This Adorable Cat-shaped Fan Blows on Your Hot Drinks So You Don’t Have To

I’m going to go full design-nerd right now because of how amazing the Nékojita FuFu is. For years, designers have somehow internalized the idea that form only follows function, forgetting that form follows emotion too. It’s something Hartmut Esslinger spoke about a lot – that form follows function only addresses the basic need of a product – its problem-solving ability. When form follows emotion, that’s when products connect with humans on a fundamental level, becoming an inseparable part of their lives. That’s what the Nékojita FuFu does so wonderfully.

We first spotted this little cutie at CES, and it instantly grabbed our attention. I’m one of those people who puts an ice cube in his tea to cool it down to a drinkable temperature. I don’t do piping hot drinks, and I obsessively ‘fufu’ at my hot beverages to cool them down – the Nékojita FuFu allows me to outsource that activity to an adorable cat that sits on the rim of my mug. Equipped with a fan inside, the Nékojita FuFu ‘blows’ on your drink to cool it down. However, the fan is merely secondary – primarily this device is an adorable robot that turns a repetitive action into something so whimsically fun, I would look for excuses to use it every day.

Designer: Yukai Engineering Inc.

Click Here to Buy Now: $25 $29 (13% off). Hurry, only 71/100 left!

The Nékojita FuFu was designed primarily to address food temperature for children. Kids can often get scalded by hot food when they’re being fed by adults. Employ the FuFu and you don’t need to worry about the food being too hot anymore. The fan ensures the surface of the food, whether it’s a soup or a broth, stays cooler than the food’s average temperature, making it easy for parents to feed their kids. Meanwhile, the FuFu’s adorable design immediately makes it child-friendly, facilitating the product’s adoption because the kid will want the FuFu to be beside them every time they eat. That’s the fundamental essence of form following emotion.

The word Nékojita is Japanese for ‘Cat Tongue’, which is a term used to describe someone with a tongue sensitive to heat. The FuFu comes from the act of ‘phoo’ing at your beverage. Each Nékojita FuFu is shaped like an adorably plump cat, with a minimal design that keeps things simple. No eyes, no fur, no nose, no whiskers. Just the cat’s silhouette, and a built-in fan that blows air through the cat’s mouth. It’s minimalist in design but maximalist in expression and emotion. The cat itself comes in 3 colors – Sakura pink, white, and chocolate.

The cat’s paws let you prop it up on the rim of a cup or bowl, with the fan blowing directly into the food. Meanwhile, the cat’s designed so it can be sat on flat surfaces too, allowing you to place it beside a plate too. The cat’s body is made from food-grade silicone, which means it can easily be placed near hot items without any danger of spoilage. Meanwhile, the inner USB-C rechargeable fan sits in a plastic enclosure, far from the food itself. In case the cat gets any food on it, the fan pops right off for easy cleaning, allowing you to rinse the silicone outer cover under the sink or even in the dishwasher. On a full charge, your Nékojita FuFu works diligently for up to an hour. A USB-C port lets you recharge your cooling companion via a regular charger or even a power bank.

For Nékojitas like me and you, the FuFu starts at just $25, comes in 3 colors, and ships in entirely recycled packaging starting June 2025.

Click Here to Buy Now: $25 $29 (13% off). Hurry, only 71/100 left!

The post This Adorable Cat-shaped Fan Blows on Your Hot Drinks So You Don’t Have To first appeared on Yanko Design.