A TOTimal is a drawing or picture of a fictitious animal used to stimulate

tip-of-the-tongue Tip of the tongue (also known as TOT, or lethologica) is the phenomenon of failing to retrieve a word or term from memory, combined with partial recall and the feeling that retrieval is imminent. The phenomenon's name comes from the saying, "It' ...

(or ''TOT'') events. TOTimals generally combine features of many different animals, creating a familiar feel, while still making it impossible to identify the animal.

References

Figures of speech Cognitive psychology {{psych-stub