Cat Paw – The Toy That Claws Its Way To Your Heart
By Guest Contributor – John Charles
Sometimes an item comes along that is just so darn fun you can’t put it down. Slinky is one of those items, Legos are another. The latest is Cat Paw.
What is Cat Paw? Well, as the name suggests, it is a cat paw with a handle. You squeeze the action lever on the handle and the cat paw, well, paws at whatever you want and makes a soft realistic “meow” if you squeeze gently and a viscous jungle cat roar if you squeeze tight. On paper this may sound like a silly idea, but once you pick it up, you just want to keep playing.
There are 4 styles; orange short hair, Persian (white), black cat, and Maine Coon cat. All feature a sturdy blue handle with action lever. The “fur” is plush and luxuriously soft and the padded cat foot is very realistic (but claw free).
Although it may seem like one of those “What would you do with it?” items, Cat Paw is addictively fun. I’ve been playing with one for four days and am still hooked. I tried to send a text with one last night and managed to operate my tv remote with a CatPaw as well. As I left my apartment this morning I used it to press the elevator button and also made it wave goodbye to my doorman (who was both amused and puzzled). I visited my nieces (age 7, twins) to see what they thought of cat paw and the squeals of delight could break glass. They were so enamored of them even 90 minutes later they were playing. Each armed with a Cat Paw, they had made up a game where they would use the paws to bat a sponge ball across the floor, in essence they were playing as though they themselves were cats! The sound feature sent them into fits of giggling. As I said goodbye to my nieces, they both held up their paws and asked “Are these ours Uncle John?” and I must admit, I really wanted them back, but I relented (one can’t say no to doe-eyed 7 year old twin girls) and let them keep them.
Cat Paw is made by Wicked Cool Toys (based in Pennsylvania) and I hope they seize the opportunities for other variations. A black cat paw with an orange handle would be a great Halloween item, a red version for Valentine’s Day. The possibilities are almost endless. Cat Paw is going to be huge. It is the perfect storm of impulse item that retailers desire and customers adore.
If you want a Cat paw of your own (you do, trust me) you can find them at ToysRUs and Amazon.com, as well as Kmart. Because they are new they can be a challenge to find online, but they are well worth the search. I would also expect online retailer and tastemaker Think Geek to carry them soon as this is exactly the type of item that cubical dwellers crave.
As for me, well, I have to go buy another for myself. My nieces can’t have all the fun.
Check out the Cat Paw Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/mycatpaw
As well as some videos online here http://youtu.be/-xdomzeDyhw
And here http://youtu.be/bHtdV8w3dfw
