You Oughta Know: Squaredy Cats

Always on the lookout for the latest and greatest in the world of kitty-related cuteness, I was very excited to recently come across the wonderful world of Squaredy Cats!

Founded in 2008 by Kurt Marquart and his wife Elaine De La Mata, Squaredy Cats represent self expression, being proud of who you are, and having a positive mental attitude.

The second Squaredy Cats design ever, modeled after Marquart's late cat, BigFoot.

The couple have a small company in Brooklyn, NY doing toy design for several companies, large and small. Much of their work is interconnected with the licensing world, since so many toys are based on characters from television and movies. They realized along the way that their creative concepts were being sold to so many of these other companies through work-for-hire, and thought it was important to look for ways to market some of their own ideas.

And so Squaredy Cats were born!

Kurt explains, "They were originally meant to be a single square cat character, but quickly turned into something bigger. Developing a concept isn't just coming up with a clever name and a cute picture to accompany it, so we had to establish a reason for the idea to exist. We asked ourselves, "What does a Squaredy Cat do?"

"We saw a need for characters who help people express their individuality. Squaredy Cats became graphic images with attached captions that were meant to extend the initial pun on the phrase "scaredy cat." To empower the cats with confidence we applied the captions that normally begin with "not squared of…" or "not squared to…". We now have hundreds of individual images that are meant to be enjoyed by anyone who can associate themselves with a particular Squaredy Cat or identify with a particular expression of self-confidence."

Here are a few of my favorite Squaredy Cats, that I can definitely relate to!

Squaredy Cats currently have an online shop where you can purchase their adorable likenesses on t-shirts, buttons, and magnets. In a very exciting turn of events, this year they also signed a deal with Gund to create Squaredy Cats plushies! The first set, seen below, will be released in February 2011.

It looks like the Squaredy Cats are definitely poised for cute world domination..don't forget you saw them here on Catsparella first! ;)

Very special thanks to Kurt Marquart of Monkey Doodle Dandy Inc. for taking the time to talk to me about the Squaredy Cats. You can learn more about them and check out all of their fun designs on their website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter!