![]() “The Cussing Cat Clock” showcases Tuazon’s talents for merging the strangeness of the world with the emotional impact of human connectivity-it’s a refreshing novella, and one worth spending an hour or two with. With Dru, our foul-mouthed guide, Tuazon has given us a narrator who could carry an entire novel with the sheer propulsion of her voice, and she’s accompanied by a cast of equally wry characters, including a woman who’s a magnet for neighborhood cats, an action-oriented best friend, and a verbal clock with a vocabulary that might be dirtier than hers. Tuazon’s “The Cussing Cat Clock” is a funny, sad, and often joyful meditation on the inner lives of teenagers and what it means to navigate an intensely white world as a Filipino adoptee. Tuazon tackles the otherness that a first-generation immigrant can feel in an all-white family – and the togetherness that they can reclaim.Į. In the search for Pete Burns, Dru is forced to confront the obstacles and emotions she has been avoiding. Not to mention: she didn’t even break a thousand on the SATs. But that’s not all that’s going wrong: Dru’s adoptive father has died, her brother Sammy won’t leave the house, and she recently received a letter from someone in her past that she doesn’t dare open. Because of its scarcity, Young estimates that the wind-up model from 1939 could go for as much as $10,000 at auction.Īlthough he hesitated to give production figures, he indicated: "Every three minutes of every hour of every day for more than 50 years, someone has put one on their wall.The Grime family cat, Pete Burns, is missing. Models from the '40s and '50s have sold for several hundred dollars on eBay. It didn't take long for the outdated electric clocks to become collectors' items. To reduce the required energy, the eyes were made of a lighter plastic. Kit-Cat's operation requires precision balancing of all the inner workings of the clock with gravity keeping moving parts in motion at a controlled speed. A method of running the clock's precision mechanisms with less energy had to be explored.īy 1990, the company had developed the capability for two C-size batteries to supply the power for animation and time keeping. 3D three-dimensional scale achieves a kind of mirror reflection effect. "Our choice was to raise prices astronomically or come up with a new mechanism for battery operation," Young said.Īt that time, the technology for a battery powerful enough to run the clock's one-second animation, which moved the eyes and tail, did not exist. The gray-blue and gold color scheme shows a noble and elegant atmosphere. The introduction of battery-powered, digital clocks cut the need and therefore the production of American-made electric motors, essential to the Kit-Cat, sending their cost skyrocketing. Besides the classic gentleman cat, a lady Kit-Cat, limited-edition colors and jeweled models adorned with Swarovski crystals have been among the product offerings.ĭespite the clock's popularity, this bit of nostalgia was nearly lost in the 1980s. Other animals including Disney's Pluto, a teddy bear, a panda, a poodle and an owl were made for a short time during the company's history, but nothing sold like Kit-Cat. "It's always been the most popular," Young said. The original, classic black Kit-Cat with the white bow tie still outsells all of the company's products. However, the appearance of its 151/2-inch-by-4-inch plastic body hasn't changed much since front paws and a bow tie were added in the early '50s. The internal clock mechanism evolved from a wind-up style to electric and finally battery operation during its life span. Young still maintains a post office box in San Juan Capistrano because of the number of printed materials still circulating with this address nationwide. A few years later, the company relocated again to San Juan Capistrano, Calif., where it remained for 30 years. ![]() ![]() In the early '60s, the company moved its operation to El Monte and changed its name to The California Clock Co. In the 1940s, stamps reveal that the clocks were made in Seattle. ![]()
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