Picture the perfect retro kitchen scene, and there’s probably a saucy cat clock on the wall swinging its tail and rolling its eyes back and forth. While Kit-Cat Klocks have been decorating homes for decades, somewhere along the way, they got associated with vintage Felix the Cat clocks. Let’s uncover the fascinating story behind these two retro clocks and why the names aren’t as interchangeable as you might think.
Vintage Felix the Cat Clocks
Felix the Cat is widely considered the first animated pop culture phenomenon. The scrappy black and white cat made his debut in the 1919 short Feline Follies. Thanks to animation’s novelty and its family-friendly appeal, Felix became a worldwide superstar.
Naturally, the merch machine wasn’t too far behind. Vintage Felix the Cat clocks and other Felix merch come in a wide range of types and styles.
In your hunt for vintage Felix the Cat clocks, you might come across:
- Alarm clocks
- Wristwatches
- Wall clocks
- Motion wall clocks
While it’s unclear when the Felix the Cat motion clock, with its rounded base, thinner shape, and elongated frame, was first released, you can still buy one today. NJ Croce (which has been operational since the 1980s) produces this licensed motion wall clock, though you have to buy them through third-party sellers at this time.
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Vintage Kit-Cat Klocks
In contrast to the Felix the Cat motion clock, we can trace Kit-Cat Klocks all the way back to 1932. A bright balm to the anxieties and lifestyle changes erupting from the Great Depression, this feline wall clock is exactly what you think of when envisioning a cat clock.
It features a long tail that swings back and forth in conjunction with round side-sweeping eyes. The earliest models were far less detailed and boasted the tuxedo cat color scheme of only black and white. Its proportions and colorway immediately invoked memories of Felix the Cat, making it super easy to connect the two.
Thanks to the indelible stamp they’ve made on the Americana market, chances are high you actually want a Kit-Cat Klock if you’re looking for a Felix the Cat clock.
How to Date Your Kit-Cat Klock
Unlike Felix the Cat clocks, Kit-Cat Klocks are extremely easy to date. To start with, you should identify if the clock has a power cord or is battery-operated. If the former, it was made pre-1990, and if the latter, it was made post-1990.
Cat clocks with jeweled eyes and other bejeweled bits typically come from the 1950s and 1960s.
The rarest Kit-Cat Klocks feature “Portland, OR” on the back. This indicates they were made in the late-1930s and belong to some of the first batches ever made.
Similarly, limited-edition Kit-Cat Klocks were first introduced in 1989 and are clearly labeled on the bottom. There are several types of codes to look for on a limited-edition battery-operated Kit-Cat Klock, though all of them will have two or three letters, followed by a hyphen, and then a series of numbers. The higher the number, the more recent the manufacturing date.
Limited-edition Kit-Cat Klocks are only manufactured for a single year before being retired.
Related: 8 Vintage Household Items That May Be Worth a Small Fortune
How Much Are Vintage Kit-Cat Klocks Worth?
Brand-new Kit-Cat Klocks cost around $60-$90, depending on the edition and size. When they hit the resell market, they can jump up in price to about $100. However, the vintage clocks are significantly more valuable.
For example, one vintage Kit-Cat Klock with some substantial fading recently sold for $250 online. Similarly, a vintage bejeweled Kit-Cat Klock went for $250 in an online auction (where it was ironically listed as both a Kit-Cat Klock and a “Felix the Cat” clock).
Comparatively, Felix the Cat motion clocks sell brand new for around $100 and go for far less on the resell market. One like-new boxed clock recently sold for $65 on eBay.
What’s in a Name?
Whether you call them Kit-Cat Klocks or Felix the Cat clocks, these pop culture staples are still making their mark. They evoke such a sense of yesteryear that people with a taste for the retro can’t help but be charmed by them. And if you have been too, you can order your own today.
