Toys

An e-mail exchange with another Craver yesterday, for one reason or another, led to my embarrassing revelation that photos exist of me at a very young age wearing a pair of big, fake fennec fox ears. It's embarrassing, yes, but after reading this post on Geekologie I realized that things could be much, much worse. The poor little munchkin in this photo will have to deal for the rest of his or her life with the fact that there exists visual evidence that he or she used to get pushed around in a Star Wars stroller. To be more … Read more

As staunch advocates of workplace productivity, we at Crave seize on any tips that may help hasten your day at the office. A few months ago, for instance, we featured an ingenious item called the "StealthSwitch," a foot-operated device that instantly hides whatever is on your screen the moment an inconsiderate co-worker approaches your personal space.

Further fulfilling our obligation today is the "Sportscope Cubicle Periscope," which Technabob concedes was designed for spectator sports but is also "ideally suited for snooping around your office." We prefer to look at it in a more positive … Read more

If you're thinking about summer, but hate sunshine and exercise, we've got you covered (automated lawn mower). If your kid sunburns easily and can't remember to lather on that extra application of sunscreen, we've got you covered (UV-detecting skin stickers). If what you really need this summer is a way to enjoy the air conditioning, we've got you covered there, too (Nintendo). If you like grilling out, don't like mosquitoes, have a swimming pool, avoid cleaning it... you guessed it: We've got you covered! Our wide-ranging collection of summer-specific gadgets will convince you … Read more

As much as we liked the "Happy Kid" and "Bubble Head" Webcams, this one has gone too far. The oddly named "GeekPark" USB Webcam (a play on South Park?) is basically the Cabbage Patch equivalent of computer peripherals. The pint-sized dolls have adjustable heads, legs and arms, as well as a camera lense embedded in their torsos.

Perhaps the strangest thing of all is their individual names--"Ms. B," "Mr. G," et al--which are remind us of "Mr. Pink" and "Mr. Brown" from Reservoir Dogs. Which … Read more

I guess you could say that SpongeBob Squarepants is about as close as the U.S. gets to having the equivalent of Japan's Hello Kitty, in the sense that you can plaster its frighteningly cute face onto anything and it's more or less a guaranteed hit. (Full disclosure: I used to keep my pet goldfish in a SpongeBob aquarium. And that was, um, in college.)

So yeah, here's this SpongeBob radio and CD player, which retails for $45. It kind of reminds me of a twisted version of the old boom boxes that the "cool kids&… Read more

While Asahi's beer-pouring Robocco BeerBot debuted last year, it has been a difficult item to track down--especially in the States. Online retailer CScout has come to the rescue and is now selling "slightly used" Robocco BeerBots for $799 (plus $94 shipping). While it's a bargain compared to the $1,500 Beer-Launching Fridge, $900 is still a healthy chunk of change for an adorable can opener. To be fair, you'll also receive two custom glass mugs and a plastic floor protector (those Colt 45 tallboys might get messy).

I feel compelled to mention that this is … Read more

When it comes to bathtime, bubbles aren't just good enough anymore. You either need a floating music player, or maybe light-up disco balls for your bath salts. But even that might not suffice in today's cutthroat bathtub-gadget culture.

Enter the Aqua Rain, which does all of the following: 1) lights up via LED to illuminate your tub in soothing, color-changing hues, 2) plays waterfall noises, and 3) creates a mini-fountain of water. I'm normally a fan of things that change color, but really, I don't see any point to this whatsoever. And it's $40.

Next, … Read more

I guess there are some kids who, given a toy chainsaw playset, would innocuously use it to pretend they were trimming the hedges or sawing dead branches off trees. And yes, this toy might be branded with the name of fictional kiddie do-gooder Bob the Builder, but come on. Let's be honest.

Call me cynical, but I'm guessing that the average 5-year-old who wants a toy chainsaw probably just wants to chase his friends around with it while laughing maniacally. (We've warned you about it here before. Kids are evil.) And we all know what that leads … Read more

Ever since we were reminded of Uncle Fester's lightbulb last week, we've been reminiscing about old TV shows. And then, by the miracle of coincidence, today we see the ultimate example of Hollywood's version of technology from the '60s: "Robot" from Lost in Space. (That would be the original TV series, not that pathetic movie with Matt LeBlanc.)

Thanks to Technabob, we learned that "Robot B9"--we never knew his full name--has been resurrected in the form of a full-size replica for sale to the public at a mere $24,500. But before … Read more