Gardaí addressed the Cat in the Hat police hoax after viral images spread online showing someone dressed as Dr Seuss’ character in local neighbourhoods. The pictures were not real; Gardaí said they were artificially generated and then passed around with misleading claims.
Wexford Garda said the online craze had already reached several places, including Limerick in Ireland, Glanmire, Cork, Cahir, Tipperary, Curracloe, Wexford, and Broadford Park in Dublin. The statement also said the images were first seen on Facebook, with rumours at the time that they had come from Snapchat.
Wexford Garda on AI prompts
Wexford Garda said the false images had been accompanied by reports that police were investigating a creepy real-life cartoon. The force described the issue as an AI prompt that places the character into images and videos of familiar places, turning an obvious fiction into something that could be mistaken for a real sighting at a glance.
“In an unusual turn of events we are hearing a lot about an illusive Dr Seuss character doing the rounds online, apparently causing havoc in neighbourhoods and towns across the country.”
“Fortunately, we can rule out the issue, which is essentially an AI prompt that places the character into images/videos of familiar places.”
“To be clear, the Cat in the Hat was not in your driveway while you were out and he is not currently hiding out in Curracloe.”
Locals in Wexford and beyond
The images moved from one place to another fast enough that people in multiple areas were reacting to the same invented scene. Wexford Garda singled out the driveway claim and the Curracloe rumour because that is how the hoax presented itself: as a local sighting, not a meme.
That kind of spread is exactly why the false reports matter. The story was not just about a strange image; it was about people treating an AI-made prank as if it were an active police matter in their own town.
Dorset Police and prank calls
Dorset Police had already dealt with a similar AI prank last year, after a fake AI homeless man led to police calls in the UK. The force said it received a call from one extremely concerned parent who had been fooled by their daughter, and the daughter had told her family there was a man in their home while she was alone.
“If you receive a message and pictures similar to the above antics from friends or family, please attempt to check it isn't a prank before dialling 999.”
For anyone seeing the Cat in the Hat images now, the practical point is simple: the pictures were fake, the driveway sightings were fake, and the local panic grew from a prank that travelled faster than the correction. Gardaí identified the images as AI-generated, but the source of the prankster and whether any action will follow were not set out in the statement.
