This cat, with extremely large eyes, is a pull-along toy made by Antoni Penas Sardà. In 1892 Penas founded a company that specialised in the industrial production of cardboard figures and toys in Santa Maria de Barberà, moving later to the district of Sant Gervasi in Barcelona.
In the early 20th century, the city of Barcelona was an important production centre of toys, with over sixty manufacturers. The Penas company stood out for the special appearance of its creations and for its advantageous prices, as mass industrial production meant that costs could be cut thanks to the fact that money could be saved on materials and the efficiency of production. Until then, these types of toys in Catalonia were primarily hand made in the home.
Penas produced pull-along toy animals (horses, cats, dogs, etc.) and other cardboard figures, such as capgrossos, carnival figures with oversized heads.
Registration number: 104770
Made by: Antoni Penas Sardà. Barcelona
Title: Cat
Date: 1930
Material/Technique: Moulded and painted cardboard
Measurements: 15,5 x 14,5 x 50 cm
Source: Donated by Josep Maria Joan Rosa
Jocs & joguets. Museu del joguet de Catalunya. Triangle postals, Figueres, 1998.