It's a buyer's market in real estate these days -I know, I'm trying to sell one, too. A Michigan couple weren't having much luck selling their home when they came up with a gimmick that generated publicity if nothing else. Gerry and Cindy Mann are now throwing in their home for free, if you want to buy a miniature replica for $169,000!

Using a 1-foot-to-1-inch scale, Cadwell fashioned an exact replica of the Mann house about 15 years ago for the family's three (now-grown) children to enjoy.

The retired engineer toiled for more than a year on the structure, eschewing dollhouse kits for elbow grease. He cut the wooden swinging closet doors, trimmed the sandpaper shingles and wired the electric fixtures himself.

All in all, the Manns estimate, the dollhouse is worth a couple thousand dollars. Gerry and Cindy are hoping the digs will soften the blow of the $167,000 mark-up.

As consummate salespeople, the Manns would like to point out that the dollhouse is not an exact replica. The spacious pool, the cabana and the large backyard with a garden plot have not been captured by Cadwell's adroit hands.

Link -via Geek Like Me

(image credit: John Grap/Battle Creek Enquirer)

Cracked takes a look at certain types of commenters found on most popular internet sites that allow comments. Of course, none of these types exist at Neatorama, because all our commenters are kind and intelligent people who never post without considering the point of their contribution. Warning: some comments are offensive. As if you didn't know that. Link -via Digg

Victoriana has a collection of corset ads from the early 1900s. It's good to know that at one time, you could choose from rust-proof corsets, glove-fitting corsets, or even a "fairy bust form". Link -via Everlasting Blort

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The Great Gorilla Run will take place on September 27th in London. Every year, people dressed in gorilla suits run through the city, raising money to help protect the Mountain Gorilla.

The word on the street is that running in a gorilla suit is very cool. But that's not true - it's actually very, very warm, but there's nothing quite like being a part of our furry pack of runners.

Link -via Arbroath

The word “Me” appears in the titles of dozens of Hollywood feature films. In today’s Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss, try to match 12 film titles with the 12 actors who portrayed the “Me” in each one. I scored 83% because I switched two movies I hadn't seen. http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/18103

A curious heifer in Cornwall got more than she bargained for when she stuck her head inside an abandoned washing machine. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals responded to a call and found the cow with the machine's drum completely encasing her head. RSPCA inspector David Hobbs freed the animal.

Mr Hobbs said: 'Most people hate to see fly-tipping as it is an ugly blight on the landscape, but incidents like these highlight that as well as the visual impact the rubbish can also endanger animals.

'The heifer was probably curious to see a new item dumped in the field and curiosity would have turned to panic once she got her head stuck in the drum and was unable to get it out.

'If people disposed of their rubbish properly many animals would be saved from injury and death.'

He added that a large proportion of the injuries the Society's inspectors, animal collection officers, vets and wildlife hospitals dealt with are usually caused by people who carelessly discarded rubbish.

According to Wikipedia, fly-tipping is "a British term for illegally dumping waste somewhere other than an authorised landfill." Link -via Unique Daily

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The Wrong Door is a new sketch show set in a parallel universe where the special effects you see in the movies and on TV are part of everyday life. Coming soon to BBC Three.

I'm glad they are making some of the sketches available on YouTube for those of us who cannot get BBC. -via Everlasting Blort

15-year-old Tom Lemm underwent surgery to remove his arm and shoulder due to a tumor. Surgeons then used bone and tissue from the amputated elbow to construct a new shoulder!

Professor Kay told the BBC: "The most awful thing for an upper limb reconstructive surgeon to do is to remove an arm - it's a dreadful thing to do.

"But by using the bits that would be discarded, you can pluck a little bit of comfort."

He said Tom's new shoulder will be able to support an artificial limb. "This will be a tremendous advantage."

Tom has battled cancer for three years. He hopes the success of his surgery will give hope to others. A hospital spokesman said this surgery was first performed in Japan, but Lemm's case was a first for Europe. Link -via Arbroath

In the game Hexium Connect, you are given a set of hexagons with colored links on one or more sides of each. You rearrange them so that all colored connections are linked to each other properly. It starts easy, but quickly becomes challenging! Link -via Dump Trumpet

An 11-month-old baby in Colombia weighs over 61 pounds! The child can no longer wear his big brother's clothing. His mother, Milena Orosco de Agudelo, said the boy was born at a normal size and began growing rapidly at two months of age. Medical tests indicate he has an endocrine disorder, but further tests are needed to pinpoint the cause. Link (with video) -via Fark

A purple frog with a pig nose, a seal with an inflatable face, and penguin with yellow eyes! They sound like tall tales, but they are just some of the unusual endangered species described at WebEcoist. Link -via the Presurfer

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A clip of some rare and extremely creepy TV programming from Germany in the 1930s. For more, see an hour-length documentary on the subject, Television Under the Swastika. http://smashingtelly.com/2008/07/14/television-under-the-swastika/ -via Metafilter

If you don't, it's OK, because this face does not exist. It's an age-enhanced childhood picture showing what Michael Jackson would look like now if he'd never had cosmetic surgery or other physical alterations. The picture was made to accompany a Daily Mail article on Jackson as he turns 50 years old today. Link -via mental_floss

People often say "x is worth its weight in gold", but what does that really mean? Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories takes a look at the price per pound of things you'd never think of measuring or comparing, like coins and paper money, printer ink, peacock feathers, human blood, the LZR Racer swimsuit, and a Maine Coon cat, as well as gold itself. Link

The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon is not the only television marathon happening this Labor Day Weekend. Interesting Pile has a list of the marathons various television networks will be running. Take your pick! I'm not familiar with all of them, but it seems the oldest is Star Trek: The Next Generation. Link (via Fark)