This cat's name is Maneki Neko. (Neko means cat in Japanese.) You will see these cats in the front of many businesses. The cat invites more people to come into the store. When a Japanese puts his hand up and waves, it means "come here". In America, the same gesture means hello or good-bye. When they export these cats to other countries, they make the paw facing the other way. |
Mrs. Melmed's class guessed correctly that it is a good luck charm. Mike N guessed that it was a good luck toy. Allison L. wrote that his one paw is waving for friends and good luck to come to him and he puts his luck and money in his purse that he holds in his other paw. Brett S. guessed that there must be a Japanese myth and in the story, the cat must have done a good thing. Actually there are some myths that refer to a cat bringing luck, but no one is sure when and where Maneki Neko began to be used as a good luck symbol. Here are two links that tell more about Maneki Neko: |
Lyndsay P. guessed that it was a kittybank instead of a piggybank. Yes, there are banks that look like this in Japan, but that is not the reason it is so popular. Here are some other answers:
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