconic pose. The post went viral, garnering over 4,700 reposts and 44,000 likes in just one day.
