While Japanese coin box toys feature sweet cats who kindly take your change for safekeeping, real cats like this prefer to do other things with your money!
Japanese Itazura Banks are cute little money box toys that look like cardboard boxes, each with an adorable animal like a cat hiding inside. Once a coin is placed on the side of the box, a paw reaches out to grab the money and slides it inside for safekeeping.
▼ This short clip shows just how adorable these little money boxes can be.
The coin boxes are so popular in Japan that the manufacturers have even released Hello Kitty and Godzilla versions. Inspired by the clever products, one cat owner in Japan decided to create the ultimate Itazura Bank – with a real, live cat. What could be cuter than a real kitten’s fluffy paw popping out to take a coin from its owner? That was the thought behind the creation of the homemade cardboard box toy, but in reality, things turned out to be a whole lot funnier than expected, as the cat does anything but take the coin from the owner. From grabbing at his hands to swiping the money away, there’ll be no savings in the house with a money box like this!
https://twitter.com/hiraemi_715/status/763571720259198977Since the cat’s owner, Twitter user @hiraemi_715, posted the funny video online, it’s received more than 40,000 likes and retweets. And if you’re worried about how the cat actually got into the box, this footage, taken from a different angle, shows the cat isn’t confined but is able to go in and out freely without assistance.
https://twitter.com/hiraemi_715/status/763681224137125889So how does the real-life version of the Itazura Bank work? First, you put the coin by the side of the box…
▼ And then the cat will reach out, claws extended, to scratch your hand!
▼ On other occasions, it will miss the coin entirely…
▼ Or simply swipe it far away! What a marvellous invention!
The funny video has been making Japanese Twitter users laugh out loud, with comments like:
“It’s more like a bloody piggy bank!”
“That looks like a painful way to try to save!”
“I can’t stop laughing at the huge difference between this and the cute toy box!”
“At least he retracted his claws for a handshake halfway through.”
“The ending was hilarious! How typical for a cat to swipe the money away.”
With a cat as funny as this, we’re sure its human won’t be able to resist continuing with the challenge to eventually get a coin in there one day. It might take forever to save anything, but the laughs generated in the process will be priceless!
Source: Hamusoku
Top Image: Twitter/@hiraemi_715
Screenshots: Twitter/@hiraemi_715




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