Kit-Cat Klock

Above, an original model clock with packaging from the 1940s. Below, a black newer model clock displays four paws.

The Kit-Cat Klock is an art deco novelty style wall clock. It is in the shape of a grinning black cat with cartoon eyes that roll horizontally in sync with a pendulum tail that wags beneath. The clock is traditionally colored black, but models in other colors/styles are available. It first appeared during the 1930s. The clock is an iconic symbol of kitchens in pop culture.

Having changed very little in the intervening years, the first clock was made in 1932 by the California Clock Company in Portland, Oregon. The first generation of clocks, manufactured in the '30s, '40s and '50s, have two paws, while newer models have four paws and a bow tie. The words "Kit-Cat" were added to the clock face in the 1980s. The original clocks were plug-in, but most models sold since the late '80s use batteries. The manufacturer estimates that the clock has sold on average at the rate of one every three minutes for the last 70 years.

In popular culture

The clock is one of many in Dr. Emmet Brown's house in Back to the Future.

To celebrate its 80th anniversary, Kit-Cat is sponsoring a 55-foot long float, entitled "Timeless Fun for Everyone", in the 2012 Rose Parade.

The clock is parodied as a skunk clock in two Season 3 episodes of Bear in the Big Blue House, but with a long bushy tail with a white streak instead of a skinny one

See also

• Felix the Cat

External links

• Official website