The　extent　of　anthropomorphism　in　robot　design　has　long　been　a　topic　of　scholarly　interest.　However,　the　question　of　whether　the　elderly　prefer　robots　that　are　＇cute＇　or　＇human-like＇　remains　unanswered.　This　study　introduces　the　concept　of　cuteness,　the　degree　of　anthropomorphism,　and　other　physical　attributes　as　reference　points.　Using　grey　relational　analysis,　we　evaluate　the　correlation　between　five　appearance　features　of　six　companion　robots　and　five　affective　evaluation　indicators　of　the　elderly.　The　study　concludes　that　cuteness　significantly　correlates　with　perceptions　of　warmth　and　friendliness.　The　ranking　of　the　correlation　between　the　five　affective　evaluations　and　each　appearance　feature　is　as　follows:　brightness　＞　glossiness　＞　cuteness　＞　anthropomorphism　＞　saturation.　This　suggests　that　elderly　individuals　prefer　companion　robots　that　are　cute　rather　than　anthropomorphic.　The　findings　of　this　study　provide　guidance　for　the　design　of　companion　robots　for　the　elderly　and　offer　new　insights　and　methods　for　similar　product　design　evaluations.　©　2013　IEEE.