Our kids’ toys are things our grandfathers only dreamt about. But sometimes a bit of old-fashionedness is much more interesting than all the modern technology.
Circuit Cat is a DYI feline. It comes with a “body” (a very powerful magnet) and a bunch of metal accesories to combine and rearrange. No two cats will be the same, it all depends on the owner’s imagination. And if the included metal bits aren’t enough, you can raid the local dumpster for more and get really creative.
(If you prefer canines, check out Circuit Cat’s greatest enemy, the Digital Dog.)
How much under $29.99?
A little: $24.99 on ComputerGear.com.
Via Chip Chick
Office wars are fun (until the boss comes in), but nerf guns and rubber band launchers are becoming too common… Unless you want boredom to set in, you need new weapons.
And what better way to surprise your colleagues one dreary Monday morning than a Pickle-pult? Yes, it’s a catapult that launches pickles. Almost. It comes with plastic pickles as ammo, but who says you can’t substitute them with real ones? That satisfying sound of a dripping pickle colliding with someone’s monitor… pure heaven. As opposed to the pure hell of a pickle colliding with your monitor. Those bastards.
How much under $29.99?
A lot: $4.95 on McPhee.com.
Ninjas: highly trained and deadly. You do not want to piss one off. Shawnimals Ninjas: cute and fluffy. You only want to cuddle them.
And what’s better than a cute ninja? A whole town of them! Twelve characters to be exact: Wee Ninja, White Ninja, Anti-Ninja, Business Ninja, Ninja Consultant, Ol’Master Ninja, Baby Ninja, Ninja Dropping, Feroshi the Dino Slug, Wee Devil, Mr. Demon and Zombie Ninja. When you order you get a random box; you won’t know which one you’re going to get – maybe even one of the more elusive inhabitants such as Ol’ Master Ninja or Mr. Demon.
Of course, you don’t need to turn into an obsessive collector. All the characters are adorable (even the little “dropping”), so you’re likely to fall in love with your first tiny ninja and never need another.
How much under $29.99?
A lot: $5.95 on Rotofugi.com.
Via bookofjoe
Face it: the chances for an averge Joe to ever own a Ferrari are so slim they might as well be zero. The closest you’ll get to one is in an auto show, and then you can only drool and walk away.
But you can own all the supercars you want in remote controlled form. The Nano Drive R/C Ferrari Replicas probably won’t make up for that real Ferrari, but they will provide some entertainment (for your kids or for yourself). They’re only 3 inches long, but they are fully controllable (forward and reverse, right and left turns) and even have a turbo speed button (sorry, no, it won’t them go as fast a real race car). In case you’re interested in official things, you’ll be glad to hear they are a fully licensed Ferrari product.
How much under $29.99?
Exactly $29.99 on ThinkGeek.com.
Some people take office wars really serious. I mean, I wouldn’t shy from using a rubber band launcher, but nerf guns are a wee bit too much.
And this is the mother of all nerf guns: the Nerf Recon CS-6. It’s modular, which means you can add each part separately, depending on your needs. And it’s got a lot of parts: blaster, stock, barrel extension, flip-up sight, light beam unit, ammo clip, 6 Streamline darts. You can go for the basics, just the blaster and the darts, or go full-scale and use everything for maximum efficiency. After you’re all set you can start hunting down that annoying guy in Accounting, but be careful, you don’t want to put someone’s eye out or spill a glass of water inside one of the servers.
How much under $29.99?
Exactly $29.99 on ThinkGeek.com.
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” It’s an age-old proverb and it gave us the creeps in The Shining… You don’t want to end up like a psycho Jack Nicholson, do you? Once in a while you need a break (preferably when the boss isn’t around).
Today’s toy is a bit different than the usual. It’s not a gun, you can’t play pranks with it… It’s a Desktop curling game. (Curling can’t really be explained, you need to watch it to understand, but the Wikipedia article will do if you can’t.)
Watching people polish the way of a big rock and take it seriously is fascinating. Watching people polish their desks with a tiny brush is probably hilarious. You owe it to your office to get one of these. I think watching a game might be even better than playing…
How much under $29.99?
Some: ~$19.50 on Alt-Gifts.com.
Via Gizmodo
I can’t remember the first time I head about the Cthulhu mythos, but it was years before I actually read some H.P. Lovecraft. I like his prose, but it gets very tiresome after a while. This aside, I like the Cthulhu that’s made it into pop culture. People don’t know exactly what the deal is with this guy with a weird name, but the idea of a creepy squid monster is appealing (…sort of). Hell, even my WoW guild is named after him.
I have no idea how I got to this page. It was open when I got up and I can’t remember clicking on any link… Oh well, anyway. This Cthulhu action figure is extremely detailed (see the manufacturers’ website for a large image) and actually looks like what I imagined. The figure has articulated wings and poseable tentacles, so you can make it as creepy (or funny) as you feel.
Perfect for Lovecraft fans. Really. I can’t stand action figures and I think this is so cool.
How much under $29.99?
Some: ~$14 on ForbiddenPlanet.co.uk.
I want chicken pox! No, I am not insane and wishing I get a disease. I want one of the new Giant Plush Microbes. Who’d have thought that microbes (fungi, cells, virii and their friends) could be so adorable?
The latest batch includes four microbes: Toxic Mold (Stachybotrys chartarum), Chicken Pox (Varicella-Zoster virus), White (Leukocyte) & Red Blood Cells (Erythrocyte). If you’re interested in specifics, that’s a fungus, a virus and two types of cells. But, regardless of classification and fancy Latin names, what they all are is cute plushies.
While microbiologists, doctors and the like can probably appreciate them best, us non-professionals can get attached to a (plush) microorganism too. And I like to think that kids who play with toy microbes when they’re young will become more interested in science and the invisible world around them.
How much under $29.99?
A lot: $7.99 each on ThinkGeek.com.
Children who’ve never fought a war with gallons of water missed out on one of childhood’s best times. With simple implements such as plastic bottles or fancy weapons like squirt guns, the fun was endless.
The Super Soaker Bottle Shot is the result of a combination of the two water “devices” I listed above. It’s a squirt gun, but instead of having a reservoir you need to refill frequently, it uses plain bottles. What’s the catch? Easy: if you’re planning a big water fight, come prepared. Fill up as many bottles as you need, store them in a safe place, then when you need a refill you just get a new bottle. No more wasting times (and risking a good soaking) while slowly refilling a tank!
Ah, childhood memories… Oh, wait, my last water fight was less than a year ago. This isn’t just for the kids. Us adults need to remember that we don’t have to be all that serious all the time.
How much under $29.99?
A lot: $7.99 on Hasbro.com.
Via OhGizmo
It might sound weird to people who’ve never heard it live, but rain sounds can add something very special to a tune. I first saw this instrument (called a rainstick) used by a band that plays medieval melodies and it’s fascinating.
A real rainstick made of wood could be difficult to obtain however, but this Rain Maker is easily available. It uses metal balls instead of sand, but it gets the same sound of pouring rain. Beside the obvious musical use, this can be very helpful to help you unwind (rain sounds calm me), keep a child busy (“Rain inside a stick? Whoooa”) or even get him or her to sleep.
This is more of a musical instrument than a toy, but I bet parents would be thrilled if they manage to convince a kid that a rain making stick is better than a loud whistle…
How much under $29.99?
Some: $17.45 on OtherlandToys.co.uk.
Via Coolest Gadgets
