HOME |
RSS | 
A looty is a device you use to gaze into your own eyes. Specifically, one eye looks at the other, and vice versa. It was invented by Jim Woodring, who quit making them “because the effect is unnatural and probably harmful.” However, Instructables member Nachimir shows you how to make your own.
The first time I got my eyes to move independently, it made me recoil.
Close one eye and you get to watch it open again with the other. Tilting or turning your head causes the mirror image to move the opposite way; it reflects you as other people actually see you, apart from the missing chunk of face between your eyes. Tilt the Looty 45 degrees and your reflection turns through 90. It also emphasizes differences in color perception.
It seems to be a source of brief amusement for anyone who picks it up. Yesterday, a guest turned it on its side and used it to inspect his nose hair.
If you’ve ever made or played with one of these, let us know what you think. Link -via reddit
Comments Off
Mergatroid - $14.95
Heavens to mergatroid!
How do you make a sock monkey even cuter? You give him a nerdy spin.
If you love all things nerdy and geeky you need to check out the Mergatroid from the NeatoShop. This little guy looks a whole lot smarter than your average teddy bear.
Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fabulous Plush Toys!
Comments Off 
Pocket Volcano - $3.95
Is that a volcano in your pocket or are you just happy to see me. Oh, it is just a volcano in your pocket. How embarrassing.
Wow, that Pocket Volcano from the NeatoShop gives off some eruption. Did you say it can be used over and over again? That’s fantastic.
Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fabulous Science Toys.
Comments Off 
My First Cthulhu – $18.95
Are you looking for the perfect plush toy for your favorite little monster? You need the My First Cthulhu from the NeatoShop. Abject terror has never looked so cute and cuddly. This is destined to be your budding science fiction lover’s favorite toy.
Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more strange and fantastic Plush Toys and Cthulhu items.
Comments Off 
Silly Putty was invented by accident when GE engineer James Wright was working to develop new types of rubber for the US military during World War II.
Wright spent over a year experimenting with different combinations of chemical compounds, hoping to produce a synthetic, “hard rubber” silicone that could withstand the high heat of jet engines or the freezing cold of nights on Navy ships. Towards the end of the summer in 1943, he and his team tried adding boron nitride as filler to an experimental silicone compound. But the scientists then learned that the substance they thought was boron nitride was actually a mixture of other chemical compounds, including boric acid. So they tried adding just boric acid.
The rest, as they say, is history. The resulting substance was gooey, not hard. Frustrated, Wright threw the goop onto the floor and to his surprise, it bounced right back up at him. A reporter from the Saturday Evening Post described the scene in a story (which, alas, is not online): “‘Golly,’ the scientist exclaimed as he dropped a ball of silicone putty, ‘look at it bounce!’”
They weren’t sure what to do with the stuff, but they had fun playing with it. Read how this mistake became the classic putty toy we all know and love. Link
Comments Off 
Craftster member blupony808 made this awesome plush angler fish out of fabric, garden hose, a night light, paint, and imagination. Yes, it lights up, too! This project won the monthly challenge at Craftster. See more pictures of how she built it. Link -via Rue The Day
Crystal Smith of The Achilles Effect blog looked at the words from TV commercials for toys and used Wordle to present the stark gender bias in toy advertising in graphic form. I’m not surprised at the presence of "battle" or "heroes" in boys’ toys, but am quite suprised to find that "fun" is missing Link – via Wonderland The Playmobil Apple Store is a preschool geek’s dream toy! It features the Genius Bar, kid’s corner, sales floor, and a conference room -and comes with over 60 accessories! And get this -you can slip your iPhone in place behind Steve Jobs and animate his presentation! The Playmobil Apple Store is a new item introduced today at ThinkGeek. Link Wiener Schnitzel with Fries Plush – $16.95 Is your spring time diet preventing you from eating your favorite Austrian dish? You need the Wiener Schnitzel with Fries Plush from the NeatoShop! You may not be able to eat your favorite meal, but at least you can play with it! The Wiener Schnitzel with Fries Plush comes complete with faux lemon slice and ketchup. I don’t know who comes up with this stuff, but I am just so happy that they do! Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more strangely fabulous Plush Toys! FAO Schwarz has a Muppet Workshop, where you can have your own “Muppet Whatnot” created just for you. You can design yours online with this generator. I made this one; others have designed Whatnots that look like Charlie Sheen, Bill Clinton, and others. Having it actually made into a Muppet will cost you $129.99. Link -via reddit Attention Doctor Who Fans! We present the adorable Baby Adipose Plush from the NeatoShop. He is so cute and cuddly. Really, who doesn’t love an alien composed of living fat? Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fabulous Doctor Who items. Black Beast of Arrrggghhh (Mini) – $9.95 Do you love Monty Python and the Holy Grail? Well, you are going to love the Black Beast of Arrrggghhh (Mini) from the NeatoShop! Even the animator’s fatal heart attack cannot save you from the adorableness of this legendary plush toy. Are you on a quest for fabulous Plush Toys? Be sure to check out the NeatoShop!
What’s cuter than a farting, saw toothed creature who hates apples? A farting, saw toothed creature, who hates apples, and is dressed like a nerd! Oh, he is just too adorable. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fabulous Plush Toys. Do you love Ninjas? Do you love Nesting Dolls? You are going to love the Ninja Matryoshka from the NeatoShop! The Ninja Matryoshka can kick that regular, old and boring Matryoshka’s butt! It will happen so fast they won’t even see it coming. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more neat Nesting Dolls! Princess Leia Star Wars Pop! Bobblehead – $9.95 Attention Star Wars Fans! Check out the Princess Leia Star Wars Pop! Bobblehead from the NeatoShop! Yes, we finally have a Princess Leia item! Isn’t she cute! Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more Star Wars fun! Do you have trouble convincing people that you are a geek? Try the Bug Eyes Geek Chic Toy Glasses from the NeatoShop. Embracing a stereotype has never been so easy. If you love the Bug Eyes Geek Chic Toy Glasses you will also love the Klutzo and Nerdtastic glasses. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fabulous Gag Gifts & Pranks! Are you looking for a way to annoy your frenemies who have small children? Does buying a drum set seem like too much of an investment? Get the Train Whistle from the NeatoShop. The Train Whistle from the NeatoShop is strong and durable. It is also surprisingly easy to use. Those kids will be making loud train sounds in no time! Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fabulous Classic Toys and Puzzles! Goodnight Moon Storybook Zoobie - $34.95 The Goodnight Moon Storybook Zoobie from the NeatoShop. It’s the classic version. It’s not set in the Dune universe. This cuddly plush bunny turns from a toy, to a pillow, to a blanket. It’s tame, super functional, and downright adorable. It makes the perfect companion for your active child. I’ll admit, however, a Dune version would be cool too. But, probably not as cuddly! Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fabulous kids items. Darth Vader Talking Plush – $25.95 Do you have trouble sleeping at night? Try cuddling up with the Darth Vader Talking Plush from the NeatoShop. Nothing soothes the nerves like the heavy breathing of the Sith Lord. Who knew the Dark Side could be so comforting and cute! Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more Star Wars fun!
I enjoyed watching the drinking bird at my grandma’s house, but could never have one of my own because I keep cats. The bird never stops, and since there’s no such thing as a perpetual motion machine, there must be some reasonable explanation for the bird’s persistence. One can only wonder if the inventor of the dipping bird, Miles V Sullivan broke even from his invention. The idea began years before the patent and originally, as you might suspect, it had nothing to do with the bird. Sullivan was an inventor-scientist at Bell Labs but as a young man he enjoyed evenings out. It wasn’t the music or the lights but the bubbles in the tube at the sides of a juke box that grabbed his attention. He noticed that the energy wasn’t going anywhere and the inventor determined that something could be done with them. What he wanted to do was to harness motion- the idea of the bird came along later to make it more entertaining. Of course, while it is simply for fun it is the science behind it which makes it work. Oh, you’ll get an explanation of how it works, and more, from Kuriositas. Link Steve Spangler has produced several toys based on the Coke/Mentos reaction, such as the Mentos Geyser Tube and the Soda Geyser Depth Charge Kit. The newest, the Soda Geyser Car, was introduced at Toy Fair 2011, which is still going on in New York City. Cool Things has two videos of the car in action, so you can watch as this vehicle moves under its own “rocket power” fueled by Mentos and Diet Coke. Looks like a lot of fun for kids who have plenty of room outdoors and a water hose to clean themselves off before they enter the house! Link -Thanks, Sunny! The monster from the Sy-Fy movie has been enshrined in plush! This is a one-of-a-kind Sharktopus was hand-made by Suzannah Ashley. See more pictures at her website. Link -via Laughing Squid Ball of Whacks – $29.95 Another new item at the NeatoShop is the toy called the Ball of Whacks. It consists of 30 magnetic pyramidal pieces -just imagine all the weird shapes you can make out of them! A great stress reliever or boredom-fighter at work or at home. Also available in black. A remote-control spider, a slick floor, and a kitten -what could be more fun? -via Buzzfeed Did you ever own a Magic 8-Ball? Inside the ball, there’s a 20-sided die called an icosahedron that displayed one of 20 answers to your questions when it floated into the window. “Yes” is a given, but how many of the other 19 possible answers can you name in ten minutes without pulling your 8-Ball out of the closet? That’s the challenge of today’s Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss. I never owned one, so when I tried the quiz, my first dozen guesses were wrong and I gave up! Link Wouldn’t you like a Yuk-Man of your own? It might be hard to find, however. The only reference I could find for this toy was a newspaper article from 1986. You might try eBay. -via Tacky Raccoons
A newly-design Rubik’s cube seems to have one purpose: increase the number of people frustrated by the ever-popular Rubik’s cube. Instead of colors, every square is covered with Braille, allowing the blind to endlessly turn cubes until eventually they throw their hands up in frustration. This gives new meaning to putting a "stumbling block before the blind." One of the more sensible concepts in a long time that hopefully will delight the sighted folks too! Maybe we’ll learn Braille in this process! From the Upcoming Less murder-y than a real chainsaw and more fun than any Texas Massacre. Etsy artist SteffBomb has a limited-edition run of plush chainsaws available! Link -via Geekologie Timothy Miller does wonderful stained glass windows in designs you’d never expect, including super hero logos and Transformers. Here you see his version of Bumblebee. See more in his gallery at Deviant Art. Link -via The Zeray Gazette
Words in ads for girls’ toys
("fun" is there for the girls’ though.)
Playmobil Apple Store
Wiener Schnitzel with Fries Plush
Posted by Tiffany in NeatoShop Features on March 31, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Comments Off
Muppet Whatnot Workshop
Posted by Miss Cellania in Toys on March 25, 2011 at 5:56 pm
Baby Adipose Plush
Posted by Tiffany in NeatoShop Features on March 24, 2011 at 7:36 pm
Baby Adipose Plush - $39.95
Comments Off
Black Beast of Arrrggghhh (Mini)
Posted by Tiffany in NeatoShop Features on March 21, 2011 at 10:12 pm
Comments Off
Domo Nerd Plush
Posted by Tiffany in NeatoShop Features on March 19, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Attention Domo fans! Behold the Domo Nerd Plush from the NeatoShop. You know you want him!
Comments Off
Ninja Matryoshka
Posted by Tiffany in NeatoShop Features on March 18, 2011 at 11:31 am
Ninja Matryoshka – $13.95
Comments Off
Princess Leia Star Wars Pop! Bobblehead
Posted by Tiffany in NeatoShop Features on March 17, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Comments Off
Bug Eyes Geek Chic Toy Glasses
Posted by Tiffany in NeatoShop Features on March 11, 2011 at 8:32 am
Bug Eyes Geek Chic Toy Glasses – $1.95
Comments Off
Train Whistle
Posted by Tiffany in NeatoShop Features on March 9, 2011 at 11:20 am
Train Whistle - $2.95
Comments Off
Goodnight Moon Storybook Zoobie
Posted by Tiffany in NeatoShop Features on March 2, 2011 at 4:43 pm
Comments Off
Darth Vader Talking Plush
Posted by Tiffany in NeatoShop Features on March 1, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Comments Off
The Drinking Bird, a Scientific Toy for the Ages
Steve Spangler’s Soda Geyser Car
Posted by Miss Cellania in Toys on February 14, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Comments Off
Sharktopus Plush
Ball of Whacks
Kitten and Spider
The Magic 8-Ball Quiz
Posted by Miss Cellania in Toys on December 8, 2010 at 10:40 am
Pulsate
Posted by Miss Cellania in Everything Else on July 9, 2010 at 8:56 am
Pulsate is a web toy that doesn’t serve any great purpose besides possibly amusing you for a few moments. Click on the field to create circles. As they expand and contract, they’ll make music as they bump against each other. You’ll want to experiment to determine the optimum number of circles and distance between them for the nicest tones. Link -via b3ta
Another Great Gift Idea
Posted by Miss Cellania in Toys on May 20, 2010 at 5:21 am
Braille Rubik’s Cube Brings Frustrations to the Blind
ueue, submitted by nmiller.
Plush Chainsaw
Transformers in Stained Glass
Posted by Miss Cellania in Art on April 19, 2010 at 3:45 am
Comments Off
| FEATURED ITEMS FROM THE NEATOSHOP | |
 |
Mustache Bottle Opener |
 |
My Cryptozoological Family - Family Car Stickers |
 |
Zombie Hand Bottle Opener |
View more: New Items &
Best Sellers |
|
