Twelve-year old Tommy is a whiz with kits and models—but who knows which one he wants? Tommy’s teacher creates great art and craft projects—but who knows what off-the-wall materials will inspire her? And Grandpa Sam! Who knows what motors or bearings or resistors or piezo speakers he wants? Or what in tarnation he wants them for? Doesn’t matter! Give them all gift certificates! Just select whatever combination adds up to the amount of the gift you want to give, for mail orders include the name of the recipient (write extra legibly, please). We’ll send you or him or her one of these handy gifts, complete with our signature sketch of Jarvis. (No charges for shipping and handling on a gift certificate, but those will be charged on the order against which the certificate is redeemed.) To redeem your gift certificate online, please email us your order number and the gift certificate number, and we will apply it to your order. Thanks!

PLEASE NOTE: Orders containing just gift certificates and no other items will ship out via First Class mail. Contact us for other shipping options on gift certificates. Thanks! 

Spin this spindle and watch it turn in perpetuity!!  Well, for a long time anyway.  Inside the 5-1/2" long colored plastic spindle are magnets which are repelled by magnets in the 5" x 3" black plastic base.  The variously colored spindle floats in the air above the base thus virtually free of normal friction. Nifty desk toy named "Revolution".

Please note #91664 with flashing red lights was incorrectly advertised, that item is not available. 

This pocket-sized mini-flashlight has (9) 405nm ultraviolet LEDs and myriad uses, from checking U.S. currency to working the door at your ultra-hip downtown clubs, spotting radiator and transmission fluid leaks, mineral identification, and (yes, it's true) locating lost scorpions in the dark. Measures approx 3-3/4" long x 1-1/8" dia with knurled sections so you won't lose your grip, and a wrist strap in case you do. You supply (3) "AAA" batteries and the scorpions.

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!!! Mystery boxes of stuff like what you see in the catalog. Maybe we had a little left but not enough to continue the listing. Maybe we only got a few as part of an odd lot. Maybe we lost some, and just found them in the warehouse. You will get items which originally listed for at least $25.00 total in our catalog (or would have, if we had enough). You pick. The “electro-mechanical” box has things like motors, switches, hardware and components that are useful parts but want to be worked into something bigger. The “consumer” box has more ready-to-go type items, and things that don’t have as technical a flavor, like bottles, toys, books, and giant rubber bands. The fun is in the mystery and surprise. Perfect if you don’t know what to give Aunt Maude and Uncle Ned, or if you can’t decide how to bring your order up to the minimum. Every couple of months the contents will keep changing, so even if you have gotten a box before, feel free to order again! (Please note: Ordering multiple boxes at the same time will result in duplicate items.)

These silicone hot pads double as trivets or oven mitts. Measure 7-1/8" dia x 3/16" thick with 1/4" honeycomb indentations to further dissipate heat, plus a 3/8” hole near the edge so you can hang them up. We’ll pick one in red, blue, green or orange, and you can redecorate your kitchen to match. They also double as the world’s safest frizbees.

Direct from our faithful hospital supply suppliers--handy dandy (and brand new) tubs for storing, sorting, scrubbing, or schlepping toys, mittens, craft supplies, chicken feed, whatever. In yellow/gold pretty-much-indestructible #5 plastic, each is approx 13" x 10" x 5" deep. (Some might be a tad smaller). They have lips and rounded ends, nest when not in use, and are graduated inside from 2 to 6 quarts.

Bring back the '70s for nine bucks. Screw this red-green-blue LED prismatic, rotating bulb into any standard medium-base light socket and your room turns into disco heaven. Bulb will stand about 5" above or below the socket. Draws approx 6W. CJ recommends any Donna Summer album for use with it. Please note that the remote depicted on the packaging is not included.

Works on all of them except the ones stuck to your eyeballs. Corrosion-Be-Gone is a gel made to remove the schmutz from all types of battery terminals, circuit boards and contacts, on everything from cars to computer boards. Our each is a 0.3 oz jar.

A real desktop mesmerizer. This 7"x 5" moving sand sculpture creates endless sand-dune vistas, and can be so easily flipped to start over that you need never go back to actually working. The sand is so fine it's nearly liquid, and comes in varying shades, plus a little glitter. Black base and frame. We'll pick sand in shades of orange, purple, green or red for you.

You’ll need a little trouble light, and this is the littlest one we’ve ever offered. From iZoom®, it’s a compact 8-1/4” long with a 15-element, intense COB LED in a 3-3/4” x 2” reflector with cage, and a 4” long folding hanger. Has a disc magnet with a 5-lb pull on the bottom. Comes with a trio of “AA” batteries and is available in red, black, yellow and orange to complement its classic design. We’ll pick the color because you have enough to worry about.

This isn't a book, but it's definitely book-ish. Looks like a leather-bound volume from the Bodleian but it's just a little wooden box, approx 8-1/2" x 5" x 2" (7" x 3-7/8" x 1-5/8" inside) that's perfect for stashing the jewels, cash, or whatever you need to stash in plain sight on the shelves.

We know you need accent lights, and we know you hate paying electricians. So…grab this 7-3/8” long x 1-1/8” x 1/2” silver iZoom® light bar, peel the back off the magnetic strip it comes with and stick it up anywhere. Has (10) LEDs and is rated for 200 lumens behind a frosted white lens. Has a motion and light sensor, so it only accents stuff in low light when it senses movement, which saves on the (4) “AAA” batteries it comes with. Lights for a 3-minute duty cycle.

Who doesn’t? Try this set of (5) low-profile white, red, green and blue LED accent light pucks. Measure approx 2-3/4” dia x 1” deep, they’re powered by (3) “AAA” batteries each, included and you’re welcome. Turn them on manually to switch between colors, or use the wireless remote. Also has bright or dim white settings, 4- and 8-hour cycles, and (12) color permutations for your color morphing pleasure. Remote includes a replaceable coin-cell battery and has a 15-foot range. Lights come with foam tape for mounting.

Mats-R-Us, and we’ll prove it with this 3-piece set of flexible cooking mats, including a 15" x 12" white plastic, flexible chopping mat; a 13" x 15-1/2" black plastic (PTFE) grill mat to keep smaller items from falling onto the coals; and our fave, a 14-1/2" square crispy cooker that prevents frozen pizza soggification, among other things.

Dogs just wanna have fun. You can help by getting yours this 3” dia thick flashing rubber ball toy. (It’s a great present for Rin Tin Tin’s birthday, September 10, which most dogs celebrate.) In black rubber with 1-3/4” dia insets of translucent red, yellow, green and blue rubber spikes (good for their teeth) with flashing LEDs behind them, activated by bouncing. Excellent for nighttime fetching.

These big, 4" long steel safety pins are practically jewelry in their own right. You get a 5-pack in assorted colors--gold, black, metallic pink, blue, green or others. Perfect for closing buttonless sweaters and tops or securing scarves in fascinating configurations.

This 4" wide plastic bulldog clip has serrated jaws to hang on tight, and a light fridge-strength magnet on the back. We’ll pick five (5) from our selection of gray, light blue or bluish-greenish-blue clips adorned with assorted misprints. You can ignore the words. You can also ignore the magnet and just use them to reseal your nacho chips, which makes them chip clips.

This microfiber duster starts out 11” long and the telescoping 4-draw handle extends to over 2 feet, if you count the headful of 1” long wiggly dust-busting fingers on top. Can you say recessed lighting? Ceiling fan? We’ll select one for you in a flattering purple, lime green, pink or light blue. Would also make a can’t-miss baton for a high-school band director.