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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

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.

Regular fluffy pets are boring. I mean, anyone can get a cat or a dog. But having an undead pet might be more of a challenge…

Unfortunately, the undead are still hiding from us and letting us believe they’re just a prop for horror movies. But the Zombie Pet Shoppe just might be a tool to mentally prepare us for the uncoming invasion… First you get zombie toys, the next step is getting real live (well, dead) zombie pets.

5 all-time favorites included: cat, dog, rabbit, parrot and fish. With appropriate greenish tinge and bloodshot eyes.

(If you want to give your little brother nightmares for a couple of months… by all means, replace some of his harmless toys with some of these.)

How much under $29.99?
Some: $12.95 on McPhee.com.

Do you remember the last snowball war you were a part of? Building defenses, stockpiling on “ammunition”, trying to overthrow the enemy… the good old times will never come back, will they?

But even though it won’t give you the same sense of nostalgia, you have to admit that the 50′ Snowball Launcher would be a kickass tool for any serious snowball fight. Yes, making and throwing snowballs with your bare hands was fun (at least until they froze), but a huge slingshot-based gun that can throw them up to 50 yards is amazing. It can even create perfect spheres of snow for smoother flight!

It’s for ages 8 and up… but it doesn’t mention up to what, so 25 or 30 doesn’t make you too old for it, no way. It’s even better if you have a kid, double the fun (and a perfect excuse to good around, too).

How much under $29.99?
Exactly: $29.95 on Amazon.com.

Via Coolest Gadgets

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.

If you like to be shocked - literally - Shocking Thumbwars is the best game for you. It will satisfy your spirit of competition and your masochistic side in one go.

The basics are very simple to understand: lose a game and get an electric shock. The games are a bit more complex, but not much. There’s three of them: 50/50, where you just need to push the button 50 times before your opponent does; Rebound, which involves a “moving” light that needs to be passed back and forth; and Endurance, which is just for pain-lovers: the person who can stand the most powerful shock wins.

There’s no way this could pass for an intellectually challenging game… but oh, after a couple of beers it might seem the most hilarious thing in the world.

How much under $29.99?
A little: ~$25 on Firebox.com.

Via ChipChick

If you don’t already recycle your plastic bottles, you should make a simple experiment: don’t throw any of the empty bottles for a week, then admire the results. A lot, huh? But before you throw them in the recycling bin, save two; they can serve a better (and fun!) purpose: flotation device

The Bottle Catamaran kit comes with everything you need to create a motor boat; you just need to supply the bottles. It’s not very well suited for adults or young kids, but a 10-year old would learn some mechanics plus the principles of being green and have a blast in the process.

No sign of a remote though, so unless you want Davey to kiss his toy goodbye after 2 minutes, make sure the pond isn’t very large and you can recover the catamaran easily.

How much under $29.99?
A little: ~$22 on IWantOneOfThose.com.

Even though I love video games as much as the next person, some people do take it too far… And while adults can make their own (good or bad) choices, kids need a helpful hand in the right direction. Which isn’t spending 10 hours a day glued to a computer chair.

And a little DYI can be lots of fun (even if dad has to help). The Electric Plane Launcher mixes old-fashioned paper planes with technology and makes a simple game 10 times more fun. Yes, launching planes off the balcony is cool… but how about when they fly off at 50 km/h?

No, of course it doesn’t come with the plane. But there’s dozens of websites and books with tons of models, and building the plane is part of the game anyway.

How much under $29.99?
A little: ~$23 on IWantOneOfThose.com.

What’s better than a zombie? Two zombies, of course. But what’s even better? Everyone’s best friend, Dismember-Me Plush Zombie!

He might be a bit on the dead side, but he’s still adorable down to his tiny detachable brain. All his limbs plus head come off and you can play mix & match with them afterwards. It’s a zombie, of course it can function even if his head is attached to his armpit! But the best part is the torso: it can be pulled apart so you can examine zombie guts.

And, unlike regular zombies, there’s no need to find a gun to kill him. Simply put away his parts where he can’t reach them and you’re safe. …Until his mummy comes to get him, at least.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $12.99 on ThinkGeek.com.

Anyone who’s ever been forced to watch a lame TV show has wished for the ability to mentally change the channel. Unfortunately… nope, no can do. There’s other solutions, though…

And since there’s at least one perfectly fine and unconspicuous way of doing it, the Ray Gun Channel Changer seems like a perfectly useless idea. Yes, it looks like an alien gun from an old B-movie, and it’s interesting in that respect, but… why? It’s far too primitive to be used as a real remote, as it can only change the channel up and down, and it’s way too big to appropriately annoy someone. If you’d see your flatmate changing the channel with a ray gun while you’re watching, wouldn’t you just take it from him and smash it to pieces?

It looks like an one-time use gagdet which isn’t at least funny. Just… don’t.

How much under $29.99?
Some: ~$16.30 on Firebox.com.

Via RedFerret