Toys

If you have $3000 burning a hole in your pocket and are looking for a hot new lawn decoration that won't need to be replaced with seasonal changes (unless you're that weirdo who keeps the inflatable Santa up all year round), man, you are going to love hearing this. Someone is making these 5-foot-tall Super Mario figures, previously only sold to retailers, available to the average consumer. (Well, the average consumer with an extra $3000 on hand.) Now, you can have a Mario of your very own.

Imagine the possibilities! They could upstage your wacky neighbor's lawn … Read more

No evil villain would be complete without their own a badass raygun, right? Or in this case, a Goliathon 83 Infinity Beam Projector. No, it doesn't actually do anything. Yes, it costs $621. But the looks you would get bringing one of these to an NRA rally... priceless.

The Goliathon is produced by Weta Workshop designer Greg Broadmore (prop designer for LOTR and Hellboy) and looks like an amazingly crafted artifact caught between the universes of Barbarella and Brazil. It comes with its own velvet-lined case (which it will probably spend a lot of time in, seeing as the … Read more

Readers of this space likely know our stand on Hello Kitty (or "Kitty Hell," as we call it), so there's no need to go over that again. So suffice it to say that we cringed at the thought and sight of this karaoke system from said feline.

The latest evil incarnation comes with two microphones, speakers, an LCD screen and a CD player that even has a shuffle button, according to Gadgetizer. And it closes up into a compact case so it can be carried anywhere. Oh joy.

We have just one question: How can Hello Kitty … Read more

Listen up, Microsoft. If you want to get people's attention with a pink product, you're going to have to do more than just change the color.

Take the "Street Mouse," for example--a mouse that's been turned into a pink race car complete with "sports alloy style wheels, tinted windows and working blue LED headlights ideal for those dimly lit evenings on the Internet." Chip Chick notes also that this isn't a toy but an ergonomically designed 800 dpi mouse too.

That's a lot better use of R&D money than … Read more

It's very important to know that on this blog, there is a Code. Article #1 of the Code states that Crave is a gadget blog, and that its content should be accordingly relevant. However, at the same time, article #76 of the Code states that if something surfaces that is not really a gadget but which falls under one of the categories with which we are openly obsessed, we can blog about it anyway. One of those categories is piracy. Not software piracy, but rather the adventurous, old-fashioned breed of high-seas skullduggery. (Isn't 'skullduggery' the best word ever?)… Read more

Technology has allowed more amateur guitarists to take their instruments on the road, from guitars to keyboards. Yet the possibility of an easily mobile set of drums has been confined largely to the likes of the "Finger Drum Mousepad."

But percussion lovers can take heart now that the "Portable Electric Drum Set" is here. Similar to roll-up pianos that have been on the market for awhile, this virtual instrument is built into a 20-inch rubber mat that can be rolled away anytime, anywhere. Tokyomango says the eight-drum set even has "preset tunes and rhythms to … Read more

The battle of the ages is nigh: In one corner is the Star Trek "Phaser Universal Remote Control," fending off potential romance in all directions. Opposite awaits its younger challenger, the Star Wars "Lightsaber Remote Control."

Japan's Taito is the latest to expand the empire into the living room, according to Gearfuse, though we wouldn't have even recognized the remote as a Lightsaber were it not for the Star Wars logo on the box. (Which we we're proud to say.) Other replica remotes have been around for years, though they're usually more expensive … Read more

When Snakes on a Plane came out, actor Samuel L. Jackson called people to promote the film.

Peter Parker, better known as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, will be doing something similar this weekend. If you visit this Hasbro site you (and your friends) can get a call from Spider-Man. Don't expect a long chat with Spidey--the call will unfortunately be automated (I guess I won't be able to discuss the whole Venom conspiracy with him).

Enter your birthday and 10-digit phone number, and you'll get a Spider-reminder to go out and get exclusive Spider-Man 3 merchandise and … Read more

It always weirds me out a little bit when companies come up with "traditional" toys based on video games. You know, like that Nintendo Monopoly board game from a few months back. Now, according to Kotaku, Nintendo has officially licensed a Mario Kart race track. I suppose this is the company's way of reaching out to an audience that might be too young for video games, so that it can indoctrinate them into the Cult of Nintendo.

I suppose a parallel example would be if Apple released a toy iPod for little kids. That'd be weird, … Read more