Viral ‘Cat within the Hat’ TikTookay movies sparks creepy pattern
Terrified teens across the UK and Ireland have been duped by viral TikTok “Cat in the Hat” clips that look like real CCTV stalker footage, prompting a response from police
Teenagers across the UK and Ireland are being spooked(Image: Wexford Garda)
Teenagers across the UK and Ireland are being spooked by a bizarre new TikTok trend claiming a life-sized “Cat in the Hat” is stalking the streets at night.
As a result, panicked kids have been so convinced it’s real that police have had to step in and assure it’s all fake. “He’s so scary!” 16-year-old Skye told the BBC, recoiling at the very mention of the Dr Seuss character.
Viral posts, seen by millions, show a tall, unsettling Cat in the Hat figure lurking under streetlights, hiding in shadows and even “standing” in family driveways after dark. The clips look like CCTV or doorbell camera footage.
Cat in the Hat (Mike Myers) costume (Image: Propstore)
However, they’re actually artificial intelligence (AI)-generated fakes dressed up with “analog horror” storylines claiming the character is a serial killer or midnight stalker.
Skye told the BBC: “I was having a sleepover, but everyone started watching Cat in the Hat videos. It was 3am. I wanted to go home.
“When I started walking down my friends’ driveway, I got totally freaked out that the Cat in the Hat was going to jump out. I had to call my mum to pick me up.”
He was put up for auction (Image: Propstore)
The hoax has been pushed by posts pinning “sightings” on specific places, with fake alerts flooding Irish areas including Limerick, Cork, Wexford and Dublin, and UK locations like Glasgow and Inverness, the National Scot reported.
To make it seem even more legit, pranksters have also shared edited “police updates” claiming officers are hunting the character. The frenzy deepened on August 8 when DiscussingFilm posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the original Cat in the Hat costume was being auctioned by Propstore.
That post hit 10 million views, with people calling it “nightmare fuel” and “genuinely haunting”, as if it had been dragged from a “cursed attic”, the BBC reported. The lot is due to be sold on Wednesday (August 26) as part of an auction of 1,400 items, and is tipped to fetch up to $24,000 (£17,500).
Janelle Monae appears as “The Cat In The Hat”(Image: Getty Images)
One viral post showing the costume with the caption “Help, what do I do?” clocked up 14.6 million views in three weeks. Comments spiralled into madness, with users asking “Why is he taxidermied?” and even floating theories about Mike Myers – who played the character in the 2003 film – being trapped inside.
Some accounts have taken it further by posting videos of a real person in a Cat in the Hat outfit dancing with captions like “Kent I’m coming. Lock your doors.”
Others repost, adding their own towns, as per the BBC. “I low-key wanna go meet him…” 14-year-old Lily told the BBC after hearing about a supposed “meet and greet” in the woods in Galashiels.
Parents are comparing it to the Momo Challenge or Slender Man scares(Image: Mirror Screen Grab)
Her mum said: “You are not going to meet anyone in the woods in the middle of the night!” Police have now been forced to shut it down.
Wexford Gardaí said: “Fortunately, we can rule out the issue… To be clear, the Cat in the Hat was not in your driveway while you were out.”
In the UK, South Yorkshire Police warned people to ignore fake posts about “sightings” near Meadowhall and only trust updates from verified accounts. Parents are comparing it to the Momo Challenge or Slender Man scares – creepy fiction paired with fake “news” designed to freak kids out.
Emily, a mum in Scotland, said: “I’m not worried about my daughters, but there could be people with bad intentions who might take advantage of this trend to manipulate teenagers.”
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