Behold the Maneki neko!

The Maneki Neko "Beckoning Cat" is a common Japanese sculpture which is believed to bring good luck to the owner. Maneki Neko first appeared during the later part of the Edo period in Japan (1603–1867) in Japan the earliest documentary evidence comes from the 1870s, during Japan's Meiji Era. Apparently by the turn of the 20th century they were popular throughout Japan.

The sculpture depicts a cat (traditionally a Japanese Bobtail) beckoning with an upright paw, and is usually displayed at the entrance—in shops, restaurants, in this instance, in the entrance hall of Club Med.
In the design of the sculptures, a raised left paw supposedly attracts money, while a raised right paw protects it.

I was quite intrigued by the Fortune Cat when I first saw it, because it has that surreal blend of kitsch/cheapness and spirituality of certain Asian religious artifacts.

Little did I know that I would receive one for Christmas. It's now sitting on my work desk and waves at my dumbfounded colleagues.

It's like Pascal's wager: it might just work...