Uglydolls are ugly. Yes, just like that lolcat meme.
But they’re ugly and adorable at the same time. How can that be? Just click the link and look at them.
The story is very cute too: the first uglydoll was born when creator David Horvath’s girlfriend Sun-Min Kim had to go to Korea. Inspired by his doodlings in the letters she received, she sewed the first doll… then some more… and the rest is history.
Uglytown is a large place, so there’s dozens of models to choose from, each with their own story and personality. And they all want a loving home… will you give them one?
It looks like I’m supposed to know who Ed Hardy is, but I had no idea until 2 minutes ago. I’m not cool enough, sorry. It turns out he’s a tattoo artist who also has a clothing line which is a hit with the stars… but now we’re talking gadgets.
The Ed Hardy Intelli UFO is a remote controlled helicopter painted in Hardy’s style, but fortunately that’s not everything. The fashionistas will want it, but R/C fans shouldn’t scoff just because it’s trendy. This baby has dual counter-rotating blades, lights up in three different colors and can operate on three channels, which means tree UFOs can be flying around at the same time. And it can run for 10-15 minutes with a 20 minutes battery charge, which is better than most.
My parents bought me a toy microscope when I was 10 or so, but I had to wait until I was 12 until I could play with it… but oh, was the wait worth it. All children go through a phase of fascination with the microscopic world, so why not encourage it? An inquisitive mind is a great sign.
And with the EyeClops Bionic Eye Multizoom kids as young as 6 can see what their blanket or cat’s fur looks up close. It’s not a microscope, but it does the same thing.
With magnifications of 100x, 200x and 400x, it helps children understand the small or invisible world around them, all on a big screen for better viewing. Using plug and play technology, the EyeClops can connect to any standard TV.
As far as educational toys go, this is one of the best choices for parents, too. Looking at magnified things is fun even at 30 or 40 and they’ll love sharing the activity with the children.
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..
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know what “Diet Coke and Mentos” means.
The perfect reaction requires a lot of Mentos to be dropped into the bottle of Coke very fast, otherwise the volcano won’t be that impressive. The Geyser Tube is the perfect tool for the job – it even comes with included Mentos! You’ll need to get your own soda, but then all you need to do is screw the tube on top, fill it up with candy then release them. If you’re lucky, you might get up to 25 feet of erupting Coke without poking an eye out in the process.
It’s so easy to use even a child can do it, but I don’t see many parents being eager to buy it. I can just picture the Coke on the ceiling…
First off: if you’re a SF fan and haven’t watched Firefly yet, go get it now. When you’re done and realize they never made that second season, you’ll want something to remind you of Mal and his friends, and what could be better than the ship that carried the crew all over the galaxy?
The Firefly Serenity Ornament is a 6-inch replica of the Serenity and comes with both a display base and a hanging hook, which will conveniently allow you to give a slightly futuristic appearance to your Christmas tree. (Can’t you just picture a fleet of Firefly-class ships flying around it?)
And then, after the holiday season’s over, it can go back to being a regular desk decoration for a true SF geek. The Vader action figure won’t mind sharing its space with it.
Men, beware: a plush bear could replace you. Even worse, you could help it do it. The Sweet Talking Bear is meant to comfort your loved ones while you’re away… but you never know how far it’ll go.
From a technical point of view, it’s a stuffed animal with a microphone and recorder which can store a message of up to 10 seconds. As if it wasn’t enough, it’s also microwavable, for extra warmth during those long lonely nights…
Fortunately for concerned boyfriends, many women would be unimpressed by a toy with a microphone as a replacement for a lover. However, parents could find it very helpful: a toy which reminds children that mummy or daddy love them even though they’re away might make them much happier.
I’ve grown out of touch with girls’ mentality, but if me and my friends are anything to judge by, kids don’t always want complex toys. Yeah, a 30-piece tea set is fun, but so is making clothes for a doll. Besides, learning to make things from a young age can prove useful further on – the kids not only get better dexterity, but they also get used to the idea that not just ready-made things are fun.
While the Fashion Origami kit is not specifically aimed at one age group, pre-teen girls would probably love it. Origami is interesting by itself, but cranes and frogs might not be very exciting, whereas shoes, dresses and hats are much closer to a girl’s interests.
The set includes 120 sheets of colored paper and a full-color 28 page instruction book. Mum will probably have to help her daughter at first… but I bet it’s going to be fun for her too.
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.
Although chemistry can be very fun, for many students it’s just a pain. Before they can get to the fun part, they have to memorize a ton of symbols and numbers and then learn how they go together… the mixing of substances only comes after that.
But there’s other ways to have fun with chemistry. One of them: combining it with a game, especially a hugely popular one. How do Periodic Table Playing Cards sound? Very good, I’d say.
Learning by playing usually works, and in this case it won’t even feel like school. But when all the elements are right there in your hand it’s impossible not to notice them and remember the details in time. Each card features one element, with its name, atomic number, mass, category, melting and boiling points, period and group, natural state and common usages.
The set comes with two decks of cards, although it’s a bit unclear how two decks (usually 52 cards, 55 with jokers) make up the 117 elements in the table.
Uglydolls are ugly. Yes, just like that lolcat meme.
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