- Publisher: Hasbro
- MSRP: $9.99
- Age: 6+
Nerf Vortex Gun
It isn’t Christmas if there isn’t a Nerf Gun under the tree and the new Vortex Proton is the perfect gift to keep your siblings at bay when they go grabbing for your presents. It seems like every year, Nerf figures out how to shoot their spongy little ammo that much further and this year is no exception. Instead of darts, this gun uses foam discs that are really easy to load and really fun to fire at someone’s forehead when they are not expecting it. If there was one thing that we’d suggest you watch out for on this gun it is the ammo supply. The gun comes with three discs. Anyone who has ever had a Nerf gun knows that three pieces of ammo will disappear pretty quick. If you are going to drop your cash on the gun, go ahead and spend $10 dollars more on a package of extra ammo. That way you’ll know the fun will last for more than 20 minutes!
Get yours today at: Hasbro
- Publisher: Growums
- MSRP: $9.99
- Age: 3+
Growums Garden kits
Do your kids play Farmville? Well, think of this as the next generation… In this version, you actually farm. When we were kids, we loved gardening, but it seems like that is something that kids today seemed to have gotten away with it. After all, you can’t grow a Pizza… or can you? That is exactly what we liked about the Growums kits. Each little kit that you order is actually set up to be the complete vegetable portion of a meal. For example, the pizza kit comes with Tomato, pepper, Oregano and Basil seeds. The set up is simple and any kid can do it with some parental guidance. By teaching kids where their food comes from and how it gets to the table, we change their attitudes about food. Also, with 2012 and the coming zombie apocalypse on its way, it is probably a good idea to teach kids how to survive once all the Wal Marts burn to the ground.
Get yours today at: Growums.com
- Publisher: Gemmy
- MSRP: $19.99
- Age: 3+
Gemmy Lightning Bug
Last year we featured a great little interactive butterfly in a jar from Gemmy. This year they’ve stepped it up and put out a lightning bug. It seems like a pretty simple little creation: a mason jar with a little electronic lightning bug on a wire. tap the jar and he lights up and flits around. But, as simple as it sounds, you will find yourself playing with his guy for much longer than you’d expect. kids love it, adults like to zone out with it while they should be working. This is an excellent toy, stocking stuffer or just all around little bit of geekery.
Get yours today at: Gemmy.com
- Publisher: Adventure Medical Kits
- MSRP: $15.00
Sol Survival Medic Kit
When you pick up the Sol Origin for your pocket, the Survival Medic Kit should be your next purchase. When the world ends, this will be one of the first things we pack in our bags. It is just under the size of a Gameboy and it packs all sorts of extra goodies to extend your Sol Origin (and even cover you in ways the sol can’t ). Here’s what comes in this baggy of survival goodness:
The ultralight waterproof pouch is an SOL Emergency Blanket, Fire Lite™ sparker, Tinder-Quik tinder, SLIM Rescue Howler™ whistle, duct tape, and button compass, as well as antiseptic wipes, gauze, and bandages to patch up cuts and scrapes. Each kit in the Medic series features proprietary DryFlex™ bags for the ultimate in ultralight, waterproof storage.
Get yours today at: Adventure medical Kits
——————————-
- Publisher: Adventure Medical Kits
- MSRP: $15-$40.00
Sol Quick Clot
If you are a klutz, or just smart enough to know that you don’t want to be walking around bleedin when the zombies are a feedin than you’d best be packing some quick clot in your survival pack as well. We were amazed by this stuff, granted, none of us actually caused ourselves an arterial wound to see if Quick Clot really is as good as they say at stopping bleeding, so we just had to take the company’s word on it. Still, they use this stuff on soldiers when they get shot in the field to stop the bleeding and keep them alive. Any survivalist you know would love to have a few packs of this in their stocking.
Get yours today at: Adventure Medical Kits
- Publisher: Wine Doctor
- MSRP: $24.99
Wine Doctor
This is a good all around gift. It works as a kitchen gift, stocking stuffer or even just a nice host gift if you are going somewhere for a party or holiday dinner. There are plenty of wine sealing pumps out there for all the light weights who can’t finish a bottle in one sitting. The problem with those pumps is that you never know when to stop pumping. That means that you could pump out too much oxygen and completely kill the flavor of the wine. We tried out the Wine Doctor and it was completely different. it actually has a gauge on the pump to let you know exactly when to stop pumping. The result is a perfectly sealed wine with protected flavor.
Get yours today at: Savethewine.com
- Publisher: Spoonsisters
- MSRP: $18.00 ($7.00 for extra parts)
Piiiig Savings Bank
Piggy Banks are cool. If you don’t like them… well, something is wrong with you. We’ve seen all kinds in our travels, ceramic ones, talking ones, digital ones, but this was the first modular one that we’ve ever come across. AS much of a fantasy as it may sound like in our current society, there is a chance that you will fill your piggy bank. What then? Break it open and buy something you don’t need? Not anymore! The Piiiig bank lets you keep adding on more sections of pig until you can afford that private island that you’ve been dreaming about. As an added bonus, the more you save, the more your pig starts to look like some weird mutant hybrid between a pig and a wiener dog!
Get yours today at: Spoonsisters
- Publisher: Spoonsisters
- MSRP: $13.95
The wally
It is always handy to have a bottle opener on you, but sometimes they are just too clunky to go on your keychain. That is what attracted us to the Wally. It is a bottle opener that is shaped like a credit card and fits right in your wallet. We tested it and, well, it is bottle opener, this is isn’t space travel or anything fancy, just a really clever little tool that makes a great stocking stuffer.
Get yours today at: Spoon Sisters
- Publisher: Spoonsisters
- MSRP: $8.95
Pet top Drinking Device
There’s not much to say about this, just that it is a great gift for pet owners and makes a heck of a stocking stuffer. Do you ever have trouble watering your dog while you are out at the part or something like that? This little device fits right on the top of standard water bottles and turns them into a watering device for the dog! No more looking for a food cart that will give you a bowl of water. Now you can just carry it with you on the go and the dog can have a lick of water whenever they want, even in the car!
Get yours today at: Spoon Sisters
- Publisher: Spoonsisters
- MSRP: $7.95
The Two Most Useful Brushes in Your Kitchen
Everyone knows one, a clean freak. That person that actually likes getting cleaning supplies for Christmas. For those people, we present the stocking stuffer that will make them happier than when they take that first whiff off a new bottle of bleach. The Two Most Useful Brushes in Your Kitchen are designed to take just about any bit of crud off of any pot or pan. The metal brush is good for hard core surfaces and the yellow brush does a great job cleaning up coated cooking surfaces. It wasn’t hard for us to test this one out as we are always burning something. A little bit of soap or baking soda and these brushes really hit the spot!
Get yours today at: Spoon Sisters
- Publisher: Spoonsisters
- MSRP: $9.95
Tapi – Faucet Squeeze Drink Fountain 2 per set
The Tapi is a fun little gadget for mom’s who are sick of their kids using tons and tons of glasses when they get water from the sink. just slide this on the end of your tap (you can leave it on and your sink will still work fine). then, when you want a drink, instead of grabbing a glass, just pinch the bottom of the tapi and it turns your faucet into a water fountain. It is great for the kitchen and also great for keeping in your kid’s bathroom to help them rinse after brushing their teeth. We think this is a great, practical stocking stuffer for the family, plus you will get an extra bit of fun when the giftee spends five minutes trying to figure out just what the heck it is!
Get yours today at: Spoon Sisters
- Publisher: Spoonsisters
- MSRP: $22.50
Tea for One With Saucer
There’s no trick here, no fancy doodad that pops out. This is just a lovely, straight-forward tea set for one that we checked out and thought made a great gift for everyone from mom’s to college kids. It stacks up nicely and looks great. The three piece set holds 12 ounces of tea in the pot and 11 in the cup (what do you do with the extra ounce?). If you have someone in your life who likes to just sit back and watch the rain with a cup of tea all to themselves, this is the gift for them. It is available in Orange/Light Grey, Pink/Light Brown and Green/Brown.
Get yours today at: Spoon Sisters
- Publisher: Think Geek
- MSRP: $24.99
- Age: 6+
Huey the Color Copying Chameleon Lamp
When we saw this item from Think Geek we knew that we had to test it out. Chameleons are cool. They always will be. Now, the kids are loving them too because of Disney’s movie “Tangled”. There are plenty of cool chameleon toys out there, but there are not really any items like this. They call him Huey the Color Copying Chameleon Lamp. You can use him as a plugged in night light or you can throw some batteries in him and carry him around to have a lot of fun. You see, he’s got a sensor on his underside which will cause him to light up in the same color as anything you place him on. We put this little guy to the test for several days and we were unable to stump him. Sadly, he can’t really do plaids or spots, but who would really expect that anyways. Point is, this is a great stocking stuffer for any grown geek and an excellent lamp/ toy for any kid over 6.
Get yours today at: Think Geek
- Publisher: Spoonsisters
- MSRP: $19.95
Spink
I have spilled more cups of liquid on or near my computer than I feel comfortable admitting. It is a wonder that I haven’t fried my machine yet. This might be the perfect stocking stuffer for someone klutzy like me. At first, we loved having this in the office, because it sounds funny and led to everyone calling each other “Spinks” for no good reason. The we actually tried it and I’ll be damned if the thing isn’t awesome! What does it do? It uses a suction cup to create an anchoring system for your hot or cold beverage. It is not the prettiest thing in the world, but if you’ve got a friend or workmate who has killed a keyboard with a cup of coffee, they will thank you.
Get yours today at: Spoon Sisters
- Publisher: ThinkGeek
- MSRP: $12.99
Ice Speed Chess
This is the kind of thing we love… DUAL PURPOSE GIFT! Ya, you can’t go wrong with a dual purpose gift, especially one that can be a game or a beverage enhancer like the Ice Speed Chess Set from Thinkgeek. First, here’s what it comes with: Two silicone ice molds that make enough chess pieces to fill out both sides of a board. We loved this gift for a couple reasons. First, we love oddly shaped ice cubes. Second, we know people who take forever to play a game. Like, we’ve joked that the ice caps will melt before they make their move. This is perfect for them. Want to add some stakes to your game? Make your pieces with an unpleasant beverage and each time you take an opponent’s piece, they have to eat it. Sure, it sounds cruel, but it is a lot of fun.
So, whether you need an interesting accent in the glasses at your next party ort you are a hard core chess fan who likes the idea of trying to beat the melting clock… or playing in the snow, this is a great gift for this holiday season.
Warning, don’t be the idiot who puts these chess pieces on a fancy wooden board. Don’t be that guy. No.
Get yours today at: Thinkgeek
- Publisher: Thinkgeek
- MSRP: $19.99
Rubik’s Mirror Cube Blocks
To this day, Rubik’s puzzles to me remain as big a mystery as bra straps were to me when I was 16. Impossible to solve, but you are guaranteed a great sense of achievement if you ever manage it. With that said, the new Rubik’s Mirror Blocks Cube makes me feel like that same stupid teenager, fumbling around in the dark and getting nowhere. This is not an easy puzzle, but the twist of having the blocks inside the puzzle be different sizes really adds a nice new dimension that sets this puzzle apart from its predecessors. Drop this bad boy in someone’s stocking and they will both love and hate you for it. Just watch the expression on their face as they begin to play with it and it goes from innocent cube to twisted crystalline shape. Add some eggnog and you have hours of fun.
Get yours today at: Think Geek
- Publisher: Thinkgeek
- MSRP: $7.99
Caffeinated Chocolate Milk Straws
Because sometimes crack cocaine with a Four Loko Chaser just doesn’t have the kick you want in your beverage, Thinkgeek has released straws full of caffeinated chocolate milk mix that packs 200 mg of caffeine per serving. Just in case you are wondering, that’s like two and a half energy drinks. We tried it and after we finished bouncing off the walls and building a LEGO Death Star in just under 20 minutes we were able to take a minute and realize that this magic elixir of energy and pain is actually pretty tasty. Slide this into the stocking of any consenting adult. They will love the taste and the buzz. It sure beats crushing and snorting candy canes! One final thought. Imagine that you are caught in the path of a herd of walkers. You are tired. You just don’t have the strength to run. Just mix up a little bit of chocolate milk and before you know it, you’ll be running so fast you’ll be leaving tracks behind you like you were the road runner.
Get yours today at: Think Geek
- Publisher: Thinkgeek
- MSRP: $16.99
Pentominoes 3d Puzzle Cubes
I know what you are thinking… eww, math puzzle. Well, don’t be so quick to poo poo this game. These are actually fun. Pentominoes has often been described 3D Tetris. Pentominoes is a game that we like for all ages. Kids will just stack them, grown-ups will break their brains trying to solve the same math puzzles that attracted Arthur C. Clarke to the game. No matter what skill level you approach them from, you’ll find yourself getting sucked into them, and then wanting to throw them against the wall and then weeping with joy when you solve the puzzle that’s been messing with you for hours. If you have someone on your list who loves a good puzzle, this one is perfect for them.
Get yours today at: Think Geek
- Publisher: ThinkGeek
- MSRP: $17.99
Plush Beating Heart
Not all stuffed animals need to be cute little teddy bears. Sometimes the coolest plush critters are the things you’d never expect, like a cuddly little… beating heart. We thought this was one of the coolest plush items that we saw this year. ThinkGeek’s plush beating heart is a genuinely cuddly plush toy, but it also happens to look and beat like a real human heart. Who would want a gift like this? Doctors, med students, people with a sense of humor, serial killers… the list is endless!
Get yours today at: Think Geek
Fuse InTUNE Headphones
Do you have someone in your life who really loves one type of music? Fuse created their new InTune Headphones just for them. These bullet style headphones are specially designed to optimize the listening experience for either Jazz/ Classical , Rap/ Hiphop, Easy Listening/ Pop and Rock/Blues/ Country. Sorry talk radio fans, they haven’t released a pair that is optimized for bloated wind bags yet. We were really impressed with just how well they actually optimized the sound for the different types of music. Take the Rock/Blues/Country headphones for example. On that set, the bass and treble are jacked up to really let you feel the music. Meanwhile the pop headphones dial back the bass to let the lighter notes come through. Another great perk of these headphones is that they come with a few sets of ear bullets so that you can pick a seize that fits you best.
Get yours today at: Fuse
- Publisher: Think Geek
- MSRP: $6.99
Zombie Brain Gelatin Mold
You ever sit down to watch a new episode of The Walking Dead or one of your favorite zombie movies and you suddenly feel the urge to snack on brains? Sadly, that is still illegal. Also, it is kind of messy and it probably smells pretty bad. Good thing Thinkgeek has given us a tasty way to eat something cold and jiggley that squishes like brains but won’t give you mad cow disease.
This is a great gift for the Jello lover in your family who has a darker sense of humor. This simple, yet awesome gift is a Jello mold shaped like a brain! We played around a bit with this and had a lot of fun. If you really know how to work with Jello, you can even get layers or a hidden bloody center in there. Also, let’s not forget, this could be the best way ever to kill real brain cells… a giant brain shaped Jello shot!
Get yours today at: Thinkgeek.com
- Publisher: Think Geek
- MSRP: $29.99
Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter
In past years we’ve had some great Star trek items. Star Trek Sporks, Star Trek Bottle Openers, but this is just a whole different level of awesome. Not only is this possibly the nicest and fanciest Pizza Cutter that we’ve ever seen, but it is shaped like the USS Enterprise! This isn’t some pirate job either. It is an actual licensed item from Star Trek. You know what that means? At 3 AM when Shatner wakes up with the munchies, this is probably what he uses to slice up his Totinos microwave pizza!
We can’t speak enough about how beautiful this thing is. If you weren’t looking closely at it, you would think it was a prop replica, not a kitchen utensil. It has a Laser Etched Stainless steel blade with solid zinc-alloy chromium plated body. Also, it cuts through a crust like a photo torpedo through a Kingon Bird of Prey.
