BEST SELLERS

And the word is for you to cool it. You're going to get overheated if you don't order one of these little black plastic desk fans. Measures 5” dia, swivels on a 6”-wide base, and plugs into your laptop's (or desktop’s) USB port via a 3-foot cord. This fan is very quiet, unlike your family or your office mates around lunchtime.

Not to be confused with the bucket accordion, the least popular instrument of all time, this is a collapsible bucket, made of silicone with a hard plastic rim. Holds 1-1/3 gallons and stands 7-3/4" tall x 8-3/4" ID at the top, but collapses (accordions) down to less than 2" tall, including the folding handle. Has a little hanging tab at on the lip. Handy anywhere space is an issue, and dandy for boats. BPA-free, heat-resistant and slick as a wet otter, so stuff just slides out.

Sure, all dinosaurs were naked, but this 14-oz ceramic mug with a green exterior and white inside lets you see under their skin. Featuring pics of multiple dinos on the outside, when you pour in hot liquid, they shed their skin to show their skeletons. Probably some very simple science is involved, but it looks like magic to kids and copywriters. Measures 3-1/2" tall x 3-3/4" dia, with plenty of room for marshmallows. Dinosaurs loved marshmallows—that’s why a lot of them lived in marshes.

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.

Just toss this little pack, unopened, into a wood fire and watch all the pretty colors. (For you chem majors, it contains 25 grams of cupric sulfate, cupric chloride and PVC crystals.) And do we have to tell you not to eat or inhale it? OK, don’t eat it or inhale it. Just watch it blow your mind.

Make your own silicone bears! The 7-1/2” x 5” molds are silicone, and they make (50) tiny, chewy bears, each in the gummy standard of 3/4” tall—and you’ll get (2) molds so you can make (100) bears at a time. (Hip yourself to the Internets, of course, for chewy gummy recipes.) Silicone is non-stick, heat- and cold-resistant, and both freezer- and oven-safe up to 450F degrees, so you can make frozen and baked bears. Also dishwasher-safe. Includes a small dropper for filling the molds, and the manufacturer doesn't mention it, but we wonder if, as an homage to your grandmother, you might be able to make teeny tiny ursine Jell-O molds.

Bigger than a baseball across the top, this is one ginormous jewel. You pick a clear or deep-translucent-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.

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.

Good clean fun for trips to the beach or pool. This 4-3/4” rubber shark has a small human foot sticking out of its maw. Give him a good squeeze and the leg pops out up to the shin. Quickly repeated squeezes make it look like the shark is having lunch.

More artistic than using a router, and much, much less work than carving with chisels: wood-burning is back. Practice your skills with our 20W wood-burning pen set. Easily details and decorates wood, leather and cork. (Also butter if you're very, very quick.) Includes a safety stand, (2) pointed tips, and (2) wedge-shaped tips. For the extra-creative, our set of nibs for the pen adds another (28) points, including a hot plastic and foam cutter, (10) soldering tips, (15) varied wood-burning nibs in assorted shapes and points, and both number and alphabet stencils.

Can't make it to the nail salon? Make your fingers (and toes, too, if you can reach them) twinkle with this compact 6-piece stainless steel manicure set. Includes your basic nail clipper, angled cuticle edge clipper, plus a 3-1/4" long curved side edge cuticle scissors and, in the same size, a cuticle pusher, tweezers and a nail file. All in an imitation faux snakeskin, snap shut, padded hardcover case. Our choice of color because Jarvis knows best.

You know about messages and ships in bottles, so it’s probably time for you to branch out with these terrariums in bulbs. It was bound to happen. Our very nice, clear-glass, upside-down light bulbs measure 7" tall x 3-1/2" dia at the widest. Inside they have polished rocks and plastic succulent foliage accented by a stylish 10-LED string of grain-of-wheat-style lights twisting through it. Featured flora include agave, aloe vera, torch plant and jade. Comes with four CR2032 coin cells for power. Just press the top to turn on the lights.

You can do both with this non-functioning, fake electrical outlet that’s actually a small safe. Looks like an ordinary off-white outlet, but has a 7" x 2" x 2-1/4" cavity in back. Swap out a real outlet, or use the teensy drywall saw that’s included and make a new bogus one anywhere you like. This one even takes plugs for further verisimilitude. We suggest putting a burnt-out bulb in the lamp you plug into this outlet to fool the smarter burglars. Always work at least one step ahead.

50 Science Things to Make and Do is just that, a passel of experiments, all illustratively explained in two facing pages of this big 104-page flip book, and all easily done with common household items. Includes wind and water power, bugs, crystals, paper planes, rubber-band guitars, balances, gloop, optics and a ton of other fun, informative stuff. Officially classified as "cool" by several of our geekiest staffers.

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.

The ground is hard and wet, and you’re usually soft and dry, so next time you’re in the woods, try this nylon parachute-cloth camping hammock. Measures 100" x 57" with (5) feet of paracord at each end with carabiners. The math says look for trees less than 18-1/3 feet apart, although for comfort’s sake, give yourself a little slack. Folds into an attached pouch and is rated for up to 275 lbs. We’ll pick one in black or camo for you. 

See psychedelic patterns the safe way! Press your hand on this 6" x 6" sheet of liquid crystal and leave a print of swirling colors that, like the mood ring of yore, you can use as a sign of your mood. The pattern will blend and fade in seconds as the crystals react to temperature. Tiny liquid crystals inside the film-like material react to the heat of your hand, 25-30°C (77-86°F) by changing colors. As science, it demonstrates the way liquid crystal displays work. And you can cut each crystal sheet into pieces to incorporate into a science project. Or just leave it out for guests to play with when the party turns boring.

But that’s a very good thing in this case. These collapsible, reusable, BPA-free, food-grade silicone straws are approx 9-3/4” long, but fold up to fit into a 1-3/4” x 2-3/4” carrying pod with a carabiner. Attach it to your keys, belt, backpack or anyplace handy and you’ll never have to use a throwaway straw again. Good for over a thousand slurping sessions with hot or cold drinks, and you’ll get a collapsible cleaning brush with every straw. Our each is (4) light gray, pink, navy blue or aqua straws in matching cases, which we’ll pick because we have impeccable taste.