Maru (まる, Japanese: circle or round; born May 24, 2007[1]) is a male Scottish Fold (straight variety) cat in Japan who has become popular on YouTube. As of June 2011, videos with Maru have been viewed over 100 million times.[2] Videos featuring Maru have an average of 1,000,000 views each and he is mentioned often in print and televised media discussing Internet celebrities.[3] His owner, who does not show her face on camera or speak in the videos, posts videos under the account name 'mugumogu'. The videos are edited to include title cards in English and Japanese setting up the events of the video.
Entertainment Weekly mentioned Maru alongside Keyboard Cat and Nora in its "Notable Kitty Videos" article.[4][5] The New York Times mentioned Maru in an article about cats and dogs in the media and included pictures of the cat.[6] Maru's videos have been featured on the Fresh Step's commercial on the Fresh Step YouTube Channel.[7] Maru has also been featured on advertisements within Japan, for various products.[8] As of September 2009, Maru's channel is the 9th most subscribed in Japan. After the March 2011 earthquakes in Japan, mugumogu reported from Maru's blog that Maru was safe and unharmed, though a carrying case was prepared in the event of an evacuation. [9]
