There is something about this that makes me want to burst into tears. The sweet old ladies talking to Paro, and wiping off his face to clean him… I can barely take it!

Its so sad how they think its real

I look forward to the day when Cute Overload needs a “Cute Robots” category.

I found the Engrish description a bit disturbing with its focus on either stroking (good) or beating (bad). And it cries if you touch its whiskers. WTF?

Still, I want one.

I saw one of these a couple of years ago, and really you would have to be very elderly to find it that much more comforting than a stuffed animal. On the level of dementia.

OMG! I totally snorgle on a stuffed white baby seal plushie every night to sleep good. (Football-shaped baby seal fits perfectly between boobage.) Nice to see that I am not the only one turned onto this stuffed cuteness phenom.

Check out the video with fmr. prime minister Koizumi. he must have done something wrong because it looks like little Paro is crying towards the end! lol…

that lil seal bebeh is just toooo cute! i totally need to get me one of them! I think that its a really great idea for helping all the people in hospitals, nursing homes, etc.

*why* a seal?

They explained on their web site. They chose a seal because if they made it look like an animal that people actually have first hand experience with, then it won’t work.

If you have a toy of a kitten that just sits there and wiggles at bit and makes a few noises it will never fool you because you’ve played with kittens before.

But it’s much easier to suspend disbelief for a toy that doesn’t look like anything familiar.

It is very cute, indeed, but *why* a seal? Why not a dog or cat? Vas is der logic?

But it *is* very cute.