Rolling Stone magazine named BuckyBalls “Toy of the Year” for 2009 and now it’s your turn to have some addicting magnetic fun.

They’re kinda like legos with all the shapes you can make, but they are complete spheres, and they stick to each other, or your refrigerator, super easy. Made from rare earth magnets they are super powerful and super addictive some people even forget their cigarette addiction. Whaa!?!

Buy your set of 216 Bucky Balls from ThinkGeek today. Watch the video to learn more about how awesome these little shiny balls really are.

More hands on video action of Bucky Balls available at PerpetualKid. Only$29.95!

Shop for more Science themed Geek Toys ->

Let’s take a look in the “oh oh oh! gimme gimme, I neeeeed it, I’m sure” category. Here we are: A $30,000 humongous three dimensional spherical labyrinth aptly titled “The Superplexus”. Check it out.

It’s large, 36 inches in diameter, and holds a hand made wooden track longer than a football field if laid out flat. The object, like other labyrinths, is to roll the marble from one end of the track to the other without falling off the track. I particularly admire the “complex network of chicanes, multi-planar hairpin turns, spirals, and staircases–even a vortex.” Wow a vortex! I’m stoked already!

More importantly I saw a tie-in with autistic/spectrum kids when I read ” … [this] challenges the limits of your manual dexterity and spatial understanding …” from Hammacher. This relates to how Google has found that “people with autism tend to be visually and spatially gifted” from their SketchUp 3D software.

How’s that for awesome? I say let’s all buy one right now!
Plus Free Shipping on orders over $99 at Hammacher Schlemmer with Code: FEBSHIPS – Limited Time Offer What are you waiting for?

Woah! Check out the awesome Valentine’s day gifts over at ThinkGeek.

Mable’s favs on the Geeky list:
- Miracle Berry Fruit Tablets: Everything tastes sweet now! (WTF Miracle Fruit?)
- The Vampire Seduction Handbook: hold still for a minute will ya.
- Beating Heart Stress Relief Pillow: for those rare nights alone.

This is only a small sample of the rad gifts available at ThinkGeek right now. Choose from other nerdy gifts like plants that grow to say I love you, electronic assisted t-shirts of love, lots of caffeinated themed goodies, and plenty of novelty breath mints for those old school gamers and cupcake lovers. Visit V-Day Gift Guide now.

Say hello to the sneakiest and perhaps most useful “toy” a parent could want for her child:

What could it possibly do that’s so exciting to me? It teaches kids to use the Force! Well, kinda. What it actually does is shows kids how to access their alpha brainwave state. That’s what we experience when we get “in the zone” doing something interesting, or when we enter a very peaceful meditative state. We slow down from our usual (beta) brainwave speed and experience clarity and inner calm. The Force Trainer basically teaches kids to meditate! Studies abound on how meditation – or just slowing down and “being present” – can drastically improve our health, happiness, and lives. And calmer kids equal calmer parents

Star Wars certainly doesn’t explain the product this way, but look at the kid’s face in the commercial. That’s one chill padawan.

In case you’re wondering more about the technical details, here’s how it works:

“The wireless headset reads your brainwaves through dry sensor technology and can determine the differences between alpha, beta, gamma and delta waves. This allows a chip inside the Force Trainer to use an algorithm to interpret the data and translate it to physical action, which in this case moves the Training Sphere into different sections of the cylinder.”

$89 (was $119.99)

It’s been a long day on teh Interwebz. I’ve been glued to my laptop most of the day doing nerdy behind-the-scenes work for Mable’s and our Halloween website. Kinda fun, but rather tedious work.

But you know what makes it all better? Perpetual Kid is having a Spring Cleaning Warehouse Sale. A bunch of their items are marked down 20% – 70% off. Now would be a good time to stock up on Dead body Towels for company and replace that busted travel hula hoop of yours. Sheesh, why am I still writing this, I could be securing a lifetime supply of Cocktail Monkey necklaces right now.

Even better is their newest item: novelty ice cubes in the shape of… wait for it… dentures. (If this is your first visit and you weren’t sure what to expect from a “Unique Gifts Blog”, you now know just what you’re in for.) It’s official: these chompy cool treats are going to be the official ice cube at Mable’s HQ this summer.

Many of us think of everyday items like a car, clothes, electrical devices, etc. when we think of a green gift. Mable’s wants to expand your thinking to notice the things that are eco-friendly without the added manufacturing and marketing.

This blog post we are featuring Back to Basics Toys because, they carry a vast amount of wooden toys and games that aren’t just fun, but also educational and award winning. But, how is a wood toy more green?

Reasons why Wood is Good: Longevity of items (say no to planned obsolescence) , Perfect for your child’s development, Non toxic material, and many are American made, which avoids the need for shipping overseas.

Mable’s wants to remind you that everyday is Earth day and every decision we make has an effect, so let’s do the best we can everyday.

We planned on doing another gift guide this year: something similar to last year’s Green gift Guide. However, the new site design just ended up taking forever to finish and now we don’t have the energy to start another big project. What we’re going to do instead is blog like crazy about our personal favorite gift ideas.

Have you pledged to Buy Handmade this year? Buying Handmade makes for better gift-giving, it’s better for people, and better for the environment. (The BH crew elaborate on these points nicely.) As the purveyor of all things handmade, here come our top picks from a few choice Etsy categories.

Clockwise from top left: Custom Laptop Bag: any size, and print from BlueTwirls, Artist Tote from SuperbKitsch, Echino Wolf Full Size Messenger Bag
You have a LAPTOP; Yay! Now you need something to keep it safe, portable, and stylish. It’s hard to pick a favorite from this bunch, but I sure appreciate all the pockets inside the Artist Tote. And with a name like that, I’m already feeling tempted to carry around some colored pencils. Be sure to look at close-up product shots because these are all made with amazing attention to detail.


Clockwise from left: Four Eyes No. 1 from Lisa Brodar, Fergie plush toy, Chandrea Collection no.46 art doll by Chad Frick. Now these STUFFED CREATURES have some personality. I especially like the geeky cute glasses on plush Four Eyes.


Clockwise from top left: Vintage Shadowbox Art from theArtCreations, Cupcake System print by Kelly Newcomer, 3 painted robot floppy disks by gammaraybots
There is ART for everyone on Etsy. Like lots of other items, the shadowbox and disks are made from recycled materials, making them an even better choice.

A few months ago I wrote about the clever developmental toy gift packages at eBeanstalk, and have been watching for sales or coupons ever since. They’re one of those companies that just doesn’t do discounts very often, so when they e-mailed me about a 10% off coupon that’s good for just 1 week, I jumped to tell you guys about it! They just started advertising on TV so you may have heard about them that way, but eBeanstalk has been offering educational, age appropriate toys since 2005.

Amidst the recalled toy controversy, it’s nice to know that some stores will never carry items with questionable or uncertain contents. There is a new message on their homepage that says “At eBeanstalk we are dedicated to a child’s development and learning, and we never compromise a child’s safety. Rest assured that NONE of the recalled toys from Mattel or Fisher Price have ever been sold at eBeanstalk. NOT ONE.”

COUPON: Save 10% off anything on the site. Expires October 15, 2007.

People tend to use the phrase “the gift that keeps on giving” metaphorically. However, eBeanstalk offers a more literal interpretation with their Gift Series, where your child receives a toy in the mail every 3 months matched to their stage of development. This idea is all kinds of brilliant!

• For those of us without kids of our own, it can be a little tricky to select age appropriate toys for the children in our lives. You can skip the educated guesswork with the Gift Series: all the toys are hand picked by 5 child development specialists and 500 moms from around the US.
• Same thing goes for parents or guardians who travel a lot or don’t get to visit very often. When you haven’t seen a child for a few months or when you look back on the development of your own child…they are a different child today than just a few months ago. Each toy is carefully matched with the appropriate stage of development, so you won’t end up with a gift that is too young or old for your child.
• With the continual gift metaphor in mind, you can actually purchase a set of gifts that are delivered over time. This is the gift that actually keeps on giving.
• Save time by purchasing a set of gifts all in one sitting. Never worry about forgetting a special date in the child’s development or having the gift arrive late.
• If you’re the spoiling type (yes, you) then you’ll undoubtedly appreciate how easy eBeanstalk makes it to lavish gifts upon your wee ones. One purchase results in a whole years worth of gifts!
• Best of all, of the nearly 500 quality toys available at eBeanstalk, every one is geared towards helping your child grow. Their Child Specialists identified the stages of development children grow through. They matched 7 core skills- Imagination, Education, Language, Dexterity, Locomotion, Emotion and Social- with the stages of a child’s development, and then categorized each toy accordingly. Ahhh, science: improving childhood playtime and development!

Also, individual toys are available for purchase too, if you’d rather buy a la carte.

Develop your child’s musical skills with this uniquely designed musically enhanced table.

The simple modular design of this table is what makes it so versatile. Set up this musical table for kids in a circle and 4 kids can face each other while rocking out. You also have the option of moving the pieces in a row as if the kids were on stage performing for an audience. Since the 4 separate pieces are completely mobile you can set up the band however you like.

8 wooden mallets are included with the 8 xylobells, wooden xylophone, 2 Remo drums, and a 3-tone chime and cymbal. This musical table for kids is recommended for children ages 3 and up.

$249.99 (sale price)