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Robopet Stocking Stuffers!

The Advent Calendar has been updated for December 16th, and I'm going to have to make this quick, because people are coming over to drink my liquor and steal things from my dresser drawers when I'm not looking. I hope you find tonight's Saturday Night Thread pleasing, because it's the last one before Christmas so it better be pleasing.


Found this great stocking stuffer yesterday. I'm not using it to stuff any stockings, but those who are in for treats! It's a "Mini Robopet," based on the much larger, much more intuitive and much more expensive giant Robopets (reptiles and robots, more correctly) littering the store aisles and always going on sale because, for whatever reason, nobody wants to buy the damn things. When miniaturized, they're just neat, "regular" action figures, save for a wind-up mechanism that lets the creatures noisily struggle to span four inches over a hard surface.

It's a nice "round out" gift to get a kid because, okay, let's say you got him a Wii for Christmas. The Wii's a pretty big gift, and it's probably the only really "big" gift you're gonna get the kid for one measly holiday. Throw in a $5 Mini Robopet, and he can go back to school bragging to everyone that he "got a Wii and a Robopet!" He needn't classify his Robopet as a toy miniature, and everyone will consider him a rich ass hero!

Yes, they do sell Mini Robopets even when it's not Christmas, but here's how they tied it in: When you browse the stocking stuffer aisle and see the shelf full of Mini Robopets, note how they only put the red and green ones out. I dig that. It's subtle and smart. Like a 1974 California blush.

Posted by Matt on 12/16/2006. E-mail me!



Discussion Thread: 64 comments

Excellent entry. I just love it when things finally start to boil and everyone “gears up”

“So, what do you need? Besides a miracle.”

Heads, lots of heads.

Chestnuts roasted by K- @ 12/18/2006 1:04 AM

I haven’t even finished reading the day’s entry yet, but TRON reference==Instant Win!

Chestnuts roasted by Cameron T. @ 12/18/2006 1:31 AM

WHEN will we find out who The Boss is?! Will Talking Cow narrate the battle scene again?

And Chef…dang!

Chestnuts roasted by Invader Norbert @ 12/18/2006 2:13 AM

Speaking of Who’s the Boss, Matt, when are you going to do a review of a Who’s the Boss Christmas episode? That’s worth three pages at least.

Chestnuts roasted by Bill @ 12/18/2006 3:33 AM

Hey everyone! I am trying to find a gift for my 11-year-old sister. Everyone else already got her the gifts on her very short list (comprised almost entirely of video games) and her response to “what else do you want?” is
“uh, I don’t know…”. I know there have to be some gifts that every kid wants all the time no matter what, but the only thing I can remember like that from childhood is a Nerf Bow and Arrow set. Anybody have more ideas?

Chestnuts roasted by Carina @ 12/18/2006 5:35 AM

Jim, mead is delicious, and has a great texture. I would recommend having mead with any sort of dessert (treat it as an ice wine, if you will). But be careful that you’re actually buying mead – some outlets sell meade, which is just white wine flavored with honey.

Great… now I’ve just outed myself as a wino :)

Chestnuts roasted by Liz @ 12/18/2006 10:46 AM

Puzzletown jail in the Advent Calendar! I love Puzzletown!

Chestnuts roasted by Syllavus @ 12/18/2006 10:47 AM

I think the 17th entry was missing a ‘good guys gearing up’ scene like in the Batman movies. Does anybody else feel like that?

Chestnuts roasted by Kev @ 12/18/2006 11:15 AM

Carina

Since I don’t know your sister, I have no idea what she likes. What about Lego? Or is there a cool Book she might enjoy?

Movies? CDs?

Chestnuts roasted by Cameron T. @ 12/18/2006 12:53 PM

Ah, Matt… You came so close with the December Megaparty. Actually, though, I commend you for getting all the way to the 17th before missing a blog post. And we did get a new calendar entry right at the deadline. Thanks again for all the hard work this year. At the risk of sounding cliche, X-E rocks this year.

Truly this is why we all look forward to Christmas ’round these parts. Keep it up. Please.

Chestnuts roasted by Rhino @ 12/18/2006 12:56 PM

Carina: 11 is a tough age for girls, because you’re technically still a kid, but you’ve already started going through puberty, so you don’t feel like a kid. One thing I remember about that age was loving when people treated me like I was older, so I’d look for the kind of thing you’d think for a teenager: hip room accessories (those French memo boards with the ribbons that hold everything in place are always a hit), a scrapbook kit, some inexpensive jewelry, a small purse, or maybe a nice journal with a cool pen. Hopefully these ideas will at least spark inspiration, even if none of them really work for you.

Some of my favorite gift ideas for the broke:
- Design personalized stationery on your computer and print it out on inexpensive cardstock. (Don’t forget envelopes.) If you can afford it, you can also buy the note card stock that’s already cut and folded. If you can’t afford the card stock, you can do letterhead-type stationery on regular paper.
- Homemade baked goods
- A nostalgic photo of you and the recipient in an inexpensive frame
- Buy a small box or chest at the dollar store and fill it with holiday candy
- Burn a mix CD with songs that remind you of times with the recipient and include an insert with your reasoning for picking each song (kind of cliche for couples, but not so much for siblings, parents, or grandparents.)
- Christmas poinsettia (some places have them cheaper than others.)
- Big candy (like those oversized kisses or Hershey bars). They don’t cost a lot and they make a good presentation.
- A homemade ornament made from something that would be meaningful to the recipient (ex: my husband loves Tabasco, so he drilled a hole in the cap of an empty bottle, put a hook in it, and made an ornament.)
- If you are really out of money, consider writing a meaningful note to express how much that person has meant to you over time (this works best with grandmothers.)
Don’t forget that the purpose of Christmas gifts is to let people know that they’re important to you, and it doesn’t have to take a lot of money to do that. Besides, the people who really matter won’t care how much you spent.

Chestnuts roasted by Lori @ 12/18/2006 1:49 PM

Giving somebody your head to add to their already impressive stack is a nice guesture, too.

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 12/18/2006 2:56 PM

Esa-speciallya one-a thata talksa like-a thees.

Chestnuts roasted by Trish @ 12/18/2006 4:44 PM

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This entry was posted on Saturday, December 16th, 2006 at 6:27 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.