Where are these catgirls originally from?

Question

I've seen this shared several times on Tumblr, Facebook and forums. But I have never found what the source is.

Where are the catgirls originally from, and why are they so sad :'(

Answer 1

Cropping the frame out, I found out via IQDB that this is probably from UFO Princess Valkyrie. These cat girls appear to be the Catgirl Maid Squadron, also pictured here, who serve Miss Sanada, another catgirl who is the chief maid for the royal family of Valhalla.

The hair colours and approximate complexions also match up here, and the "maid" designation explains the outfits in the GIF.

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UFO Princess Valkyrie, which is also known as UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie follows Kazuto Tokino, who decides to run his grandfathers's bathhouse. Unfortunately, in addition to his lack of skills, an alien princess named Valkyrie from the planet of Valhalla destroys the bathhouse and nearly kills Tokino after she crashes into it. To save him, she kisses him, but in the process, she transfers half her soul to him (which forces her to stay with him) and also becomes an eight-year-old.

The series was originally a manga, although it has also spawned an anime adaptation. (MAL link.)

The exact frame used here is from episode 8 of the second season, a bit more than four minutes in. Earlier, the maids are scolded by Miss Sanada, who refers to them as "Maids A, B, C, and D", refusing to use their real names (which she may have forgotten). Later, when the maids suggest that they take Valkyrie to the mountains themselves, after she is unable to go on a school trip there (because Tokino doesn't go to that school), Sanada praises them, but still refers to them as "Maids A, B, C, and D". This prompts this "You're so mean!" response in the subtitles in the GIF.