The one thing babies do best is drool. Needless to say, all their toys have one common characteristic: wetness.
Parents who want to introduce their children to books from a young age will face a major problem: paper and water don’t mix.
But see… someone solved that problem too. Her name is Amy Pixton and she created the TyBooks – indestructible books made out of Tyvek that can withstand the wrath of any teething baby. Illustrated by Kaaren Pixton, these wordless books are both a fun toy and an educational tool for kids under the age of 2.
Three titles are available: Farm Charm, Creepy Crawlies and Things With Wings.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $12.95 on Amazon.com.
Via BoingBoing
What does a puzzle-addict do when he’s broken all the records on Rubik’s Cube (without taking it apart)? If he’s loyal to the brand and eager for a new challege, he picks up the Rubik’s 360.
The new game from Ernő Rubik brings a different approach: it’s a sphere and it’s less mathematics-based than its famous predecesor.
The goal is to move 6 colored balls from the center sphere to the compartments on the outer sphere, passing through a middle sphere with 2 holes.
This seems to be based more on luck and dexterity, so it might not appeal to all the fans of the cube, but it’s nevertheless a toy to look forward to. It won’t be launched until July or August, but you can already preorder it.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $15 on EntertainmentEarth.com.
Via Wired
The floor is usually covered in boring carpets, but for some lucky kids with cool parents, it could be covered in stars. Well, one star and a bunch of planets.
The Solar System Floor Puzzle is 2 x 3 feet, but doesn’t come with the 5.000 regular pieces that would be needed to cover such a big chunk. 48 big ones is enough to recreate the solar system and, even though for an adult the size might not sound so impressive, kids are bound to have a blast playing and learning.
Because children and cardboard don’t go very well together, the puzzle is 20% thicker than its run of the mill cousins and comes with an easy to wipe surface. I can hear some parents sighing with relief now.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $12.99 on ThinkGeek.com.
If you’re afraid of losing your phone or it doesn’t fit your pocket or don’t want to take a bag with you… just leave the damn thing home, buy a lanyard, anything but the Fin Phone Holster!
A brigthly phone case/holster shaped like a fin might fit the whole seaside theme and will match your swimsuit… but seriously, talking into a fin?! It’s not the first silly phone accessory, but this doesn’t make it any better.
It’s marketed as something fun… which is correct. Passers-by will have a blast laughing at you.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.99 on Fin4Fun.com.
Via bookofjoe
When the Mana Energy Potion showed up, my first reaction was a sort of mental squeal.
The Health Energy Potion follows in its footsteps and, while the novelty factor might be gone, it’s still cool as hell. Gaming the night away has never been more realistic.
As we all know, if your health is down to zero, so is your damage, even when you’re full on mana, so plain caffeine just won’t do it. The Health Potion keeps the energy booster (the equivalent of two Red Bulls) and adds a couple of things to make you healthy, like Elderberry, Ginseng, Biotin and Folic Acid, but doesn’t come with any bad sugar.
(Yes, we all know gamers survive on pizza and chips, you’re not fooling anyone.)
The tiny potions come in six-packs, so you’re set for next week’s Naxxramas raids.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.99 on ThinkGeek.com.
I’ve destroyed at least 10 sets of headphones until I realized that, unless I wrap them around something, the wires will inevitably break.
The mp3 player itself can serve very well, but the Tetran Headphone Winder looks better and swallows the earbuds too. That’s a good thing, by the way.
Why? Because the spikes are perfect for wrapping the wires around, and once you stick the earbuds inside his mouth, they will stay in place and won’t slide off to get tangled.
Doubles as a stress reliever too.. take it with you to class and squeeze it after the teacher tells you to stop listening to music.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $14 on FredFlare.com.
Via Gizmos for Geeks
Buying your kid a cool umbrella (to make sure s/he will actually use it, not get rained on) is a fine idea… unless they go to kindergarten and come home with the wrong one. At 4 years old the concept of “mine was stripey and this is black” might be fuzzy.
My mum used to embroider my name on handkerchiefs, but here’s an idea that takes it one step further: you can order the Personalized Children’s Rainbow Umbrella with the kid’s name on it. At least now, if some other parents end up with it, they’ll will know who to return it to.
Not to mention it’s very pretty – too colorful for boys perhaps, but girls will love the rainbow.
The embroidery is limited to one line, but the 18 character limit is more than enough for a name or a short phrase (“DO NOT TOUCH” comes to mind, but it might be a bit harsh).
How much under $29.99?
Some: $13.99 on MilesKimball.com.
Via bookofjoe
USB gizmos that talk to you are for lonely people who are bored at work, right? Does anyone else like them? I suppose they can be funny for 5 minutes, but afterwards you’ll be begging for your money back.
Anyway, if you’re very bored or hate your co-workers very much (or really love Family Guy), the Stewie IZMO Figure is your next best (USB-powered) friend.
As you type, Stewie will blink and wave his arm in a menacing way while the laser lights up, and will also occasionally talk to you/scare the shit out of the guy in the cubicle next to yours.
Now it’s time to figure out who of your friends is a Family Guy fan, give him this for his birthday and run away as fast as you can. He’ll love it, but there’s no need for you to suffer unnecessarily.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.86 on Amazon.com.
Via ChipChick
Can toilet training be a fun experience? For the parents, probably not, but it can at least have different degrees of difficulty.
For the kids… perhaps. At least the Jack Potty Training Seat looks like fun. If the “trainee” aims correctly, they trigger lights and sounds to encourage them, and if they pull the handle and hit the jackpot they get a small show again. It won’t make a kid learn to use the toilet in days, but if he likes the toy he’ll be much likely to try again.
And it won’t be completely useless once they learn: the adapter seat can be removed and fits an adult toilet.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $15 on Walmart.com.
Via Gizmodo
Believe it or not, a game of cards can beat playing on the computer or watching a movie… if you choose the right game and the right friends to play it with.
In this case, the friends need…. braaaaaainz! Sorry, couldn’t help it.
The Zombie Fluxx Card Game is another variation on a very cool theme: the game with ever-changing rules. The best thing? A player doesn’t have to win for the game to end; the undead can prevail.
There’s 4 types of cards: Keepers, Goals, Actions and Rules, plus a horde of Zombie Creeper cards. You’ll learn how to play it when you get it, but here’s a few teaser examples:
Goal Card: “Brain Sandwich – You win if you have Brains and Sandwiches on the table, plus at least one Zombie.”
Rule Card: “Zombie Jamboree” – All the Zombies gather in the center and then get redealt to each player.
Creeper: “Zombie Quartet” – Four Zombies to munch brains in front of you.
The “zombie apocalypse”? It’s called Ungoal Card: “Zombie Victory” – If there are at least 5 Zombie Creeper cards on the table, and all players have at least 1, the game ends with no winner. (The Zombies win!)
How much under $29.99?
Some: $15.99 on ThinkGeek.com.
