Puss in Boots toby jug produced by Sylfan Davies of Staffordshire, England, circa 1970. Puss in Boots is the principal character of an Italian fairy tale that quickly spread throughout the rest of Europe. Puss in Boots is an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for his penniless and low-born master. The oldest written telling is by Italian author Giovanni Francesco Straparola, who included it in his The Facetious Nights of Straparola (c. 1550-1553). Designed by Peggy Davies and marked with her husband's name, this Puss in Boots is wearing his swashbuckling garb of the era and holding a sword in his left hand. His tail curls up to form the handle of the jug which is only 3" tall.