Category: Cool Toys

I can’t decide what I like best about this “unique” calculator from Japan. I’m torn between the keyboard that’s arranged into a completely non-standard configuration that’s sure to trip up even the speediest touch-typists, or the calculator’s oh-so-special random crash mode.

Feeling musically inclined, but haven’t the time or knowledge to write sheet music? Now you can produce your own sonic creations simply by doodling on a piece of paper. Designed by Adafruit (in collaboration with Jay Silver), Drawdio is an analog synthesizer circuit that straps to any soft-leaded pencil, and lets you crank out electronic sounds while you sketch.

It’s a good week for saving money while playing games. If Tetris and Breakout aren’t your bag, you might want to try something even simpler, like Bankquest or Jinsei Ginko. It seems that piggy banks that double as tiny gaming machines are quite the happening trend in Japan these days.

Remember when it cost just a quarter to play your favorite arcade games? What would you say if I told you that you could play two Atari arcade classics for just one red cent a game.

Yeah, I know. The Dark Knight was arguably the best movie of 2008, but can Christian Bale’s throaty rasp really hold a candle to Adam West’s booming baritone Batman? Now you can bring back memories of the classic camp of the original Batman TV show with these great accessories that help you turn your room into a regular Wayne Manor.

Call me a dork, but Futurama has always been one of my favorite programs on the old idiot box – at least when it comes to animated programs. Now, just in time for the holidays, I’ve found the perfect decoration for my office.

Here in the Philippines the elderly are respected and revered; these two toys are definitely not from the Philippines. First up are the wheelchair and racetrack bound racing grannies. Racing grannies. I can barely wrap my head around the concept.

You’ve gotta hand it to the Japanese. They managed to take the strains of howling, tone deaf, drunken business executives and turn them into a multi-billion dollar yen industry. Now you can bring the Karaoke experience to your living room, complete with a cheezy disco light show.

Toy store FAO Schwarz has a special service whose results could either be really cool or really abysmal. Although the store’s name sounds like it should be a division of the German army, the name of their service is straight to the point: Make-My-Own-Monster.

Those of us living in the Midwest know all too well that Winter is about to strangle us with its icy grip. And while 6 months of freezing cold weather can really suck the life out of you, there is a happy side-effect of the season.

These little toy robot kits from Japan do one thing and one thing only. They beat the crap out of each other. Tamiya’s Robocraft boxing robots come in a kit that’s easy enough to assemble if you know your way around a screwdriver.

Why is it that Japan gets all the coolest toys? I mean really, why can’t I walk into the neighborhood store and pick up one of these? Coming this December from Bandai Japan, this remote-controlled Mechagodzilla robot is truly a sight to behold.

I had enough problems trying to solve the original Rubik’s Cube. Heck, I was often tempted to just peel all the colored stickers off and place them on the proper sides of the cube whenever I got frustrated with the damned thing.

I read a news story the other day that whenever the economy is in the crapper, sales of safes shoot through the roof. I guess its better than putting your money under the mattress, right? Here’s a crazy safe that should keep all but the most devious of thieves away from your stash.

Remember that goopy green gunk you used to play with when you were a kid? No not your nose goblins. It was called Slime, and it was the number one gross-out toy back in the day.

What do you do when you drop your old laptop on the ground and break it? If you said “bring it to the Geek Squad” or “throw it in the dumpster”, you’re dead wrong. At least that’s the case if you’re the guy who took his recently trashed iBook G3, and turned it into a Magnadoodle (sorta).