Since people will immediately recognize it and it will grab their attention, they’ll probably be more likely to leave tips when they see it. The other benefit is that the design of the tip box isn’t too glaringly loud, so it should fit in with any decor.

You can get it for $19.99 (USD) from Pukka/Dank. If you run a business that thrives on tips, you might want to pick one up to see how it will affect customer contributions.

[via DesignYouTrust]

When the tin was full of change, I hid it at the back of my closet so it would sort of become my emergency fund. Unfortunately, I also completely forgot about it. A few years later, when I was cleaning out my stuff, I saw the can and decided that it was time to collect. Coins spilled out in every direction, but when I took a closer look, I realized that the coins were no longer being accepted in my country circa a few years ago. Sucks to be me, I know.

Okay, so anyway, that was a pretty long (and slightly unrelated) story about the Flying Piggy Bank, but it was the only anecdote I have that is all about piggy banks.

These Flying Piggy Banks were designed by Galerie Brigitte, and they feature a whole new opening with which you’re able to drop in a wide variety of coins and paper bills. The new slot looks like a cross hair, which is meant to make the whole task of dropping bills into the flying pig a whole lot easier.

According to Yanko Design, three sizes are available: S, M, and L, depending on how much cash you want to stash before you finally decide to literally break the bank.

I tried to track down the designer, but a site in her name just led to a page full of ads and articles on diesel engines and pond pumps. Oh, well. If you do decide to get a piggy bank (even if it isn’t the Flying Piggy Bank), I only have one piece of advice: crack it open the moment you hear that some notes in your currency are about to be phased out.

The Personal ATM works a lot like actual ATMs, but not only can you deposit money in it, you can also set a target date or a target amount of money so you can monitor (and agonize) how long you have to wait before you should withdraw or how much you still have to save.

Just like the real thing, the Personal ATM comes with an ATM card with a modifiable PIN that you’ll need to insert to transact with the machine. It also has an anti-theft alarm, calculator and time and date function. You can order one at Latest Buy for $44 (USD).

[via Inventor Spot]

Designed by Wang Chao, Maggie Kuo, and Jordi Parra, the electronic piggy bank concept has an iPhone for its screen that displays the emotions of the piggy bank, while an Arduino detects and manages the money and transmits status back to a computer via Bluetooth, which in turn notifies the iPhone over WiFi.

Creating an automatic withdrawal from your primary bank account to a savings account is probably easier and you won’t be charged any interest, but hey, if all fails, you can try this.

[via Ubergizmo]

This Boba Fett bust bank is perfect for keeping all of your change in check, and should defintely keep your money safe from Jedi or Rebel scum who might want to steal your money. It’s designed based on digital files direct from the Lucasfilm Archives, and measures in at about 8-inches tall. I’m not sure how many Galactic Credits it will hold, or if Galactic Credits even come in coin or paper form, but it’ll definitely hold plenty of Pennies, Rupees, Yen or Pesos.

The only bad news about the Boba Fett bank is that it’s not shipping until this December. But if you pre-order one for just $18.99 (USD) now, you can have a nice surprise in your mailbox just in time to start saving for your 2011 New Years resolution.

LEGO-master Ronald McCrae’s incredible Brick Bank ATM can accept an ATM card and store account balances in its internal customer database. Just like the real thing, it can check for a correct PIN number, and hold onto your card if you enter the wrong number more than three times. It can even make change from paper money, and be calibrated to accept any currency.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Amazingly, this thing is almost entirely constructed from off-the-shelf LEGO bits. Ronald only added a HiTechnic IRLink and a Codatex RFID sensor to read the ATM cards. Funny thing is, I trust this ATM with my money much more than the ones that run on Windows.

[via Brothers Brick via Make:]

The Itazura coin bank might look like a cardboard box, but put a coin on the plate, and your feline pal will stick his tiny little paw up and grab your money. Now why a tiny cat in a cardboard box needs money is anyone’s guess, but I’m betting he’s got a bad catnip habit to feed.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Cat ladies and cat gentlemen, you can get the Itazura coin bank over at Strapya World for $21.50 (USD). Strapping tape for the lid not included.

I’m not sure what these panda bears are doing with all of my Yen coins, but they appear to be quite happy, and they like to do all sorts of fun tricks on the LCD screen when fed money.

It seems to have something to do with pandas eating pie, and that’s way better than watching a bunch of greedy old white guys in suits flush our money down the drain.

As usual, I’ll bet you that you’ll never see the Panda Bank anywhere but in Japan. But if they ever were to sell these in the States, they should be a mandatory part of Obama’s next major economic stimulus plan.

I don’t think the dog cares exactly what it is that’s placed on its bowl, it’ll eat it anyway. So it’s quite a realistic dog.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The Choken-Bako dog bank won’t be available until November, but you can pre-order it now at Japan Trend Shop for $67 (USD) ($49 + $18 shipping). Or see if you can train your dog to store your money for you. That’s $67 of savings right there.

[via Random Good Stuff]

This Space Invaders piggy bank looks just like a miniature cocktail table version of the classic arcade shooter. The 1/6th scale game has a tiny little version of the game on a built-in LCD screen. Just drop a 100 yen coin (between the size of a nickel and a quarter) into the slotto kick off the fun.

Each coin you drop into the slot adds another alien to the display – all the way up to 80 invaders. It also plays the familiar sounds of the retro classic. My Japanese isn’t very good, but from what I can tell from this press release, you might actually be able to play the game on the tiny LCD screen (please, oh please say it’s true!)

Scheduled for release later this month at a price of ¥5775 /$59 USD, the bank holds just enough to cover its own cost with a little bit to spare. No word on where you might be able to find these stateside, but if you’re willing to read a little Japanese, you can find more info over on the TakaraTomy website.

[via GamOvr]

It seems that piggy banks that double as tiny gaming machines are quite the happening trend in Japan these days. These simpler banks offer a variety of money-saving experience for the gamer who doesn’t need much razzle-dazzle. The Jinsei Ginko, shown above, is like a Tamagotchi or other virtual pet: you “feed” your tiny stickman your cold, hard cash. The more he “eats,” the more he succeeds. When your little guy gets enough money, he’s rewarded with a sweet crib and a loving sticklady. If only real life were so simple.

If the idea of a virtual pet makes you want to bury your money in the backyard instead, you could try Bankquest, a simple RPG, or Ikemen Bank, a heart-shaped bank with a dating sim.

Of course, in order to actually use these banks, you’ll probably need to convert all your money to yen. At least that will make you less likely to spend it… unless you happen to be in Japan.

[Wired via Kotaku]

As soon as you put a coin in its mouth, the little pink piggy gets down to business, making appropriately piggish snorting sounds as it gulps your money.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

As an added bonus – if you flip him upside down, he kinda looks like Spiderpig.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Available from UK gadget shop GadgetShop, you’ll need to save up £14.99 (appx. $30 USD) in coins before you have enough money to put one on your desk.

[via Toyology]

Combining robotics, Japanimation and caffeination, the Coca-Cola vending machine robot is the perfect embodiment of all things geeky. If regular Coke is too sugary for your taste, there’s also a black Coca-Cola Zero robot waiting for you.

Each desktop toy measures about 11-inches tall and features bendy arms so you can pose your Coke-bot for world domination. Did I happen to mention that they both have a little coin slot into which you can save your Yen? And they make sounds and light up when you make a deposit too. What’s not to like?

I found these super-rare Japanese imports over from seller boss61 over on eBay, so you better head on over there fast if you want to get your hands on them. I’m sure I’ll get outbid by one of you guys.

If you don’t add coins each and every day, the bank will start to vibrate, flash its lights and make sounds once an hour until you pay up. If you don’t get to it in time, BOOM! Coin-tastrophe!

Japanese toymaker TakaraTomy plans on releasing the exploding piggy bank just in time for the New Year, so you can start out 2008 right by keeping your resolution to save more money. It’ll cost about ¥3,000 yen, or about 2,700 pennies if you’re already starting to save up for one.

[Reuters via electro^plankton]

While they might not be polite, that doesn’t mean the Money Monsters aren’t vocal. When you feed them your paper money and coins, they’ll make one of 20 annoying comments like “money, money in my tummy”, then let out a satisfied belch. As they gulp down your cash, the creatures’ cycloptic eyeballs and ears move around.

They’re available from Firebox for about $25.

[via Pocket-lint]

The TakaraTomy Life Bank One Yen Counter screws on the top of any bottle, and lets you count up your change.

Now keep in mind that a single Japanese Yen coin is worth just a bit less than a penny, so you might not even be able to find a bottle big enough to save up the ¥999 (appx. $8 USD) to pay for the device.

[via plasticbamboo]

With its oddly misshapen wedge of of a head, Banpresto’s Face Bank is a rather disturbing looking device. Using an object sensor in its eyes, it detects your approaching hand and starts to chow down on any coin that gets within reach of its mouth. Once it’s done chewing up your money it swallows it for safekeeping.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The Face Bank is available from gadget importer Strapya-World for ¥2380 (appx. $20 USD)

[via TokyoMango]

The i-Panda and i-Piggy digiBanks automatically identify each coin placed in the bank, then calculate the total and display them on the bank’s LCD screen. The banks can also be programmed with savings goals and can play celebratory musical tracks when milestones are met. Each digiBank also functions as an alarm clock and has a special key that prevents kids from pilfering the funds before they should.

Amazingly, even though i-Kiddo is based in Taiwan, they’re supposed to be able to identify U.S. currency including pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.

The oversize plastic computer key (4.5″ x 4.5″ x 2.25″) serves as a constant reminder to save those spare coins you found under the couch cushion. The Auto Save Bank is just $10 from Uncommon Goods.

The colorful cube clock will keep beeping incessantly each morning until you feed it some coins. While I’m sure this would get really annoying, really quickly, it could be good for those of you who aren’t good at pinching pennies. Available from Japan’s Tokyo Hands, the clock costs