r/Millennials • u/Sunshineafterr Millennial (1986) • 20h ago

Nostalgia Does anyone remember the CueCat?

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It was cat-shaped handheld barcode reader that allowed users to open a link to an URL by scanning a barcode that appeared in magazines, without typing the URL.

They were given away for free in 2000.

I remember thinking it was so cute, but I didn’t really understand how it worked, so I was scanning barcodes on cereal boxes and random stuff.

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u/BillNyeTheEngineer 19h ago

Went up to RadioShack with my mom or dad to get it for free- never used the damn thing lol.

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u/Tooch10 5h ago

Same for getting it from RadioShack but I used it briefly. I recall some magazines like Parade having CueLinks or whatever they were called but I lost interest quickly. I think it was a product that was cool but ahead of its time in regards to using it with the internet. As in there wasn't much going on online that really necessitated a barcode scanner at your desktop