If you’ve been on TikTok recently, you might have noticed a Shaylushay video or comment.
There is also a 3D filter called a Shaylushay of a blue mushroom cat.
The most popular video using the filter has over 6.5 million views.
You might have also seen these two Russian words “Шайлушай” and “шалопай”.
The meme is known as the Smurf Cat meme which originated from an artwork by Nate Hallinan.
In this article, you’ll learn what is a Shaylushay, its meaning, the meme, and filter on TikTok.
What is a Shaylushay?
The Russian word “Шайлушай” is a funny spelling of “шалопай”, which is a slang for a little rascal.
Similar memes include Wenomechainsama, Turi Ip Ip Ip, the Strawberry Elephant, and the Apple With A Face.
In these memes, a picture of an animal is typically shown while a quirky song is being played in the background.
In the Smurf Cat video, The Spectre, a song by DJ Alan Walker is played in the background.
These videos are typically edited to fit the song, making the animals/objects in the video stand out.
The essence of the meme is to make a seemingly normal character cool and distinctive.
One of the most popular videos of the meme has over 1.5M views and is posted by @vsmatty.
Another video, uploaded by @conquestor__ on TikTok is an edit of the Smurf Cat and the Apple With A Face meme.
The video got over 4.1 million views and more than 700k likes.
Alan Walker, the producer of the song, “The Spectre”, is aware of the Smurf cat meme and made multiple remarks of it.
In the original music video, Walker commented “I was here before the smurf!” and pinned it in the comments section.
He also played the song in one of his live shows in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with the Smurf Cat in the background.
Where did Shaylushay come from?
The Shaylushay comes from an artwork by Nate Hallinan in 2014.
Hallinan is a Senior Finisher, Concept Artist, an Illustrator based in Portland, United States.
The artwork is titled “What if Smurfs were real?” and explains that the Smurf is a symbiotic relationship between two organisms.
Hallinan believe that Smurfs put their “embryos” in the button of a developing mushroom.
He theorizes that Smurfs are not wearing a hat and pants but they are actually wearing fungus.
The fungus provides camouflage and protective layers for the creature while the creature spreads the spores.
According to Hallinan, the Smurf in the artwork is returning from a successful hunter-gatherer journey.
He also said that the Smurfs are hunted for their medicinal properties, so there are not many of them left in the wild.
Nate has been inactive on most of his social media platforms and have yet to respond on the meme.
