These look like perfect kid gifts–anyone want to toss out a few ideas on where to get them OTHER than Michael’s?

Ghosted by KillerTofu @ 08/08/2005 4:24 AM EDT

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I remember some pretty epic battles over connect four, and I refuse to believe that there’s no strategy involved.

My version of trouble was circa 1970, so it didn’t have the same feel when used as a backdrop for third earth.

Ghosted by keens @ 08/08/2005 5:34 AM EDT

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Ha! I thought I was the only one to dread those mother son shopping trips in that place. If sadness was in a store, michaels sold it. A bunch of unfinished dull colored stuff, that only old ladies should be interested. That place reminds me of old people and stuff. LAME! ^_^

Ghosted by Michael from Denver @ 08/08/2005 8:42 AM EDT

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Besides Michaels, there’s some stores called Hobby Lobby here. That’s where I go.

I also remember Flipsiders and had a couple. They used to get advertised alot during Nickelodeon gameshows. Those Nick games RULED.

I also second an article on video game watches. Never had one but always wanted one. Since it’s becoming popular to play video games on cell phones I don’t see why they can’t make a comeback.

Also, how about an article on those handheld video games from companies like Tiger Electronics. I don’t think I ever played a good one. Burger King had a Spyro the Dragon one recently in one of they’re kids meals. Blech.

I used to have a colored ink vibrating pen that was fun. You put batteries in it and it vibrates to make sqiggly lines. Pen was big and hard to hold on to, but fun.

Ghosted by JLAJRC @ 08/08/2005 10:52 AM EDT

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My mini-Lincoln Log pen is just about the only good thing my sister has ever given me. It’s pretty neat, but it only builds one friggin house, and getting that house to stay up while you’re building pretty much requires the patience of a saint. That, and the little Lincoln Log pieces look like tiny malformed stick pretzels. Or dog poop. Definitely dog poop.

I had the mini-Twister pen too. The little twister dots looked like multi-colored pepperoni. Where mini-Twister really scored was in the stick-ability of the dots. You could lick the back of those suckers and stick them anywhere–even human skin. Many great pick-up lines were born of that Twister pen

Ghosted by Miss @ 08/08/2005 12:05 PM EDT

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I was given the Scrabble pen as a gift. It’s pretty neat, but one of those games that has too many pieces to translate completely. Besides, I’ve already poured too much money into the keychains, I can’t very well justify rebuying all those games in pen form…or can I?

I totally understand the Michael’s thing. My mother couldn’t get enough of that place (probably still can’t) and she’s pretty paranoid to shop alone, so I’ve spent a lot of time there. I remember she used to lure us out of the house for one thing, and once she had us captive in the car we’d end up at Michael’s. She was sneaky like that. I don’t know about the ones where you are, but I can tell you why the one we would go to was so depressing. It was in an old store space (I’m pretty sure it used to Bradlees) in a nearly forgotten little shopping center. The automatic doors had to be propped open because they didn’t work anymore. There’s never a large crowd there (and, consequently, no energy in the store), just middle-aged to elderly women shuffling around like they have no idea why they’re there. (If they’re like my mom, they know exactly why they’re there, they’re just completely unfamiliar with the concept of getting what you want and getting out – they have to see it ALL.) There’s no color in the walls or floor – they’re all just a dirty white. The kicker at my local store is that the store music is just one (rather short) looping song. If you’re there long enough (and I usually was) you’ll hear the same distinct parts of this easy listening instrumental over and over and over… it’s like if John Tesh wrote video game music. I kept waiting for one of the employees to turn homicidal – preferrably when I wasn’t there. My vote would be for her to unleash her wrath on the puffy paints and do the world a favor.

Ghosted by Lori @ 08/08/2005 12:29 PM EDT

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CONNECT FOUR in a PEN? Those checker pieces must be the size of a newborn baby’s pinkie nail! Umm…I dunno if it’s worth my soul, or even two bucks for me, considering how hard it would be to play, but I’d probably pick one up if they were giving ‘em out for free. Maybe.

Ghosted by Andrew @ 08/08/2005 3:12 PM EDT

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soul in the briefcase? Gold foiled wrapped money is not his soul.

Ghosted by RAS @ 08/08/2005 4:24 PM EDT

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"Hi everyone,
Long time reader, first time poster. I can’t say that I’ve ever noticed anything particularily depressing about the Michaels in my part of the world (Vancouver, Canada). It’s basically just another brightly lit, vaguely impersonal big box store a la Home Depot or Staples. Mind you, my wife is not the arts and craftsy type, so I’ve been spared having to make frequent trips there. On an unrelated note, I just got back from China a few weeks ago and had an absolute blast there. If any of you have ever considered visiting, don’t hesitate, just go."

Michael’s, or China?

Ghosted by tanta07 @ 08/08/2005 5:27 PM EDT

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Maybe a Micheal’s in China.

Ghosted by kingklash @ 08/08/2005 5:59 PM EDT

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I’ve got a briefcase full of blues!

This was a great article! Just like them all!

Ghosted by kidneyboy @ 08/08/2005 6:38 PM EDT

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Ooooooh, must go to Michael’s. Not for the pens, which I’ve seen there before, and automatically imagined you walking around that section of the store as I read – but, for the Halloween stuff. I’ve been dying for some good Halloween stuff to surface!

TRU has also had those pens. They are usually stuck on a side cap somewhere in Imaginarium in a cardboard display box. At least, ours were. We have a lone Connect Four pen left in Board Games, and … man I can’t remember what that thing is – some kind of "Racers" car pen – I think. It’s huge.

I got my friend the Nerf pen a while back. OH! They also have a Super Soaker pen!

Ghosted by Ryane @ 08/08/2005 7:17 PM EDT

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I used to love going to Michaels. I guess I still do, but I don’t go too often. My Grandma was a crafter, so I was doing the craft store thing before we had a Michaels and we were going to Franks Nursery and Crafts (which is now out of business). Michaels is still pretty fun, but Franks was really depressing, especially toward the end. I could never stand the smell there- fertilizer, yay.

I used to paint ceramic ornaments, but I kind of got burned out around 8th grade, and all I’ve done since then was an awesome gingerbread house thing that I gave to my other Grandma for Christmas last year. I also spent like a week painting this wooden box. I wanted to make it look good, even though it was only two colors.

I also have avoided the spoiler thread because I am currently avoiding spoilers for just about everything. No joke. Even if I have no plans of reading/watching/whatever any certain thing, I still don’t want to know because there’s always a chance.

Maybe I’ll pick up some of those pens for my cousins this year.

Ghosted by Rainbowfeet @ 08/08/2005 8:10 PM EDT

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Lazy Girl:
My wife and I got a chance to visit quite a few cities during our month long stay. Here is a list of the cities we visited: Hangzhou, Suzhou, Shaoxing, Tianjin, Shanghai,Wuxi, Beijing, and Harbin. The reason why we traveled so far north is because my wife is from Harbin. So, in a way, it’s become a sort of second "home" for me. Since you were living in China for four years, I suppose you must have learned to speak Mandarin quite fluently. I, on the other hand, can barely get by ordering food in a restaurant…;)

To the other posters:
Sorry if I caused any confusion with my previous post. To clarify, I had a blast in China and heartily recommend it as a potential vacation destination.

Ghosted by aint_baroque @ 08/08/2005 9:31 PM EDT

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China is cool. Too bad I’ll never go there. Anyways, I’m surprised all these novelty pens were in an art store. You know, instead of a useless crap merchant or a gas station or soemthing. Useless crap is cool.

Ghosted by Warx @ 08/08/2005 9:37 PM EDT

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the problem with Hobby Lobby (actually, there’s lots, but one of the biggest), is the incessant muzak. Now, if this was some quality music of Top 40 hits of yesteryear and easy listenin’ favorites, I could deal.

Nope. All day every day, from 9 A.M. to 8 P.M., I am subjected to Muzak renditions of all your favorite hymns done in such wacky styles as a "zydeco-calypso" hybrid.

Ghosted by Bonzo @ 08/08/2005 11:20 PM EDT

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Us crazy canucks hav a chain of craft stores called lewiskraft, the one time i entered one was to buy wire so i could break into my car after i locked myself out of it, and i strangely felt the same sense demasculation that comes with entering such a store.

Ghosted by Diarrhea Dave @ 08/09/2005 12:45 PM EDT

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i am sure most will get fired from laughing to much at work from this

Ghosted by josh @ 08/09/2005 1:47 AM EDT

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I HATE Michaels, because they got rid of all of the plastic models and model railroad stuff. Michaels sucks. The only time I’ve been in there in the last 5 years was to get something framed, which I will admit, they did a good job at.

Hell, most Wal-Marts now have a craft section. Why don’t you try going there next time? At least you can look at the toys whilst the Woman looks at crafts…

Ghosted by Cameron T. @ 08/09/2005 7:18 AM EDT

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I want the Lite Brite pen. I had a toy in the 80s that was kind of a rip-off of Lite Brite. I remind my mom how deprived I was, but the toy that I had was cooler–you stamp plastic cookie cutter cools and run pizza cutter tools across a black peg board with a light bulb in it. The lines and shapes you made were all different colors. To restore the board, you had to flip it upside down.

Ghosted by Allison @ 08/09/2005 11:02 AM EDT

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There was an old WCW Sting vs. Hollywood Hogan pen kinda like the Rockem Sockem Robots pen. Except it had this huge ring with Hogan and Sting circa 1998.

I saw it on card at a flea market in Baltimore for a dollar a year ago . I still didn’t want it no matter how much wrestling garbage I have in my house.

By the way, if I may ask, is X-E going to do the Mystery Boxes at all in the future?

Ghosted by The Chad @ 08/09/2005 12:10 PM EDT

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Nooker, I remember those Nerf tator tot bullets. I couldn’t find any other info on them either, not even on eBay.

The set I remember having was a small rubber pistol that you stuffed the bullet into and squeezed to fire. It also had a holder for the rest of the bullets that you could attach to your belt.

Ghosted by cravipat @ 08/09/2005 1:19 PM EDT

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But then what would be do if our money dried out? Would all kitchen clay recipies (you know, the ones with flour and salt and water) have to be banned as counterfieting?

Ghosted by Freezair @ 08/09/2005 3:31 PM EDT

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The Micheal’s around here was notorious among teenagers as a shoplifter paradise, but eventually they went out of business and now there’s a produce market there. There is a Michelle’s across town.

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 08/10/2005 2:15 AM EDT

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^^shaved her legs and then he was a she, she said hey babe, take a walk down the craft aisle.

Ghosted by kidneyboy @ 08/10/2005 3:01 AM EDT

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