Pete's Expert Summary
My Human, in their infinite and often misguided wisdom, has presented me with this... object. It is called "My Friend Emily" by a company named Lamaze, which seems to specialize in garish trinkets for undersized, drooling humans. Ostensibly, this is a doll meant to stimulate their rudimentary senses with its cacophony of colors, a crinkling skirt, and a rattle that jingles with all the subtlety of a wake-up call. From my superior feline perspective, its visual design is an affront to good taste. However, the crinkle texture is a sound I am genetically programmed to investigate, and the dangling potential offered by its large plastic clip is undeniable. It may be intended for a lesser species, but its core components suggest it might, just might, be a temporary diversion from a demanding napping schedule.
Key Features
- Cuddly Toys: Meet Emily! She's brightly colored with a friendly embroidered face, a textured skirt, and a rattle flower to keep any baby or toddler content with cuddles and tactile exploration
- Baby Sensory Toys: The baby doll Emily has crinkle skirt material, a rattle flower, and unique fabric textures to explore, encouraging sensory learning, fine motor skills, and early imaginative play
- Baby Travel Essentials: Emily has a large ring-clip to securely attach her to any stroller, car seat, activity center, and more so she can't be dropped or thrown
- Newborn Essentials: Need ideas for newborn baby gifts or baby shower gifts? Give the gift of sensory learning to your own child, or to a friend or relative's new baby
- Lamaze Baby Toys: There’s no better way to share your love, bond with your child, and help them feel secure than through playtime together with Lamaze toys for babies
A Tale from Pete the Cat
I was in the midst of a particularly profound dream involving a river of pure cream and a sky full of fluttering tuna flakes when the disturbance occurred. The Human, cooing in that absurdly high-pitched tone they reserve for me and infants, presented the entity. It hung from their hand by a great plastic loop, a silent, garishly colored sentinel. Its name, I was told, was Emily. I regarded her with the cold dispassion I reserve for dust bunnies and unseasonable drafts. She was an effigy of chaos: mismatched socks, a skirt that screamed with clashing patterns, and a face locked in a rictus of unnerving cheerfulness. The Human, mistaking my silence for interest, clipped the interloper to the edge of my scratching post—my personal watchtower, the pillar of my kingdom. An insult of the highest order. I leaped down from my sunbeam patch and circled the post, tail twitching in irritation. This Emily swung gently, her embroidered eyes staring into the middle distance. Was she a warning? A sacrifice? I extended a single, perfect claw and gave her textured shoe a tentative prod. She swayed, silent. I tried again, this time hooking the crinkly fabric of her skirt. A sudden, sharp rustle erupted, like dry leaves skittering across pavement. My ears swiveled, my focus absolute. That sound… it was the sound of *prey*. This changed everything. She was no longer a simple effigy; she was a puzzle box of intriguing noises. I batted her again, harder this time. She swung away, her internal rattle offering a nervous, chittering reply. The battle was joined. I was no longer a pampered aristocrat; I was a gray-furred phantom, a tuxedoed blur of motion. I ducked and weaved under her arc, leaping to snag the rattle-flower in my teeth and worrying it with a growl. I bunny-kicked her crinkling midsection, reveling in the crackling symphony of my conquest. The Human cheered, but I paid them no mind. This was not a game for their amusement. After a vigorous session of what the Human would call "play," I retired to a safe distance to groom my slightly ruffled fur, victorious. Emily hung askew, her cheerful smile now looking more like a grimace of defeat. She was loud, she was unsophisticated, and her fashion sense was a crime against nature. But she could dance, and she could sing the song of the hunt. I closed my eyes, feigning sleep but keeping one ear tuned to the tower. She was a ridiculous ambassador from the world of noisy things, but for now, her diplomatic immunity was granted. She could stay.
