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RCMP in West Kelowna, B.C., are investigating after a teenage girl was chased by a suspect dressed in a Cat in the Hat costume last month.
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The incident occurred at around 9 p.m. on Aug. 24 and, although the girl was able to reach her residence safely, police are seeking to identify the person in the costume.
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It comes as a disturbing trend emerges on social media, involving sinister depictions of the children’s book character making threats to individuals and communities in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere in the world.
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The posts have prompted police departments and schools to issue warnings about engaging in the trend, which has also resulted in a number of arrests.
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What is the Cat in the Hat trend?
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The trend involves online videos depicting a sinister version of the Dr. Seuss character, the Cat in the Hat, outside schools, homes, or on streets at night. Much of the footage is made with AI, but some videos include real people dressed up as the character, and they often include threatening messages.
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On TikTok, a quick search for “Cat in the Hat” returns hundreds of videos, some of which have garnered millions of views, of people dressed as the character wandering streets at night.
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Other videos from anonymous accounts show the Cat in the Hat dancing next to a list of names of people it is “coming for,” while some users have posted content or comments sharing unverified claims that the Cat in the Hat has been involved in violent assaults and even murder.
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The trend bears resemblance to similarly frightening online conspiracies from recent years, including the “Momo” hoax, which claimed children were being encouraged to harm themselves through viral videos, and widespread claims of knife-wielding clowns terrorizing small towns in 2016.
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Where did the trend come from?
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According to the BBC, the posts originally circulated in Ireland and the U.K. in August 2026, before quickly becoming viral in Canada and the U.S.
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The broadcaster suggests the trend may have been accelerated by an X post shared by DiscussingFilm on Aug. 8, which revealed that the original Cat in the Hat costume worn by Mike Myers in the 2003 film was being auctioned off by Prop Store Auction.
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The post has since received 11 million views, with many comments referencing the internet trend and calling the costume “nightmarish” and “truly terrifying.”
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The original Cat in the Hat costume worn by Mike Myers in the ‘CAT IN THE HAT’ film is now being auctioned off by Propstore. pic.twitter.com/R2nhUI5bqa
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) August 8, 2026