I've gotten a bunch of e-mails about this, and while I don't have enough material about the things to work an entire article around, they're certainly worthy of a mention. A lot of you seem to recall owning a pair of really cool gloves that featured words and/or characters that appeared and disappeared as they got colder and warmer. You're not crazy -- they really existed, and they were called "Freezy Freakies."

At the peak of the gloves' popularity, it seemed like every kid had a pair. At that young age, it was really difficult to pick "cool clothes." We usually had our terminally unhip mothers guiding the shopping experience, and that matched with the low-rent stores our outfits were purchased at made for some major fashion faux plural-of-pas. With the advent of Freezy Freakies, at least you had your hands covered. Everybody thought Freezy Freakies were cool.

Shown above is one of the old favorites -- the "Robot" Freezy Freakies. When cold, a robot would appear under the title. Other gloves had schemes to delight both male and female audiences, and eventually, there were a number of knockoff gloves that used the same mechanics for more recognizable cartoon characters. They haven't been made for years, save for the occasional "retro month" at some "boutique" that's brave enough to use the Freezy Freakies copyright without permission. Even at the deepest corners of the collector's market, they're tragically hard to find. If you're lucky enough to find a pair, buy 'em immediately. If you were smart enough to hold on to a pair since childhood, do the right thing and give 'em here.

Even if you couldn't throw a lick, "Freezy Freakies" made snowball fights so much fun.