Cats & Robots # 11:
Large, glowing blue eyes will get you remarkably far with 8 year olds and Instagram followers.
Ansel really enjoyed "Real Steel," the movie about prizefighting robots back when it was released in 2011 and he has watched it a couple of times since. Atom is the robot underdog, salvaged from burial at a dump by the under-parented kid at the center of the movie. Atom eventually almost triumphs over much glitzier and better funded bots owned by people of questionable character..
The boxing robot has endearingly luminescent blue eyes like social media phenomenon Nala the cat. With 1.8 million followers on her Instagram account, Nala trounces even Grumpy cat on that platform (a mere 598,000 followers.)
One does wonder at the remarkable extent of Nala's internet celebrity. She is certainly a cute cat, and has some winsome baby blues. However, she isn't surrounded by the snarky jokes and commentary that seem to boost the popularity of other cats like Colonel Meow, Grumpy Cat, Garfi and many of the other lol cats and feline memes. Her overall message is mildly upbeat and pro pet adoption.
The Nala website does have an online store with an amazingly extensive selection including Nala throw pillows and over 20 cat sized bow ties and neckerchiefs. But one would imagine the store is a offshoot of the popularity and not its driver.
Could it be the eyes?
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