Why yes, that is a tube of toothpaste with an eggplant on it. And no, that's not weird, it would only be weird if it weren't eggplant flavored. No, wait, still weird. But oddly, that's nowhere close to the weirdest flavor of toothpaste available in Japan. 

InventorSpot has a list of the top ten strange toothpaste flavors in Japan and they make our NeatoShop bacon and cupcake toothpastes seem downright traditional in comparison. My personal pick for the strangest flavor ever? Octopus balls -because as much as I love octopus, the last thing I want my mouth to smell like after I brush my teeth is a sea creature.

I don't know about you guys, but I love animals and great stories about them. If you just can't get enough great animal stories, then you really shouldn't miss out on this list of the best animal stories from the last year. For example, scientists discovered a shark that uses its feet to walk around on the sand underwater this year. There was also the great story of slugs that have sex by penetrating each other in the head. You can find links to all the stories over on Scientific America.

Oddly though, the yellow-footed rock wallaby above, which I pulled from the original source, isn't mentioned in the article though.

Spicy, sweet and savory, this amazing caramel corn by Olives for Dinner combines some of our favorite flavors -booze, sugary goodness and Sriracha. Well, almost all of our favorite flavors...it is missing Nutella and bacon, but you could always find a a way to work these in as well -or just recognize that maybe the existing recipe is perfect just the way it is. I guess you'll have to try if for yourself and find out. 

Via Make

The Municipal Super Mario Builing (Geeks Are Sexy)

Are Your Health Supplements Legit or Just Snake Oil? (io9)

Doctor Who Tattoos? Give Me About 20, Thanks (Buzzfeed)

She Found the One Ring, But Doesn't Have the Strength of Frodo (The Mary Sue)

Bill Nye Takes On Creationists In A Modern Day Scopes Monkey Trial (Geekosystem)

Image: I Mustache You A Question Puppy (Cute Overload)

"In my life, why do I save all the people that I'd much rather kick in the eye?" -Super Morrissey.

"It's a nice day for a butt kicking" -Aqua Billy. 

Yes, these are a few of the many great catchphrases we could hope to hear if artist Billy Butcher's fantastic music/superhero mashup art in his new series Post-Punk/New Wave Super Friends.

Don't forget to visit his page to see if your favorite artist of the era is included in the delightful madness.

Via Lost At E Minor

This 1890's mansion was once a stunning sight to behold, but after it was abandoned in 1930, General Electric took over and encouraged salvagers to take anything they wanted from the home as they were planning to demolish it anyway. When WWII broke out though, the company dropped their plans for the property and just left it to rot. 

And that's just one amazing mansion that you won't believe people just allowed to crumble away over the decades. Read about the rest over on Oddee.

We already talked about 10 poor animals that went extinct over the last year, but while we gave up hope of ever seeing a few species, we also discoveredd some new ones as well. Mental Floss has a great list of ten such creatures and a few plants we only recently recognized scientifically, including the adorably tiny paedophryne amauensis, which as you can see from the picture above, is about a quarter of the size of a dime -no wonder we never noticed it before!

Whose Face Should We Make Into Chocolate First? Alex or Johns? (The Mary Sue)

These Crocheted Portraits Are Just Creepy Enough to be Fantastic (Hi Fructose)

Don't Dig Crochet Art? How About Beaded Sculptures (Beautiful Decay)

Please Pet Doge, The Website (Geekosystem)

This Soap Opera Film in Ikea is Surprisingly Not A Commercial (22 Words)

Image: Naughty Smaug, Go to Your Room (Nerd Approved)

Think your pad is pretty futuristic because you managed to link it up with your iPhone? You've still got nothing compared to these amazing homes and rooms featured on Homes and Hues. From Stargate to Star Trek to Doctor Who, some of the greatest sci fi shows and movies are featured in the article and you won't  believe how much some of these homes look like they belong in the franchise that inspired them.

Many of the rooms included are home theaters, which makes sense when you consider that if there's anywhere in your home you want to be immersed in futuristic tech and an otherworldly atmosphere, it's the place where you watch movies.

If you love these sorts of futuristic and geeky home designs touches, don't miss this great article on the best Star Wars furniture around. 

The Best Regional Dialect Quiz Yet (The New Yorker)

This Nic Cage Fan Art Might Just Haunt Your Dreams (Mental Floss)

Gummies Take on the Battle of Minas Tirith (That's Nerdalicious)

Zombie Snowflakes Want to Fall on Raw Flesh (Geek Crafts)

A Note to Doctors: Don't Brand Your Name On Your Patient's Livers (Improbable Research)

Image: Marzipan Smaug Looks Delicious and Dangerous (CaracalFeathers)

Much Ugly Sweater. Very Doge (Make)

A Basset Hound Running In Slow Motion Is True Beauty (Laughing Squid)

It Will Take 6000 Dead Goats to Build England's High Speed Railway (Improbable Research)

How to Make A Giant Jabba Cookie (That's Nerdalicious)

10 Weird Calendars for 2014 (Oddee)

Image: Headless Marie Antoinette Amigurumi (Etsy)

What's better than a brownie? How about a one with a Hot Cocoa 3 Musketeers baked right in the middle? Inside BruCrew Life has the recipe and it looks utterly fantastic.

I hadn't even heard of Hot Cocoa 3 Musketeers yet, but apparently they have marshmallow mixed in with the classic candy bar you love. If you really want to class up the brownie bites, then follow the blog's idea and put some cool whip, sprinkles and mini marshmallows on top.

Of course, if you love caramel and chocolate, you can always use a Milky Way in place of the 3 Musketeers bar. 

(Video Link)

It's been a while since we've seen any videos from Ze Frank's True Facts series and man are we happy to have a new one. This time, the subject is armadillos, including their defense mechanisms and sexual behavoir. As always, there's all kinds of silly jokes mixed in with cool facts you might not know already, and don't worry, this video won't give you leprosy. 

Warning: There is some mildly NSFW language and a short clip of the armadillo's genitals.

Via Laughing Squid

Playgrounds tend to look pretty similar with some slides, swings and assorted other equipment, but occasionally you can find one that's really special. Chile's Children's Bicentennial Park is a great example of a playground that kids can love and adults can appreciate for its beautiful design. 

The park, designed by Elemental, features a rounded swingset that allows kids to look at each other while swinging, a whole mountain side covered in slides and a fence that is actually a giant obstacle course. 

You can see more pictures of the fantastic park over at Homes and Hues. And if you like kid-friendly design, you'll love these great Disney inspired rooms. 

(Video Link)

Bad dubbing, shaky animation, overly large and creepy eyes? Yes, this video by Nacho Punch has everything you'd expect to see in a cheesy 1980's anime, only with the added fun of the Dark Side, ewoks and Chewbacca. 

While there's no way this series would have ever gotten as big as the original movie trilogy if this was all Lucas released, it's possible they would have sold even more toys -just like the original Transformers cartoons did. And hey, we geeks still would have watched the show with wide-eyed wonder, we probably just wouldn't see as many Slave Leias at every comic book convention.

Via BoingBoing