Chocolate Chinese Cats (Maneki Neko)

The maneki-neko (Japanese: 招き猫^?, literally "beckoning cat") is a common Japanese figurine (lucky charm, talisman) (usually made of ceramic or plastic nowadays) which is often believed to bring good luck to the owner. The figurine depicts a cat (traditionally a calico Japanese Bobtail) beckoning with an upright paw, and is usually displayed—often at the entrance—of shops, restaurants, pachinko parlors, and other businesses. Some of the sculptures are electric or battery-powered and have a slow-moving paw beckoning. The maneki-neko is sometimes also called the welcoming cat, lucky cat, money cat, happy cat, beckoning cat, or fortune cat in English.