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It’s time for another installment of “Why didn’t they make things so cool when I was a kid?”.

Little Tommy watches WALL-E. Then he comes home and, look, mummy and daddy got him a new toy! It has keys and things happen when he pushed them!

The WALL-E Learning Laptop is an interactive copy of the animated robot, but its job isn’t cleaning up Earth. It’s meant to help children (ages 4 and up) to develop certain key skills through fun activities, and it addresses 5 areas: letters, words, math, logic and games.

It’s got a flip-down QWERTY keyboard, moving arm controllers and a small LCD screen, enough to be fun but not overly complicated.

Too bad we adults are past the learning-by-playing phase..

How much under $29.99?
Exactly $29.99 on Amazon.com.

Via Ubergizmo

Fun with fonts, yay!

Seeing art in letters is something I can’t imagine, so anyone who can do it has my complete admiration. I admit I’m thouroughly impressed by people who can create any kind of design from fonts, and the print on the Optima Prime t-shirt is one of the best examples I’ve seen, as well as a clever pun on the name of the Transformer.

How many fans typography and Transformers at the same time are there? Not so many, probably, but the result is so cool you don’t need to know anything about the TV show to enjoy it.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $13.75 on Zazzle.com.

Via Geekologie

I dare you not to groan at this. A powerful Sith Lord turned into a toy… and disgraced by a Santa hat?

Exactly. The Santa Vader Bobble Head comes in a limited edition of 2,000 pieces, but that won’t make our Lord any happier. A limited edition of 1 would be too much to bear. It’s got a Santa hat, for God’s sake! A villain associated with such a jolly fellow… that just won’t do.

If you’re inclined to cruelty then you’ll love this. It’s cheesy, it’s funny, it’s the ultimate insult to Vader - it rocks! (Well, as much as a bobble head can rock.)

He’s 6″ tall and one of the few Christmas products I’ve seen so far I wouldn’t mind getting. Stocking-stuffer, yes, but the good type.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $14.99 on ThinkGeek.com.

Is your life truly complete? Yeah, there’s a good job, your faithful lover, a nice account in the bank and great friends… but do you have a pair of Chewbacca Slippers?

Thought so. But we can fix that.

Starting with the obvious: these slippers are decorated with Chewie’s head in plush form (thank God, imagine how bloody they’d be if it were really his head…). They’re soft, fluffy and comfortable, and go up to size 12 (men’s). And you won’t be fulfilled until you own them.

All right, they’re pretty disturbing, but I know a couple of Star Wars fans who’d have their credit cards out in 5 seconds.

How much under $29.99?
Exactly $29.99 on ThinkGeek.com.

How could a ball of fuzz become popular? If it was actually an alien and got featured on Star Trek.

A tribble is, for all intents and purposes, an alien animal with no visible external features which can only eat and reproduce. Unless you bring it close to a Klingon and hell breaks loose.

Since we (probably) don’t have any Klingons here on Earth, the Electronic Tribble is a perfectly cute and harmless toy. But just like in the episode The Trouble With Tribbles, this fluffy guy can coo soothingly.. or go mental like Worfs and his friends just entered the room. The good thing is that it only takes the flick of a switch to bring it back to its peaceful personality.

The question that begs to be asked: are you willing to pay almost $30 for it? Hmmm…

How much under $29.99?
A little: $27.99 on YouBuyNow.com.

Via Gizmodo

Although it’s just one of the time travel machines in the Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space range, the blue police box in Dr. Who has become known as the TARDIS. It’s become one of the most famous vehicles in SF, so it’s no wonder someone turned it into an accessory for something that was considered science fiction until fairly recently: your computer.

The Doctor Who Tardis 4 Port USB Hub lets you power your gadgets (duh), but it also makes a nice desk decoration (if you’re a SF geek, at least). It’s even got a blinking light on top, how’s that for classy?

Ok, it’s very possible for people to pass by and wonder why on Earth someone would have a 1950s London police box on their desk, but they don’t know what real TV means.

All it needs now is a Dalek for company… Start planning.

How much under $29.99?
Exactly $29.99 on ThinkGeek.com.

Even though the Monty Python story ended in the ’80s, the British comedy troupe is still considered one of the best humor acts to ever grace our TVs or stages. It’s no wonder they have so many fans, even among those who weren’t even born when the Pythons were performing.

Insults about hamsters, funny accents and walks, a king and a messiah, the Spanish Inquisition and dead parrots are just a few of the ingredients of the Python recipe for success. And, naturally, when something is so good, people will want to show their appreciation.

If you’ve got a friend who’s a fan of the Brits (plus American), you can surprise them for Christmas with a jumbo pack of Python stuff. Since s/he probably owns every conceivable DVD and maybe some old VHS too, you’ll need to be creative…

But we’re here to help.

Introducing the best Monty Python Christmas presents…

First off: everyone needs clothes, and these are two of the coolest Python t-shirts you can get online.

The rabbit on the Killer Bunny t-shirt might look cute, but the red stuff is blood, and any Python fan can recognize the infamous line from the Beast of Caerbannog scene. This gets extra points because the design is actually cool by itself, not only because it relates to The Holy Grail.

On the other hand, The Knights Who Formerly Said Ni t-shirt is one for the fans who aren’t afraid to show their love for silly jokes. “Ecky ecky ecky ecky pakang zoom boing” indeed. And no, if you haven’t watched the movie you won’t get it.

Next up, toys. Because we’re all kids at heart…

The birthday boy/girl’s inner child will love the Cow Catapult. The “fechez la vache” scene in The Holy Grail is one of the best, and the toy catapult comes with assorted animals perfect for launching a cubicle war. Outrageous fake French accent required.

But you cant have war all the time. For times of peace, get the Black Knight Plush, a harmless type of toy - especially since it comes with removable limbs. Just a flesh wound, of course.

And finally, everyone needs to have some fun.

Yeah, yeh, card games aren’t that entertaining, but the Monty Python Fluxx Game is just as absurd as the troupe’s humor and will provide a lot of laughs and a new view on those “boring” games. How could you not love something with rules as silly as “If you speak with an outrageous fake accent… you may play 1 extra card”?

Get shopping!

There you have it, 5 gifts to make one big one. But don’t worry: even if you can’t afford getting so many things, you can limit yourself to one or two. Each of them costs less than $30. Who said that you have to spend hundreds of dollars to show you care?

Neon Genesis Evangelion has a lot of fans, and of the most popular characters is Rei Ayanami, so I sense a couple of people will be very happy to hear that they can now get a Limited Edition Rei Revoltech Figure.

While it is very true to (animated) life, that’s not the best part. The innovation is the Revoltech system which (for action figure noobs like me) means that the characters can be posed in almost any position while still retaining the integrity and smooth lines of the figure.

And it doesn’t stop here: the set comes with 2 pairs of extra hands for different gestures and even the Lance of Longinus (how cool is that?!).

In case you’re not impressed, go watch the series. I don’t pretend to be knowledgeable in anime, but it blew me away, and Rei is probably the most interesting and intriguing character.

How much under $29.99?
A little: $26.99 on ThinkGeek.com.

One of the very definitions of card games is their rules, so what happens when a game doesn’t have them? Surprisingly, not chaos. Or at least that’s what the Monty Python Fluxx Card Game promises.

It makes sense, though: nothing else would fit the humor of the Brits (and American). Like the name suggests, the game is forever changing depending on what cards the players choose. The fun part is that one can change the rules in a way that seems favorable to him and still lose because it was even better for someone else.

Since you never know if celebrity merchandise actually has much to do with said featured person/people, I was very glad to see the example cards, and Python fans will see what I mean:
Goal Card: “Opening Credits - You win if you have the Foot and the Nude Organist on the table in front of you.”
Rule Card: “Fake Accent - If you speak with an outrageous fake accent . . . you may play 1 extra card.”
Keeper: “Unladen Swallow - Counts as African or European Swallow.”
Action: “My Brain Hurts - Discard as many of the New Rule cards in play as you feel make your brain hurt too much.”
Creeper: “The Spanish Inquisition - You cannot win if you have this unless the Goal says otherwise.”

But the best part is that it doesn’t require Python knowledge; it won’t be so fun, but you can play it even with friends who don’t haven’t seen the best comedies in the world. (But you need to force some Pythony goodness on them at least afterwards.)

How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.99 on ThinkGeek.com.

Can you really enjoy Star Trek if you take it seriously? Honestly? I doubt it. It’s so silly at times you can’t help but laugh.

Ok, since we established that it’s not blasphemy to make fun of the show, here’s the Bar Trekkin’ t-shirt, featuring inebriated Sulu, Spock, Kirk and McCoy. Even the good guys need to have fun, and there’s nothing better than some intergalactic pub crawling. As long as they don’t go chasing bad guys afterwards.

This is one of the best Star Trek t-shirts out there: cool design, not too flashy, and damn funny too.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $18 on GoApeShirts.com.

Via TCritic