-
01
Buddy the rat is actually Jonothon Lyons, an actor and performance artist who created the character of Buddy in a theater performance over a decade ago.
-
02
Lyons and a director friend took the rat costume out for a night in Times Square, and the following videos went viral. Lyons realized that Buddy had to start taking the rat into public.
-
03
Buddy the rat appears on the subway a lot, as passengers there often see real rats.
-
04
In a famous stunt, Buddy recreated the viral 2015 video of a (real) rat dragging a piece of pizza home in a New York City subway station.
-
05There was a problem rendering this video - it may have been deleted.
Lyons aims to be mischievous, but not disruptive in his performances. Sometimes people laugh or scream, and there are mostly positive reactions to Buddy.
-
06
Buddy the rat continued his public appearances during the pandemic, with Lyons wearing a face mask underneath the rat mask.
-
07
Lyons sees New York City as the world capital of live performance and feels privileged to be a part of the scene.
-
08
New York City Has a Resident Human-Rat Called Buddy
You might have seen videos of Buddy online. He's not hard to miss: a human-sized rat (well, a human dressed up as a rat) who runs around New York on all fours, acting like a rat. The performance artist usually draws laughs and smiles from onlookers, and the sheer bizarre-ness of the act makes it so very New York City. Continue reading to learn more about Buddy the rat and check out their Instagram page.
Scroll Down For The Next Article
Trending Now
20-year-old calls out 27-year-old sister for naming her daughter after a fungal infection: 'She just really liked the way it sounded'
01
'We need a doctor's note': Employee requests 3 days off due to burnout, boss demands a doctor's note, doctor demands a full month off
02
Man sends city officials to neighbor's house after his fence collapses, plan backfires: 'My uncle looked him in the eye and said, "Not my problem"'
03
22-year-old woman shows up unannounced to drop off her father’s 6 and 4-year-old kids from his 2nd family, expecting her sister and mother to babysit for free, gets upset when they both refuse: ‘Mom simply didn't answer the door’
04
16-year-old sells her 37-year-old stepmother's vintage prom dress behind her back so she could buy new headphones: 'The dress is 100% silk, one of a kind, and the brand doesn't exist anymore'
05