Finger-nibbling cat plush toy, Amagami Ham Ham, was the weirdest product at CES 2022

A “finger-biting” soft toy cat was definitely the weirdest thing we saw at CES 2022. Yes, you read that right: it’s a soft toy that can suckle on your finger.

Named Amagami Ham Ham – roughly translated from Japanese as “gentle bite”, but in a kawaii or cute way – the plush soft toy will automatically engage its motor and algorithm upon receipt of an extended digit.

But it’s nothing like a cat’s tongue, no sandy-feeling barbs here. It just feels like a soft toy rotating a plastic hook, adding a little finger pressure.

The company behind the creation, Yukai Engineering, which in the past has made the Qoobo motorised cat-tail pillow, says the sensation is supposed to be “give you innocent, comforting pleasure to brighten your day”.

We’d call it downright weird anyway – but that above description (and photo) just makes it even more so.

The cat’s appearance – which is based on the Nemu Nemu stuffed animal series produced by Liv Heart Corporation – is also so perplexingly sad-looking, further adding to our torment.

In addition to Yuzu, pictured here in two sizes, there’s also Kotaro, a Shiba Inu soft toy dog – the latter which wasn’t available to see at the Showstoppers event during CES 2022, where we saw and sampled the product.

We’re certainly glad to see CES back in (almost) full swing for 2022, with its wide ranging array of companies and products, but Amagami Ham Ham was undoubtedly in a whole other category that’s best classed as “odd”. Fun, though, so let’s see if CES 2023 can top this one…