BEST SELLERS

AKA hand boiler. An exotic bit of hand blown glass with a bulb at top and bottom connected by some zippy tubing that spirals, loops, and/or jogs. In the closed system is some colored liquid (methylene chloride) that is very light. Hold the lower bulb in your hand and as the liquid is warmed it pushes through the loops to the upper chamber. When all the liquid is pushed out of the lower bulb, expanding air will bubble through the tubing making it appear that the liquid is boiling. WARNING! The glass is fragile and the liquid is nasty. If you drop the thing on the kitchen tile, it will eat the finish off the tile and the stain in the liquid will permanently stain the floor, so don't let kids handle this item unsupervised. About 7" tall, it is a favorite in our stores.

It could have been called an Alabama Buzzer after Alabama Vest, the man who invented it. Or a Clegghorn, after Thaddeus Von Clegg, the clock master who fabricated the first one. But the hand-crafted 4-3/4" long steel instrument was a simple amusement, and the 1840s were a simple time. So it's simply a kazoo.

No, it doesn't; it runs out. See for yourself with this hourglass full of iron filings. The steel base has a magnet, so time flies when the glass is on it, and the filings make pretty stalagmites. Stick a magnet on the neck, however, and you can stop time altogether. Glass is 5-1/2" tall on the base and filings run out in about 40 seconds (three trips make a two-minute egg) with the magnet, somewhat longer without it.

No maybes. Our each is a set of matching “YES” and “NO” buttons, a little over 3" in dia, like on quiz shows. When smacked, they recite one of (10) variations on the theme, as in “No, no, no, no” or “Yes, baby.” or “For the last time, NO.” Perfect for arbitrary decision-making at work and excellent for responding to requests from teens. You add a couple of “AAA” batteries and the buttons do the rest.

6-3/4" X 1-1/8" clear acrylic tube has aluminum tape at the ends and an oscillator with red, green and blue LEDs inside. You hold the ends and they become a switch with you closing the circuit and starting a little light show and the classic eerie Halloween noise we are all freaked out by. A great demonstration of conductivity. Powered by non-replaceable coin cell batteries in parallel, but they should last until long after you've lost the device. Great for classrooms and kids' parties!

Rattlebacks are plastic semi-elliptical shapes, 3-7/8" long, that illustrate Newton's laws of motion, while mystifying kids. Set them down (the rattlebacks, not the kids) and their offset center of gravity makes them spin. Spin them in one direction and they stop and reverse themselves. You get a package of (10) in blue, along with a lesson plan and suggested activities.

We not only know our pronoun cases, but we sell some of the fiercest little dragons this side of Drogo's funeral pyre. We'll pick one from our lovely assortment of molded snarling fire-breathers, all with either a wingspan of approx 6" or no wings but two heads. With highly detailed scales and teeth, these beasts come in green, orange, purple-ish, blue and gray, all in different poses of terror.

The Gidget Widget stress and anxiety relief gadget picks up where fidget spinners left off. It’s a handsome gray plastic cube, about an inch per side, with calming green buttons and dials for your fidgeting pleasure. This is the Series 2 model with all new fidget functions, including dial, scroll, slide, click, flip and jump. Sounds like a junior high on a Friday afternoon, but it’s all at your fingertips anytime you need or want it. Ages 6+.

Lots of people had piano keyboard neckties in the '80s, but no one could play them--not even the piano players! That's because they weren't actual musical instruments. Can you imagine a time like that? Thankfully, those days are long gone. Our piano tie is a working keyboard with (8) different electronic notes that you can play through the tiny speaker hidden in the knot. Polyester and 16-1/2" long, the tie has a quick-release for easy attachment and removal. Also has an on-off switch, for when you decide you're done playing for the night. Runs on button cell batteries (included). Lessons not included, but trust us, you don't need lessons for this thing to kill at parties. Great addition to dad's neck tie collection.

Here's a little music box to crank. These are really cute, with a very nice sound, and they're in clear acrylic cases so you, or impressionable youngsters, can watch them work. They measure 2-1/4"x 2" x 1-1/4" with a 7/8" crank. We'll pick one that plays When You Wish upon a Star, Row, Row, Row your Boat, Brahms' Lullaby, or Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. We won't pick the one that plays the score from Die Walküre because the wheel is just enormous.

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.

Bigger than a baseball across the top, this is one ginormous jewel. You pick a clear or translucent-sky-blue, 24% lead crystal, cut-glass gem. It’s 3-1/8” dia at the top, tapering to point 2-1/8” deep. Could be mounted in a stunning, but really, really, really big engagement ring.

It's slimier. This 8” tall lamp looks like a mini lamp but this one has slime inside. Colors vary, but all slime is sublime, right? This slime-light has a ball up top that flashes when the lamp is lit, and the clear portion comes off if you want to take the slime out, and who doesn't?

Please Note: Jarvis says, while our samples are ok the light inside may not work, but the slime sure does! You want the slime anyway. 

A plastic pistol shaped toy that shoots slugs of raw potato. Push the barrel into a potato, break off the slug, aim and shoot up to fifteen feet. Loads of fun, environmentally harmless, and about as safe as any "projectile" toy can be!! Pulls apart for cleaning. For kids ages 5 and up.

A culinary version of poker dice for a new generation. These dice games come in replicas of standard spice bottles. The Coffee Break game, for 2-4 players comes with (5) dice with coffee symbols and (40) little coffee beans to keep score of who can shout out a coffee order first; the Sugar Cubes game, for 2-6 players, has (8) dice and an hourglass timer, the object being to make the longest sentence in 20 seconds or less. More fun than this sounds like, actually. We’ll pick one because we know best.

Bigfoot fans will be beside themselves with this triple Yeti collection of big hairy fun. You pick: the 5-1/4” tall big fella himself in authentic chocolate brown flexible rubber with, yes, big feet (approx 1-1/2” x 1”) and an equally big, embarrassed-looking grin (for ages 3+); or the Grow-Your-Own Bigfoot that sprouts from a tree stump when submerged in a container of water, and keeps growing as you increase the container size (for ages 5+); or the 2.4-oz tin of gooey Bigfoot scat, because no home is complete without a tin of abominable poop. For ages 3+ and marked “Do not ingest,” which is good advice for this or the real thing. Mfr says it's “play putty,” and we won't argue with that.

Our each is a dozen gorgeous, glimmering glass gems, in a round cut in (12) different colors, including pink, green, blue, red, golden, white, and various shades of each. Think diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, amethyst, topaz, whatever. In a dark blue book-like presentation box, the Queen collection features (12) gems at 40mm across (approx 1-1/2” or tad bigger than a silver dollar) by 27mm (approx 1”) deep.

There's nothing better for long, lonely days than watching critters in the back yard, and this National Wildlife Federation® paperback, Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife, shows you how to expand your local menagerie beyond squirrels and sparrows. Includes (17) wildlife-friendly projects for the entire family in (168) pages with more (200) color photographs. Contains instructions on getting your yard or garden certified as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat, too. Be the first on your block to be able to say that at a cocktail party.