Add the glitter of bright, brass-tone aluminum buttons, 9/16" dia, to tops, jeans, purses, backpacks. The buttons are new and convex, with a stationary 1/8" sewing loop on the back, and an embossed star and small hammer and sickle design on the front. All right, so they were from the Soviet military (circa late 1970s). The design is very discreet. And we weren't the ones who had to tear down a wall, so you can consider these the spoils of a cold war. (Lots and lots of spoils. Left-leaning artists who want to cover a giant canvas or Soviet statue with them should call for a volume discount.)

Metal detectors by Bounty Hunter® to fit your needs!  The kid-sized Bounty Hunter Junior is 31-1/2” long overall, but loaded with professional features. It includes a 6-1/2” dia detector coil, ballistic meter, controls for power/sensitivity and target elimination (which helps eliminate iron, for example). Also has an audible proximity sensor that works in tandem with the meter. The manufacturer says it will find coin-sized objects up to 5” deep and larger ones up to 2 feet deep. Or move up to the 2.8 lb Bounty Hunter Tracker IV, with a padded arm support and cushioned hand grip, and an overall length that can be adjusted from 45” to 52”. Its fully automatic Ground-Trac® constantly adjusts to scan through dirt, rock, wood and mud, and the 8” dia open-face search coil is completely submersible. It has three-mode discrimination (all metal, tone and full); a sensitivity control that filters interference; a large ballistic meter; and an internal speaker that works with or without headphones (not included). It will find small objects up to 8” deep and larger ones up to 3 feet deep. Each comes with a well-written instruction manual, and requires a pair of 9V batteries (not included).

Call it the Heart of a Doll, because that’s what it was, once upon a toy store. Today it’s a red, heart-shaped plastic thingy, 2-1/2" wide x 7/8" thick, with a smaller heart-shaped button on top. And yeah, it’s a little creepy. Hold the button and it emits a soothing electronic heartbeat at a tad under 60bpm. Runs on (2) button cell batteries, included.

When is a toy not a toy? When you can have fun with a kid, and build a digital voice recorder at the same time. If the young Tom Edison had had one of these kits, your grandparents' lives would have been a lot easier. Elenco's Pro Model SC-750 is a Dr. Toy winner, from their Snap-Circuits" series. Has over (80) parts to snap (no soldering) into a grid and learn electronics while building an AM or FM radio, digital voice recorder, burglar alarm, doorbell, and electronic games, among over 750 experiments, including solar, electromagnetism, and computer-interfaced applications. For ages 8 up to adult, it includes a well-written, graphically illustrated instruction manual. AWARDS: The National Parenting Center-Seal of Approval, Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products, Dr Toy Best Educational Products.

Nothing says camping tragedy like having no place to hang your water bottle when you're stalking elusive critters. This 2-5/8" assorted colors aluminum carabiner has a canvas strap with a rubber gasket on it to grab onto the top of your standard water bottle with a 7/8" cap. This makes it great for biking and hiking, too. Also has a slip ring for sundry other stuff.

Just like on TV! These are what all your fashion-forward crime scene investigators are wearing this year: black latex exam gloves from Phantom™. Powder-free, non-sterile, with a textured surface to improve your grip. Our each is a box of (100) Medium or (90) Extra-Large gloves.

Snap Circuits® (by Elenco®) does it again, this time with light, although the (182) projects also feature the interplay of light with sound. Projects include color organs, strobes, IR detection, LEDs, color spectrums, motor control, photo resistor and transistors. You can even plug your audio player into some projects. CJ, our Senior Light & Sound Boffin, called it "an enchanting rainbow of scientific theory wed to practice, with fun in the bargain," but he talks like that sometimes. For ages 8 and way up, it has over (55) parts and yes, they will play well with other Snap Circuit® components.

Check out our incredible full line of snap circuits here. 

The world is your kaleidoscope with a teleidoscope, which is to say that instead of a bunch of little pieces of glass and beads in a rotating case, there's a lens at the other end, in this case a big, clear glass marble making lovely patterns based on whatever you point it at. (Try it on a printed page.) Measures 1" dia x 8-1/4" long. The cardboard tube is covered with diffraction paper for a cool look. Assorted colors

Organize those loose magazines and brochures. Elegantly designed (slightly assorted styles) with a glossy finish, these cardboard file/holders are sure to please. 11-3/4” high x 3-1/2” wide x approx. 9-1/8” deep, open at the top and 3/4” of the front (or back, depending on how you file them.) They come flat, have easy pop-up assembly and we will pick two for you. 

The kind that you hammer into the ground for to hold up your tent. Make that shelter-half, because these are from Uncle. Measure 12" long x 1-3/4" wide in a V-shape, in olive drab steel with a 1/4” bore for your rope, and shoulders to wrap the rope around. Marked 97403-132227 E0136 MFR 92398, which is a lotta numbers for a tent stake, but that’s the gummint for you.

If Madame Curie had owned this, she'd be alive today. (She'd be more than 140 years old, of course, but still….) Our Radex RD1503 digital radiation meter evaluates the ambient level of gamma radiation, and can detect objects polluted by beta active radioactive nuclides. It uses a Geiger counter to detect the amount of gamma radiation within 40 seconds. It indicates the ambient dose equivalent in µSv/hr (0.05 to 9.99) and the µRem/hr exposure dose rate on a scale of 0.1 to1.25. The values are displayed on a 1-3/4" x 1-1/8" LCD screen. The presence of each particle is indicated by a clicking sound, for quick identification of affected areas, and it has an audio alarm with 3 adjustable ranges. The unit measures 4" x 2-1/4" x 1" and comes with a detailed manual and technical certificate. Requires (2) "AAA" batteries. Made in Russia. CE.

Our sunglasses all have dark-tinted polycarbonate lenses rated for 95 percent UV-B and 60 percent UV-A protection. You pick the black top-only frames with black or white arms (temple), or the solid black frames with assorted neon color arms (temple) that we’ll choose for you, to save you having to think about it.

There's nothing quite like the thrill of assembling your very own clear plastic heart model and pumping red fluid through it for the first time. This classic kit includes tubing, instructions, rubber squeeze bulb, plastic frame, and of course, both atrial and ventricle chambers. You supply the glue and snips. Also comes with a small bag of red dye for coloring your own water, though we'd opt for blue food coloring or highlighter fluid and a blacklight for Halloween displays. The anatomical model stands 11” tall when finished, and is recommended for budding cardiologists ages 10 and older.

And easy to store. One of the better pick-up tools we've seen. Folds to just over 16" to store, but locks open at 30" with spring steel arms on an aluminum frame. It has soft, suction-cup-shaped grabbers and big, locking pistol grip. Pretty good gripping capacity too-maybe to 10 lbs or so. Get one for Mom, because at her age she can't reach the things she used to. And then get another one for yourself, because you'll be Mom's age before you know it.

What's yellow, 7-1/2" long and lowers your blood pressure? The Stress Banana. Filled with some sort of gooshy fluid that we can only imagine, it's squeezably soft and returns to its original banananess right in your hand, which CJ says is "strangely cathartic," and who among us can't use a little catharsis from time to time?

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!

For use with tamper-proof security fasteners, because you’re authorized. Set has (32) 1/4” sand-blasted steel bits inside a soft rubber case that’s just 2-1/2” x 1-3/4” x 1-1/4” with a top the slides over all the bits and driver, and keeps them snug and together. Inside are hex, hex metric, slotted, tri-wing and Torq bits in various sizes.

Return with us now to those golden days of yesteryear, when models were made of wood. You pick the successful Spirit of St. Louis airplane, 5-1/2” long with a 7-3/4” wingspan, or the less-successful model Titanic, 7-1/4” long. You’ll need to supply your own glue, sandpaper, paint and tiny iceberg or Charles Lindbergh.