5 things you might not know about YouTube's Lofi Girl

Lofi Girl is one of the biggest YouTube channels around and one of the most well-known music labels. With her googly-eye-decorated headphones, green sweater, and red scarf, the character (along with her snoozing orange cat) has become so recognizable that many people have made similar channels to mimic them.

But did you know that Lofi Girl has some lore? That there is a music video? That there is a Lofi Boy with his own puppy, studying to the soothing beats of synthwave radio? Or that our avidly studying heroine has ties to Studio Ghibli?

Here are 5 facts you might not know about YouTube's Lofi Girl.

1. What's her name?

The YouTube channel Lofi Girl was originally called ChilledCow, which was created by Dimitri Somoguy and launched in 2015. Six years later, it would rebrand to "Lofi Girl," thanks to the popularity of the channel's mascot. They would have several themed livestreams or videos over the years from a Christmas-themed stream, medieval beats, and Halloween-inspired events, all of which can be found on their YouTube channel.

In 2020, the French publication actu.fr revealed that the mascot was named Jade. She and her orange cat live in Lyon, France. At this time, her fuzzy companion doesn't have an official name, though some fans speculate it's "Mochi," based on merchandise sold of the critter.

2. A run in with Studio Ghibli

Before Jade, the channel's mascot was Shizuku Tsukishima from the Studio Ghibli film Whisper of the Heart. However, as the channel grew in popularity, it became clear that some copyright violations might pop up. You can't just use a character from one of the biggest animation studios in the world.

They would bring in animator Juan Pablo Machado to transform Shizuku into the Jade we know today. They would still keep her iconic Ghibli look as well as give her a cat, which is an animal important in Whisper of the Heart.

3. Snowman

In November 2023, Lofi Girl and Lofi Boy (who we'll get to in a minute) suddenly disappeared from their respective livestreams. Fans were excited because, usually, with a change like this, something big was about to happen on the channel.

This led to the reveal of Lofi Girl's first official music video called "Snowman." In the video, we see Jade as a child on a vacation with what is assumed to be her parents. She gets her red scarf from her mother and runs into the snowy woods to build a snowman with her father. The video ends with Jade in tears, seemingly insinuating that perhaps something has happened to her parents since these memories. It's a gorgeous video with stunning animation. There is also a brief cameo from Lofi Boy, who we should jump to now.

4. Lofi Boy

The "Snowman" music video wasn't the first time that Jade disappeared from her stream. In 2023, Jade and her cat had left their stream. Over the next 24 hours, the image slowly zoomed outside her window to focus on a glowing blue window in the building across the street from her. On April 11 at 1:00 PM EDT, we were introduced to the newest characters in the universe: Lofi Boy and his puppy.

The YouTube channel also released a video from Lofi Boy's point of view too as he arrives home.

"Lofi" might not be the most accurate name for this character because this was actually the launch of a Synthwave livestream. It's why fans often refer to him as "Synthwave Boy" or "Synth Boy" for short. You can see both characters in the other's respective livestreams now, with Lofi Boy's blue window across the street from Jade's home and her well-lit window across from his.

The lore would grow from there, as the two characters would be part of a choose-your-own-adventure event. Fans got to pick where the characters could go in Lyon, France. What resulted was a gorgeous video of Lofi Boy leaving a note for Jade in the Parc de la Tête d'Or.

This launched parallel streams taking place in the Parc de la Tête d'Or. Jade's was titled "Peaceful Day," while Lofi Boy's is called "Lonely Night," with both characters sitting on the same park bench where he left her a note.

At the time of writing this, Lofi Boy does not have an official name.

5. Make you own Lofi avatar!

The popularity of Lofi Girl can't be understated. There are plenty of ways that fans can join in on the fun as well. On their website, you can purchase many items for your favorite characters, from desk pads, shirts, plushies, stickers, pins, and more.

My favorite part of the website is the avatar maker. You can create your own Lofi Girl or Boy, pick your favorite pet, decorate your desk, and more. It's fun to do, especially when I made one after my own kitty passed away. She was always with me when I was working, and it was a nice little way to remember our time together.

Have you checked out Lofi Girl's YouTube channel or relaxed to the Synthwave beats with Lofi Boy? Let the chilled music soothe you on your next study adventure.