WowWee Alive Cubs are soft, furry, and cuddly--and kind of irresistible. The company (which makes the decidedly un-cuddly disembodied Elvis, among other tech toys) recently sent me a Lion Cub to "test." By "testing" I mean holding it close, then forcing most of my colleagues to hold it too.

The Lion Cub purrs, meows, blinks its eyes, crinkles its nose, and moves its mouth. It even sheds fur, much like real-world cats (luckily most of the fur stopped flying a day or two after the cub arrived). Apart from the unfortunate grinding-motor sounds that accompany any movement, this cub is huge on the "awww" factor.

The cub has an on/off switch on its belly, and a volume toggle on one ear. It reacts to different kinds of handling; petting sensors in its ears and on its back triggers purring, and turning the cub upside down makes it squeal. If you stop playing with it for 5 minutes, it goes into "sleep" mode.

You can get your own baby animal soon (no exact date, but within the month), for $59.99. The Cubs are recommended for kids 3 and up, but I can tell you that every grown woman in this office--including an avowed robot-phobe--wants one.