Featured Help, please! What the heck is this thing?

Could be both the black and orange are cold paint. I may have been reading it incorrectly. The most important bit is figure it's cold paint and treat accordingly.

A long time ago someone asked about a piece that was cold painted. it was dirty so they went washed it - no more cold paint.

 

Would make a great Halloween decoration... I am trying to do time travel to move us all months ahead and covid free.

regarding cold paint, I was at a yard sale on a hot summer day and found some adorable MIJ cold painted figurines. I picked them up to look and the paint came off and onto my fingers.
If I have anything with cold paint, I use a dry Q tip to get rid of shmutz but ever so gently.

 

Aren't eyes like those applique, and called googly eyes?

 

My mother used to sing that song about Barney Google.

 

some had plastic googly eyes, some had glass, the black spot is painted on, here is an Erphila piece with glass eyes





https://www.cowanauctions.com/lot/german-pottery-halloween-cigarette-holder-with-black-cat-16368

 

lol, been there, done that, enough said

 

No, the pupils are fixed.

 

Thank you all for this convo - I've learned a lot. I didn't even know cold paint was a thing. I did wipe it off with a barely damp paper towel (EEEEEEEK) but that was pre-photos so I guess I didn't do too much damage, but dang. I need to be more careful.

The eyes look very similar to the ones on Erphila cat that cxgirl posted above. They definitely aren't googly eyes, which are plastic and have pupils that shoot around wildly when moved. Here's another pic of the eyes.



Also, it's impossible to see in photos and very hard to see in person, but the cat has a big old smile on his face. Also a bow tie with the bow on the side of his neck.

 

Here's another one, but made in Japan. Any thoughts on this one's age?

 

It's my understanding that googly eyes are the ones that rattle around, so it doesn't apply to yours.

 

Oh, sorry - I thought you thought my eyes were googly. Hahaha!

 

Cigarette holder. Back in the days of everyone being a smoker it was not uncommon to put out cigarettes this way for guests after a dinner party, etc...