🎙️ New Episode: The Untold Story Behind the Scratch Foundation Cat — With Designer & Artist Wing Ngan
Today, I’m honored to share a conversation with Wing Ngan — the designer, artist, and original creator of the Scratch Cat and many of the sprites that have fueled the imagination of millions of kids worldwide.
Wing’s journey is as inspiring as the character he brought to life.
Born in #Hong Kong, Wing moved to the U.S. at 17. He had been drawing since he was a young child, sketching between school, home, and the Chinese restaurant where his father worked long hours. He always loved design, but like many kids of immigrant parents, pursuing art felt almost impossible to justify.
One night, after a long shift at the restaurant, Wing found the courage to tell his father ('cause he knew he was tired!) he wanted a creative future — but he softened the blow by saying he wanted to be an architect. That small act of bravery changed everything. He was accepted to University of Massachusetts Amherst, discovered graphic design, and instantly fell in love with the form, the craft, and the possibility it held.
That path eventually led him to Massachusetts Institute of Technology., where he spent about six weeks working closely with Mitch Resnick and the learning lab teams. With a remarkable amount of trust and creative freedom, Wing explored how the now-iconic Cat should look, feel, and move. That freedom — he emphasizes — was what allowed him to create a character that has since become a global symbol of creativity for kids everywhere.
Today:
✨ More than 200 million kids have interacted with the Scratch Cat.
✨ Over 500,000 projects are created on the platform every single day.
✨ Scratch has become the world’s leading creative learning movement, reaching nearly 30 million users annually.
In our episode, Wing shares & shows:
1️⃣ His personal journey — from Hong Kong to UMass to MIT.
2️⃣ The early inspiration and emotional intention behind the Scratch Cat.
3️⃣ The design principles that allow sprites to be simple, expressive, and infinitely remixable.
4️⃣ What it was like collaborating with Mitch Resnick and the Scratch team during the platform’s earliest days.
5️⃣ How to design characters for a global audience of kids and educators.
This conversation is a beautiful reminder that creativity isn’t just a skill — it’s a bridge. Wing’s work has helped hundreds of millions of kids feel joy, confidence, and agency in what they can create.
The Scratch Cat isn’t just a character — it’s a companion in the creative journey.
