Mel Birnkrant's
All Original Toy Concepts, Written and Photographic content is Copyright MEL BIRNKRANT
“My Pretty Kitty!” I just, now, made that name up! The cat you are about to meet, never had a name, till now. Poor little nameless kitten! She is but a memory of a project that was never completed. And, as incredible as it may seem, to this very moment, this elusively adorable feline has never been seen, by anyone, but me. Not even my partners ever saw her.
I recall when she was born. Two elements led to her creation: First of all, she was an attempt to envision a feline version of a doll I had made previously, who had experienced a modicum of success. Her name was “Baby Face.” Secondly, this pussycat was inspired by our own beloved kitty, Fritz, who, even though, he was a he, patiently allowed my daughter, Alexandra to dress him like a baby, and push him around the house in her antique doll buggy, for hours, every day. This is “Fritz:”
I recall when she was born. Two elements led to her creation: First of all, she was an attempt to envision a feline version of a doll I had made previously, who had experienced a modicum of success. Her name was “Baby Face.” Secondly, this pussycat was inspired by our own beloved kitty, Fritz, who, even though, he was a he, patiently allowed my daughter, Alexandra to dress him like a baby, and push him around the house in her antique doll buggy, for hours, every day. This is “Fritz:”
In those days, Baby Face has just been prematurely terminated, and, amidst the resulting grief, the possibility of reincarnating her as a pussycat, while more than a little bit farfetched, seemed momentarily logical to me. Perhaps too much of the ghost of Baby Face influenced her new life. The fact that I didn’t hesitate to put this kitten in a diaper, was definitely a remnant of Baby Face’s signature attire. And furthermore, I had been drawing animals in diapers all my toy inventing life.
Now, I made a halfhearted attempt to visualize Baby Face-like pets. I didn’t find the drawings, of which this is the only one remaining, terribly inspiring.
So I simply grabbed some Super Sculpey and proceeded to turn Baby Face into a Kitty! Alas, for some reason that now eludes me, I was not altogether happy with the way that she turned out. Perhaps, I felt the whole concept was faulty. For whatever reason, I was convinced that in her present state of development, she wasn’t going to sell. So I set her aside, intending to revisit the project, when I found the time. Unfortunately, that moment never arrived.
Therefore, this sad forgotten feline has remained hidden, in a box that, over time, worked its way to the farthest reaches of the storage space, behind my desk. Until, at last, just the other day, in my ongoing quest for long lost toy designs, I stumbled across the very box that she was in.
Poor Kitten! Her fur was crumpled, and slightly yellowed. Her eyelashes were not merely a mess, but mostly missing. And, to some degree, my heart was breaking. So, even though, I still didn’t believe this lonesome kitty would be a viable toy property, either twenty five years ago, or today, I, nonetheless, felt sorry that I treated her so badly. Thus, I cleaned and brushed her fur, as best I could, and tried to straighten her whiskers, in an attempt to get her ready for her close-up.
Therefore, this sad forgotten feline has remained hidden, in a box that, over time, worked its way to the farthest reaches of the storage space, behind my desk. Until, at last, just the other day, in my ongoing quest for long lost toy designs, I stumbled across the very box that she was in.
Poor Kitten! Her fur was crumpled, and slightly yellowed. Her eyelashes were not merely a mess, but mostly missing. And, to some degree, my heart was breaking. So, even though, I still didn’t believe this lonesome kitty would be a viable toy property, either twenty five years ago, or today, I, nonetheless, felt sorry that I treated her so badly. Thus, I cleaned and brushed her fur, as best I could, and tried to straighten her whiskers, in an attempt to get her ready for her close-up.
Sometimes a camera reveals elusive nuances that we, as human beings, fail to perceive. And so it came to be that, even after all these years, my Panasonic captured a fleeting hint of inner beauty. Behold, My Pretty Kitty! From beyond the barrier of time, her elusive spirit shines. And. when I whispered, “Watch the birdie,” I could swear I glimpsed a twinkle in her eye.
Sometimes a camera reveals elusive nuances that we, as human beings, fail to perceive. And so it came to be that, even after all these years, my Panasonic captured a fleeting hint of inner beauty. Behold, My Pretty Kitty! From beyond the barrier of time, her elusive spirit shines. And. when I whispered, “Watch the birdie,” I could swear I glimpsed a twinkle in her eye.
