Spotted this at the grocery store on the clearance table:
It’s not quite as good a title as Transmorphers, but seriously: look at that logo! It’s a dead ringer for Transformers: Armada, down to the extra capital letter…though in this case the placement makes absolutely no sense!
I’m still trying to figure out what to make of the slogan, “Super Transform Ultimate End General Mobilization.”
Serious stuff (news, usability, history, etc.):
And not so serious:
Catching up here on some stuff I saw in stores last December during (and after) Christmas shopping.
The “perfectly cromulent gifts” is my favorite of the bunch. The Simpsons display was found at a Borders bookstore, probably the one at The Block at Orange.
I love the fact that the “Bah Humbug” hat is actually labeled as a “Santa Hat.” I think someone’s got their wires crossed. Found in the clearance aisle at the grocery store.
These bars of tomato soap (not a typo!) were at the World Market at The Village (the one that used to be Orange Mall, not the apartments across from the Spectrum — though I think they use the same font for their logos, which is kind of strange. Better than the apartments that use nearly the same font as the logo for The Prisoner, though!)
I think the reason I get such a kick out of this toy is that laptop computers didn’t exist when I was in preschool (or if they did, they certainly weren’t affordable to anyone who didn’t absolutely need one for business). A laptop meant the top of someone’s lap. And now, in the grand tradition of transforming the everyday objects of the adult world into toys for infants (cars, telephones, bubble pipes), we now have something that vaguely looks like a folding keyboard and screen.
We found this in the gift shop when we went to the Pirates dinner show back in May. IIRC, it’s a toy/prop musket.
But who comes up with these names? I mean, “Party Weapon?” By actually calling it a weapon, you’re suggesting it’s something I don’t want at a kid’s party. Well, unless I’m raising Klingons or something.
Random Addendum
Completely unrelated: while typing this, the “w” key on my keyboard got stuck. Or rather, my computer was somehow convinced that it was stuck, because it kept filling in Ws even after I unplugged the keyboard. After unplugging it and plugging it back in a couple of times, I moved my hand away from the connector and knocked over the top 3 or 4 jewel cases in a stack of CDs on my desk. They landed on the keyboard. After I put them back, the problem was fixed. 
