Simon’s Cat Breaks Further Records

An animation released by online phenomenon Simon’s Cat has beaten a host of celebrity films to become Amazon UK’s most watched video of 2010.

‘Cat Chat’ , in which Simon’s anonymous cat is shown in conversation with a hedgehog friend, has had more hits than any other video uploaded to Amazon this year. This places it above films featuring celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson; comedian Michael McIntyre; and meerkat Aleksandr Orlov.

The success of ‘Cat Chat’  is just the latest piece of good news for Simon Tofield, the animator behind the viral sensation. The Simon’s Cat films have already had over ninety-three million hits on YouTube, and are expected to top one hundred million by the end of 2010. Tofield is the #3 Most Subscribed Director of All Time on the video-sharing site, and his channel is the #5 Most Subscribed Channel of All Time. This gives the popular feline more subscribers than both the BBC and the BBC Worldwide, despite the former hosting over eight thousand uploads in comparison to Tofield’s ten.

The newest animation, ‘Lunchbreak’, received over ninety thousand hits in just five hours when it was released onto the Guardian website on Friday, immediately launching it into the site’s #1 video slot. Following its upload to YouTube shortly afterwards, it received an astonishing half a million further hits in just two days.

Tofield has also recently launched a line of merchandise and published a second print collection of the cat’s exploits. Entitled Simon’s Cat: Beyond the Fence, the book sees the adorable but incorrigible cat embark on a series of adventures beyond the garden fence and out of sight of his owner.  The first book was the UK’s No 1 Humour title at Christmas 2009, was translated into twenty-five languages and has sold over half a million copies to date.

Simon’s Cat: Beyond the Fence is published by Canongate priced £12.99.

For more information on Simon’s Cat visit www.simonscat.com, or contact Anna Frame on anna.frame@canongate.co.uk / 0131 524 9340.

What the press say:

‘Tofield's scratchy drawings are fresh, original and very, very funny.’ LA Times

‘The world-famous cat without a name; move over, Garfield’. The Times

‘There were ripples of laughter across the office...’ BBC Breakfast

Simon’s Cat: Facts & Stats

Over 93million views on YouTube

#1 Most Subscribed YouTube Channel of All Time (Worldwide) in Pets & Animals category.

#2 Most Viewed YouTube Channel of All Time (Worldwide) in Pets & Animals category.

#3 Most Subscribed Director of All Time (UK)

#5 Most Subscribed YouTube Channel of All Time (UK)

295,476 fans on Facebook

20,235 followers on Twitter

Winner of ‘Best Comedy’ at the British Animation Awards 2008

Winner of YouTube’s ‘Blockbuster Award’ 2008

Winner of the Prix Animation at the Festival international des Tres Courts 2008

‘Cat Chat’ is the most viewed video on Amazon UK in 2010

‘Fly Guy’ was the fifth most viewed UK video on YouTube in 2009

Book 1 was published in 2009 in 25 countries and has sold over half a million copies

Book 1 entered UK Bookseller Top 50, Amazon Top 20 and hit Play.com’s No. 1 spot

Nominated for a ‘Public Choice Award’ at the British Animation Awards 2010