Road kill toy

I'm not sure if this delightful toy is real or a work of art. I don't really care.

Toy Teaches Children About Life And Death

[Anonymous October 19, 2009 2:41 PM]

That is just horrible. :-(

[Anonymous October 19, 2009 2:47 PM]

unicorn chaser pleh!

[joncro October 19, 2009 2:48 PM]

looks like a real toy and a work of art.

[Anonymous October 19, 2009 2:52 PM]

I think it's a play on words from a popular children's song.

"neko neko, funjatta
funjatta, funja funja
funjatta!"

"Cat, cat, I stepped on the cat, stepped, stepped, stepped on the cat!"

(roughly)

(btw, it actually reads, "neko funjatta")

As far as why this is funny...? Perhaps it's the 2ch.net style of cute/dark humor that's so popular in Japan?

[Anonymous October 19, 2009 3:07 PM]

Unicorn-roadkill chaser?

[Derek Quenneville October 19, 2009 3:27 PM]

There's a company in the UK that makes great plush roadkill toys here: http://www.roadkilltoys.com/

I bought Twitch the raccoon for my Mom last Christmas - he's got removable organs! :) http://tinyurl.com/twitchphoto

[Anonymous October 19, 2009 3:42 PM]

They should make them in gummy. Gummy worms aren't gross enough.

[Stefan Jones October 19, 2009 3:44 PM]

The smiling boy puts a whole uncomfortable spin on it.

[O_M October 19, 2009 4:06 PM]

...I'm not one of those psychotic cat lovers, even though I've got five of them here at OMWorld Central - two of which are watching me type this post - but that concept for a toy actually exceeds even my levels of bad taste.

Seriously, this one's sick beyond humor.

[Anonymous October 19, 2009 4:20 PM]

Doesn't mention it in the article but that toy is made by the Manga artist Shintaro Kago

[Anonymous October 19, 2009 4:53 PM]

This and fake gunshot wound decals . . . why?

[Krutus October 19, 2009 5:45 PM]

It doesn't seem so strange. It's probably not actually for kids, seems like a novelty toy of the sort I used to buy at my local magic shop. I loved stuff like this when I was a kid - horror movies, Stephen King, skeletons, bizarre and gory toys like this one, fake blood etc.

[Lilah October 19, 2009 7:42 PM]

As anonymous mentioned, this is the work of guro/surrealist/horror/shock manga artist Shintaro Kago, who has gained a following for work much more violent than that.

Manga blog Same Hat offers scanlations and updates on his work here: http://samehat.blogspot.com/search/label/shintaro%20kago but he also has a youtube channel and his work was featured on the cover of vice magazine not to long ago (the cover): http://www.ectomo.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/kago2.jpg

[Anonymous October 19, 2009 7:46 PM]

Ah. Neko neko. Is that what the dolls were singing in the version of "Walk, Don't Run" that showed up here previously?

[Travoid October 19, 2009 7:58 PM]

Wow! I love it!
I'm living in Osaka right now (also a short train ride from Kyoto and Kobe), so would anyone happen to know where I could find one of these online or in the area?
I've searched Shintaro Kago's site and can't seem to find anything about it.
Many thanks!

[Travoid October 19, 2009 8:01 PM]

Oops! If it's a one-off work of art then nonetheless bravo! ...but I wish they were sold in stores.

[Anonymous October 19, 2009 8:48 PM]

oh thank god that this is a toy.

When i first saw the image I thought it was candy.

[thorn October 19, 2009 9:07 PM]

i want the placemat set!

[AGF October 19, 2009 10:04 PM]

This makes me sad. Do not want.

[mdh October 19, 2009 10:13 PM]

also makes a great Halloween costume.

[ryansands October 19, 2009 10:28 PM]

@Travoid: They actually sell Kago's toys at Village Vanguard shops sometimes. They have them at TACO CHE in Nakano Broadway Mall in Tokyo, and Kago sells them himself at gallery shows and events around tokyo.

Lucky for you, Kago is doing a gallery/short film show in Osaka on November 7... very soon!
【日時】11月7日（土） open18:30 start19:00
【会場】なんばmontage
大阪市浪速区桜川1-7-30 リバーライズビル2F
JR 「難波駅」より西へ徒歩5分
【料金】前売\2000 当日\2500（１ドリンク代別途）
【出演】駕籠真太郎（奇想漫画家）
【会場物販】　
・当日発売の新刊「フラクション」
・駕籠先生の同人誌、ＤＶＤ、特殊玩具
ポストカード、カラーイラスト複製、生原画（5000円～30000円）

[ryansands October 19, 2009 10:28 PM]

PS: This is Ryan, the dude that runs Same Hat and edited/translated Tokyo Zombie for Last Gasp :)

[Anonymous October 20, 2009 1:41 AM]

More here including windup bathtub bloated floating corpse:
http://www1.odn.ne.jp/~adc52520/new/tokusan.htm

[Anonymous October 20, 2009 1:45 AM]

Actually, in Japanese, it says, "I stepped on a cat". FYI...

[Travoid October 20, 2009 7:22 AM]

@ryansands: WOW! That's great! I will definitely check that out if I get the chance. Thanks a ton!

[Anonymous October 20, 2009 3:27 PM]

Why is the boy smiling?