Where did the Lofi Girl go?
The unthinkable has happened: The Lofi Girl has gone missing.
She disappeared at about 1 p.m. EDT, when in the blink of an eye (during Softly’s “Dawn Rain”) — and her window cat — she simply vanished. As the music continues, the Lofi Girl and her cat have not yet returned to their posts.
It would be one thing if today were April 1 (something the channel enjoyed a lot this year, finally giving the Lofi Girl a break from all her endless studying). But today is April 10, and apart from a few cryptic clues left by the channel, we have No idea what happened to her.
As commenters pointed out, during Lofi Girl’s absence, the camera seems to push in (very slowly) through the nighttime window on the other side of her desk. In addition, the Lofi channel itself posted this video a few days ago:
Meanwhile, the channel page dropped several question marks at the top of videos and profile pages, and also changed their profile picture. The page also updated the image in the header to a mysterious photo from elsewhere in the Lofi girl’s bedroom with a date circled on the calendar: April 11, 2023.
The best lead we have is the promise of a press release of a “big reveal” on April 11 from the Lofi Girl team, complete with an “interactive campaign” launching today. There also is a countdown stream started on April 7with a clock (from the same photo as the YouTube page’s header photo) counting down to 1 p.m. EDT on April 11 — exactly 24 hours after she first disappeared.
Image: Youtube
Those signs point to a more coordinated kidnapping marketing campaign for… something. Merchandise options are already available, so it seems likely that the drop will be more complicated than just a plug for the store. Is Lofi Girl Going NFT? To Spotify? A studious DJ booth in a library near you? Spring break?? Polygon has reached out to the YouTube channel and marketing group behind the press release and will update the post when we know more.
In the meantime, those hoping to relax/study with their best friend will undoubtedly be left out in the cold. But if you want sleep/chillknow that your fearless Lofi Girl is still here – at least, for now.