Fake Cat in the Hat Posts Draw UK-Ireland Police Warnings as 14.6 Million Views Fuel Fear
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 23
Fake Cat in the Hat Posts Draw UK-Ireland Police Warnings as 14.6 Million Views Fuel Fear
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 23
Summary
Police in Wexford and South Yorkshire said viral Cat in the Hat sightings were fake after TikTok and Facebook posts convinced some teenagers the character was roaming streets and woods at night.
14.6 million views on one TikTok post and 10 million on an X post about the original film costume helped drive the frenzy, which then spread through AI-generated images, costume videos and false claims of assaults.
Teenagers in Scotland, England and Ireland told the BBC the trend left some frightened enough to avoid going out or consider risky meetups, including a supposed late-night gathering in woods near Galashiels.
The scare appears to trace back to an 8 August post about the 2003 film costume, which is due to be auctioned Wednesday for an estimated $12,000-$24,000.
Police and parents warned the hoax could be exploited by bad actors, urging users to verify official accounts and treat invitations to meet strangers offline as a serious red flag.