The box says it’s a Kray-zee Bell, but to us it just has a nice tinkling sound, the sort of thing you’d use to call the garden fairies to lunch with. In green enameled steel, it has “Ring for Luck” printed on it, although we don’t know why, and what do you care? Bell is 3" dia x 1-7/8" on a 3-1/4" plastic handle with a clapper on a spring, ting-a-ling.

You haven’t had Architectural Digest calling to take photos, have you? Right…so just trust us and we’ll pick a possibly tasteful vinyl wall cling for you. Order (2) and we’ll send (2) different ones. They measure 39-1/2" x 17-1/4", with images to enchant your visitors and raise your profile in the interior design community. Selections include Frankenstein, Cold Beer, Flaming Skulls, Butterflies, Peace Signs, Lighthouses, Checkered Flags, Motorcycles and many, many more, all re-postionable so you can change your decor as often as your socks.

It’s a little jewelers loupe. The loupe is little, not the jewelers, although they could be short, but we’ve never actually seen the jewelers who use these, so…oh, never mind--it’s shiny brass and would look jewel-like hung on a chain. Measures a teardroppy 1-1/8" x 7/8" x 3/4" shape, and folds out to reveal an 18mm dia glass lens with approx 10X magnification.

Yes, you can now take all those hours, days, months and years you spent playing Pac-Man® and convert them to a table lamp that your spouse will hate. The Pac-Man® lamp measures 8-1/4” dia with a remote control (15-foot range) to pick one of (7) brightness levels and (12) authentic sounds from the original game. Includes a wall adapter and battery for the remote.

For gardeners with extremely small apartments. This 1-1/2" dia glass terrarium (that’s a nose-hair smaller than a ping-pong ball) comes with soil and some spider cactus seeds, which ought to germinate in a week or two if you add a drop of water, click your heels together three times and think about Kansas. Surplus factor…the seeds expired in 12/17 but should be fine, or your money back!

Made for use in aquaria everywhere, these dozen polyresin reproductions of coral and sea anemone are nifty in their own right, and a stylish person might put them on a desk, dresser or mantel. They measure between 2-1/4" and 3-1/2", and include cat’s paw, velvet stone, cauliflower, branch and brain coral, and Atlantic anemones. In an ivory color for the most part, but paintable if you like authenticity, although we’d skip the aquarium use unless you use aquarium approved paints. We’ll pick (2) different, or you can get the whole undersea 12 pack assortment. A steal at twice the price!

This sturdy little canvas camo belt/pouch is just 5" x 2-1/4" x 1" with a snapped and hook-n-looped strap, a 5” long snapped belt loop and an additional pair of 1” loops on the back. Use it for a jackknife, multitool or emergency Snickers bar.

Not just your average coloring set. A set so incredible it is has Premier right in its name. 29 Piece coloring kit that includes 24 coloring pencils, colorless blender, black illustration marker, kneaded eraser, double headed sharpener and coloring booklet. A must for every budding artist.

What we have here is the inside of a walking toy that’s lost its outside. What’s left is a white plastic potato-ish fellow with a stumpy head. Like a naked robot. Has the usual set of eye-holes and earlobes, a speaker mouth (but nothing to say) and a belly button that doesn’t do anything, just like yours. Toddles on big black clown feet and has (2) power switches, one on its back, one at the end of 9” leads. We like it just the way it is, but crafty folk might want to make him or her a body. Either way, you add (3) AA batteries.

The wood filler of metalworkers. This 3.5-fluid-ounce tube of liquid metal filler from Permatex® is made to, well, fill, bond or repair metals. Can be drilled, filed, sanded and painted after curing for 3 to 4 hours. And for the record, it can also be used on wood.

This insulated/padded back pouch measures 20" x 10-1/4", and closes at the top with both (2) snaps and a hook-and-loop strip. Has (8) rows of double straps on one side, (8) rows of 6-slot straps on the other, plus a pair of rings on each shoulder strap. A second set of snap-down straps is tucked on the side opposite the shoulder straps.

Our each is a package of (2) darkness-activated outdoor safety lights, each with (3) intense white LEDs powered by a 600mAh “AA” NiCD charged by a 2-1/8” solar cell. Mounted in weather-resistant 4-5/8"dia x 2-3/8" plastic housings with removable mounting brackets. Includes mollies, screws and thumbscrew brackets for mounting to gutters. LEDs are rated for 30 lumens, and will run 6-9 hours after a 5-hour charge. From iZoom®.

The Clay People were all gray in Flash Gordon’s world, but this 24-piece set of modeling clay comes in (24) colors, including the non-rainbowish black, white and gray because a lot of stuff is, after all, those colors. Pieces are 2/3-oz and 3/8” x 1/2” x 3-3/8" long sticks. And they’re gluten-free--says so right on the box.

Could be more fun per pound than any wind-up game in the warehouse. Crank it up and the mini-pond rotates while (8) sharks open and close their mouths, and up to (3) fisherpersons try to drop their magnet hooks into their steel fishy mouths. Measures 3-3/4” square. Much harder than it looks, and more fun than a barrel of fishies.

From the French military, this is one of the more sophistiqué military mosquito head-nets we’ve seen since we last attended Paris Fashion Week (OK, so we’ve never attended Paris Fashion Week). Made to wear over a helmet, this net is 12” dia with dual hoops to keep it off your nez, and measures approx 18” long with an elastic cinch at the bottom. In olive drab nylon (most likely) mesh.

From Marbleocity®, the STEM specialists who combine technical education with marbles to make it all more fun. You pick: the Archimedes screw-maker kit that will yield, yes, a working Archimedes screw in wood and plastic, approx 6" tall on a 4" x 6"base; or the Chaos Mountain-maker kit, which demonstrates the random action of mountain creation and will be approx 6” x 4” in wood and plastic when complete. Both are beginner-level, will take approx an hour to build, and include graphic-comic book instructions.

Two-tone, that is. Our each is a 1.5-oz tube of slime in two tones, and like those Chevrolets, it will come in an assortment of colors. We’ll pick the colors because, while the Bel Air was two grand and change, our two-tone is under two bucks, and you’re not going to drive it to the prom.

Stick out your tongue and we’ll send you a bill. Or just order this cute little kiddies’ doctor kit with blunt scissors, play syringe, pretend (mirror-less) medical mirror, tweezers, otoscope (ear thingy), thermometer and a reflex hammer, which can also be used for great vaudeville gags.

Our each is tub of glitter putty, born at the confluence of silly putty and Ziggy Stardust, with (3) distinct layers of glittery gloop, which Paul, our VP for Gloop Nomenclatura, assures us are heliotrope, apple green and public swimming pool blue. Also smells like Dippity Do, but don’t put it in your hair. You’ll get 4-1/2 ounces, which is more than your mother would like you to have.

It’s a proven stress reliever, banana knotting, and you can participate with our mega-squishy stress banana. Measures 6” long but will stretch to a couple feet. Filled with stress-relieving gel beads, and will take a good long time to return to its original banana shape, which just adds to your relief.

Just ask him where he got his bag. Probably here. This sturdy messenger bag in olive drab nylon measures 13” x 10” x approx 5” with a deep pocket, little pocket, long pocket, snapped pocket, clips for keys, straps for an umbrella, and a padded strap. On the smaller side for messengers, it’s perfect for students, commuters, travelers and anyone who carries a bunch of stuff. (Mr. Mom alert: nothing looks less like a diaper bag.) Manufacturer suggests a price of $44.95, but phooey on them, we say.

No, that's not a contradiction. These are real arrowheads, made like the originals, but as replicas. You get a clear-plastic case with (4) of them, (2) made from jasper and (2) from obsidian. Sizes range from 1-3/8" long to approx 2". Has a short fact sheet, but no arrows.

Yes, of course from i-Zoom. This one has a super-bright white LED with settings at high (1600 lumens), medium (435 Lumens) and low (118 lumens), plus strobe and a rescue mode that flashes SOS in Morse code (…_ _ _ …). Strobe and SOS are both at 1600 lumens and have a max throw of approx 1500 feet. In black anodized aluminum with knurled handle, measures 10-1/4” long x 1” dia at the handle. Includes (9) “AAA” batteries with a 10-hour lifespan.

Two fantastic kits from ScienceWiz™, both by Berkeley science-education whiz Penny Norman, Ph.D. The Light kit has (25) projects, including a kaleidoscope, microscope and more. The Chemistry kit has (35) projects, and you get vials of sand and baking soda, pipets, test tubes, and a lot more.  You add some household items and a "D" battery, except the Chemistry kit. Both are attractively boxed, with lavishly illustrated 30-48pp instruction books and perfect for STEM projects. Ages 5 to 10. (Light kit, ages 6 to 12.)

Accept no amateur rulers. But seriously, this 24-inch professional steel ruler from Helix® is cork-backed, and marked in 1/32” increments for the first two inches, 1/64” for the third, and 1/16” for the rest. Also shows 60cm x 0.5mm for the first 10cm, and 1mm for the remainder. Markings are etched, so they won’t rub off with use.

Then better check your bore. This tiny bore light, made for looking into barrels or other tight spots, measures 3-1/4" long x approx 5/8” dia with a single white LED. Includes a slide on right-angle fiber-optic head and a pocket clip. Take off the head and it’s a nice mini flashlight. You add (1) “AAA” battery.

Lovely to look at, delightful to make jewelry out of. Our (25) piece set of polished gemstones includes: amethyst; howlite; tiger eye; hematite; amazonite; carnelian; sodalite; turqurenite; plain and rose quartz; rhodonite; unakite; snowflake obsidian; orange calcite; lemon jade; four varieties of jasper (serpentine; red, brecciated, picture and blue dalmation); and more. All approx 5/8" across.

Just string this 65” long set of (10) battery-powered LED light bulbs along the railing and it’ll be like you’re dining in Italy. Bulbs are clear, 2-1/4” dia with a soft 3-lumen warm-white LED inside. Will run 8-12 hours on the (2) included “AA” batteries. Truly romantic folks will get several sets to ring the deck or patio because those little lights make the tagliatelle alla Romana taste so much better.

If you're devoted to explosions, and who isn't, you'll love the new expanded 2nd edition of William Gurstelle's Backyard Ballistics, now 25% longer, with 25% more ka-boomery. Still the go-to reference work for building rockets, cannons (carbide and potato), flingers, fire kites, electromagnetic pipe guns, tennis ball mortars, cleaner-bag balloons, ballistic pendula and petards. You simply can't have more fun with common household materials. The soft-cover, 210pp compendium includes detailed and illustrated instructions, parts lists and sensible ways not to be hoist on your own petard. Be careful out there.

Dinghy diary? Save your smart phone and take notes at sea with this 50-page, spiral-top, waterproof notebook with pages coated for wet record-keeping. Perfect for hurricane hunters! Measures 3” x 5” and comes with a pencil (pencils are pretty much all waterproof, bless their little graphite hearts), and has a 5” (12cm) ruler on the cover for measuring record smelt catches. (Joke. Official smelt records are no longer kept.)

Compress your own air, then let this emergency air horn rip. Why pay for cans of compressed (it’s air, for Pete’s sake) that will probably be empty when you need them anyway. This 5-1/4” tall x 2-3/16” dia pump mates with a red 6-1/2” long x 3” dia horn. Just push the plunger and it screams at 140dB, which means it’s a real emergency-only horn, not for use at those big games where you could make someone deaf, and definitely get tossed out.

These non-fog not-really-welding goggles are just what you need to cap off your costume. Sure, the flip-up dark lenses are too dark to see through easily (that's why they have conventional clear plastic lenses underneath them), but leaving them flipped up just adds to your zany, adventurous, steampunk persona. Aesthetics include side vents and an adjustable elastic head strap. And the goggles accept standard 50mm replacement lenses, but if you think the party is going to be that rough, we suggest that it would be cheaper and easier to just buy a couple of pairs at this price-from-the-past.

The Survival Bottle itself is an acrylic, 27-ounce water bottle with a screwcap and keeper. Inside is a compressed towel that magically expands to 23" x 11-1/2", a 52" x 82" Mylar blanket, a 3" x 1" magnesium fire-starting block with a 3" saw blade, a 5-function pen-knife/tool, and a whistle/thermometer/compass/mirror/magnifier/LED flashlight combo (phew!) powered by a couple of included coin cell batteries.

Well, if you had a crystal ball, you'd be able to see that there's a crystal ball in your future, and you'd know not to pass up this very, very nice glass gazing ball. It's 4-1/4" dia (and heavy) and comes with a footed dark-wood stand that spins smoothly. The stand is just over 3" dia. Together, the ball and stand are 6-1/4" tall. Comes in a presentation and storage box. The perfect accessory for your next fortune-telling gig.

No gas or electricity needed for this pocket-sized manual chain saw, the camper's pal. It's 30" long overall, with (82) spring-steel teeth on the 18-1/2" middle section, and canvas loop handles on each end. Imagine a cross between a sharpened bike chain and a garotte. It's easy to use (we tested it), works a whole lot faster than a hatchet, rolls up into no space at all, and stores in the heavy-duty canvas belt pouch that comes with it.

A fine concept and pretty successful execution. Weighted bases hold fully adjustable clips and lenses for delicate hands–free work. The Helping Hand w/solder has a 2” high base connected to (2) alligator clips via (3) universal joints and a 4–1/2" sliding beam, and to a 2–1/2" dia roughly 3X magnifier via another universal joint on the sliding beam. It also adds a holder for your soldering iron, plus a hole and thumbscrew in the base to firmly position it. The larger Work Stand has a 3–1/2” x 4–3/4” stand with a 2–3/4” square x 3/8” deep reservoir to hold small parts, an L–shaped sliding beam with (2) alligator clips, and another L-shaped beam with a 3–1/2” lens, about 4X magnification. Joints adjust every which way. The set screws can all be hand–tightened, but we suggest a small pliers to secure the hefty 4X lens. Think of the clips as extra hands to hold wires, components, beads, what-have-you while you perform some operation on them with your own two hands.

Turn the knob on this battery-powered lantern and watch the trio of 12-element COB LEDs go from nothing to 600 lumens. Measures 8-7/8" tall x 4-1/2" dia with a clear 4-1/8” tall window around the light, which has a folding handle and a bonus compass on top. You add (3) “D” cell batteries and you’re good for approx (6) hours, or more if you dim the light. We’ll pick one in red, blue or green because it doesn’t matter.

Nope--we thought it was a theodolite-- a surveying instrument for measuring angles in horizontal and vertical planes, but it seems we missed the mark. With the help of a knowledgeable Surpie, we’re reasonably sure this olive drab apparatus is an artillery sight for a Chinese howitzer. (See, even we don’t know everything.) Measures approx 7-1/2" x 5" x 4" with a plethora of moving parts: optical head that pivots up and down; focal knob calibrated from 0 to -90 and +10 to + 80; horizontal and vertical adjustments with a locking lever; and a 1-5/8" dia ball with a 1/2" hole in the bottom for a mount. Weighs in at over 5 lbs. The paint is chipping, but you would too at this age.

You supply the pot, we'll supply a dozen Venus Fly Trap seeds and a little sack of soil in a 4-3/8" x 2" dia plastic growing tube, plus an instruction sheet on the care and feeding of everyone's favorite meat-eating foliage. Gestation is about (14) weeks, so order early if you're planning a birthday surprise for someone.

We're liking this little plated N45 neodymium magnet because it will stand on end and stick out very prettily on the ice box. Measures 1" tall x 1/4" square with a hefty, for its size, 3-1/2 lb pull, 13,800 gauss. (Will also lie down on its side, of course, because everybody does.)