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View Full Version : What is the name of this cat game?


dollybones
Mar 11, 2007, 09:58 PM
Hi everyone,
My name is Sean. I'll be as specific as I can. I have'nt seen this game in years. I used to own it as a kid and loved it. It consisted of a large grey-colored cats head, and you pulled a big long red tongue out of the cats mouth, which slowly retracted back into the cat's mouth when you started the game... The tongue had squares drawn on it and there were three or four mice and a die you had to roll. The mice were placed on the squares of the cats tongue close to the cats mouth and when you started the game, the tongue would slowly retract back into the cat's mouth, and the cat's mouth would chomp up and down and you had to try and not to let your mouse get eaten by its big mouth by rolling the die, jumping the squares, and hoping to roll high enough numbers to get your mouse up to the end of the cats tongue before its tongue completely went inside the cats mouth. The tongue was motorized, and I think the game made kind of a rapid constant loud clicking sort of noise as the tongue was slowly retracting back into the cats big chomping mouth... I have tried hard to remember the name of this game but I can't. I have searched different websites including e-bay and Amazon, and used different search engines, but so far I have'nt been able to find anything about the game at all. The game was lost when our house burned down when I was a kid. I'll never forget how upset I was when it was lost in the fire. I would love to own this game again, or at least see a pic of the game or know what it was called. Does anyone own this game or has anyone heard of it or remember its name? I would greatly appreciate any help anyone can give me. Thanks

wallabee4
Mar 12, 2007, 12:20 AM
Try this (copy and paste into browser, I couldn't figure out how to link)

Shortcut to: Pounce! Game (Vintage Sports Cards Inc-4098832) - PriceGrabber.com (http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Vintage_Sports_Cards_Inc_Pounce_Game,__15094755/)

wallabee4
Mar 12, 2007, 12:20 AM
OK, I guess it DID link. Click on it! Is this it?

dollybones
Mar 13, 2007, 06:14 PM
OK, I guess it DID link. Click on it! Is this it?


Hi there,
Thanks for your answer, it was greatly appreciated, but unfortunately that is not the game. The game I used to own as a kid consisted of a big grey-colored cats head (something like the one in the link you added).. but a big long red tongue with black outlines of squares drawn on it was pulled out of the cats mouth. While playing it, the cats head stayed stationary and its mouth slowly opened and closed up and down as its big wide red tongue slowly retracted back into the cats slow chomping mouth.. . and I think the bottom half of the mice were flat to easily rest on the cats big slow moving tongue. Thanks again though, I really appreciate your trying and your answers. Take care
Sean

wallabee4
Mar 15, 2007, 08:29 AM
Things like this fascinate me, I look for vintage toys all the time. But... to help, around what time frame (year) were you a kid playing with this?

dollybones
Mar 15, 2007, 10:12 AM
Things like this fascinate me, I look for vintage toys all the time. But...to help, around what time frame (year) were you a kid playing with this?



Hi,
Well I am 37 now, and if memory serves me correctly, I know I had and played with this game before high school, which would have made me younger than 12 years old. My guess is I was most likely between 7 and 10 years old (27 to 30 years ago), which would have made this game most likely from the late 70's, early 80's. I am almost certain the game was from that time frame. Every other thing I can remember about the game was that like most kids at my age, I was very curious. I can remember one day I was curious to know where this big long tongue went to when it fully retracted inside the cats mouth, I wanted to know how a tongue of that length could fit in there. So I carefully removed the top part of the cats head (by dislocating a couple of hinges on each side of its jaw I think). I lifted the top part of the cats head off, and inside, on the bottom part of the cats head was a reel on which the tongue slowly wrapped around, and rolled itself up on, as it retracted. When the tongue was reeled in fully and completely inside the cats mouth, the game was over, and hopefully your mouse did'nt get eaten by sliding into the cats big slow-chomping mouth via its retracting tongue. I think there was only one die to the game (but not certain), and I also think there was a side on that die that if you rolled it, you had to keep your mouse in its square for that turn - you could'nt move your mouse ahead for that roll). To start the game again, you had to pull the long tongue from the cats mouth again (from the reel), pull it all the way out, and make it "catch" (sort of like you would when pulling down an old fashioned blind in a window), place your mice on the first squares of the cats tongue, and start all over again when the tongue slowly started to retract again...
I really wish I could remember more about the game than that - especially its name. I have tried searching for names like Pounce, Cat and Mouse, Buttons, Catch me if you can, Not now but now, Rodent round-up, Slap Trap, and Mousie Mousie... but so far no luck - none of these names is the name of that game. I know this game existed, and I used to own it, so there has to be some information out there about it somewhere...
Thank you again.
And take care
Sean

joe73
Sep 22, 2008, 07:20 PM
I owned this toy too. You are spot on with the description. I remember that the tip of the cats tongue was about an inch and a half of hard, red plastic rounded at the corners that you pulled the tongue out with. I'm 35 yrs old and I think I was about 8 to 10 when I had it. On a tip, go to YouTube and type in something like "80s toys commercials" It just might do it. Good luck.

path
Oct 30, 2008, 07:26 AM
Snapping animal game - Patent 4257610 (http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4257610.html)

Here is a patent for the game but it doesn't mention what the game name was, I will keep searching

majestysmom
Mar 24, 2011, 10:17 AM
I've just spent hours looking for the same game when I found this post. I think the game was called "Snap Cat". It's so strange that you can't find it anywhere online. I know it use to be my favorite game as a child but just can't remember the name of it for sure. I would love to know if you find out and possibly get it. Thank god someone else knows what I'm talking about and I didn't just dream this thing!