Toy OTD: Critterbox, Kaz's Smoking Cat (2005)

Critterbox may be gone as a company, but their legacy for amazing quality lives on. This Smoking Cat figure (a character designed by cartoonist Kaz) is terrific! An incredible sculpt, a super-tight paint job and a subtle finish - especially the face. Check out those whiskers! Nice.

The toy comes with a cigarette (natch), a removable tail knife, and a 'cloud' of cigarette smoke shaped like a skull. You can fit that into the cat's mouth to make it look like he's puffing away!

This toy only has one flaw, and it's the tail section. If you want to pose the tail like it appears in the drawing (and get the knife to point straight up and down), the curve of it prevents the figure from standing up properly. It's a shame, because so many other details were handled so well, that this would seem like something that could've been caught and tweaked before release. Adding an appropriately shaped base would've done the trick as well.

Unfortunately, this toy is long sold out. It only cost $20-$30 originally, but brace yourself to pay a lot more these days. I can't find it online (nor on eBay), so it looks like another favorite search is in order - good luck!