toys

What's that about not playing with your food? But seeing as the Noodle Waterslide's from Japanese toymaker Bandai, it does wear the label of "toy." Still, this not only brings back memories of another noodle device, the USB-powered noodle strainer, it's actually a replica of the flowing somen specialty called nagashi somen, which I so wanted to try out while visiting Japan. Too bad this summer delight is found mainly in the Hyogo prefecture.

Here, thin somen is put in water flowing along a long bamboo gutter where you catch the noodles with your chopsticks, … Read more

I may be betraying too much ignorance here, but up until today, I had no idea Toys "R" Us was such an extensive purveyor of MP3 players.

Sure, I expected to find products such as the SanDisk Sansa Shaker and the Barbie MP3 player, but Zunes and Walkmans? Not exactly what I envisioned on the shelves of the fun-time retailer.

In fact, my furrowed brow is apt to become permanently affixed to my face, what with how odd I find this next device, dubbed the Ribbit. Even odder: the manufacturer's actual product page has it designated as … Read more

Daylight-saving time really messes with the guys of The 404. Today, we realize how old we are when compacts discs are 30 years old. Obviously, teens prefer MP3s over CDs; audiophiles die a little. Another teen creates Muziic, a program that lets you build a music library from YouTube. And finally, Walgreens starts to sell sex toys.

With music, pictures and now your documents living online, it's not going to be long before your pr0n collection moves there. Justin feels pretty compelled to write guidelines on how to do this. As a matter of fact, he's become quite the expert on how to do it in your \System32\ folder on your Windows partitioned, disguised as a temporary cache.

Congratulations to Elizabeth for winning a copy of House of the Dead: Overlord for the Nintendo Wii. Right now, "The Nerdy Dirty" is leading our contest for a 404 motto, but we're waiting to see what our community comes up with the phrase "Not found." As always, call in at 1-866-404-CNET (2638). Or send us an e-mail at the404 [at] cnet [dot] com. We've got more giveaways coming up--I know, it sounds like we're bribing you, but you gotta do what you gotta do to get those listeners.

Yes, Monday was a work holiday for most people. But the Toy Fair is in town at the Javitz Center in New York, and like every other online gadget publication, we wanted to give you a little taste of what's there.

Granted, with somewhere around 1,500 manufacturers, distributors, importers, and sales agents from 30 countries making the rounds at the convention center, we're only highlighting a small fraction of all the products that are on display. But hopefully there's a little something for everyone in this lengthy photo montage (see slide show below).

Enjoy--and as always, … Read more

Our pals over at Crave UK indulged their inner children with a trip to London Toy Fair trade show last week.

Luckily, they brought cameras along so they could share all the geeky goodness, including game action figures, Watchmen merchandise, and a couple of toys that scared the "living bejeebus" out of them.

Click on the gallery below for an excerpt of their very cheeky tour of the toy extravaganza. You'll understand why we've been trying so hard to get CNET to send us on vacation (or should we say holiday?) to the U.K. office. … Read more

Some will call it cute, others will surely call it creepy. We'll reserve final judgment until we see how it feels when Sega Toys' new "Yume-Neko Venus," or "Dream Cat Venus," sheds on our couch and rubs up against our leg.

The robo-cat is equipped with touch sensors that let it engage in such real-life feline behavior as purring, moving its legs when you rub its belly, and sleeping a lot. It will not, as far as we know, scratch your face or drag mice in.

The furry faux cat (OK, maybe if you're … Read more

This is really cool, and really dumb at the same time: Mattel's new Mindflex game lets you control the height of a floating ball with your mind as you navigate it through hoops, cages, and hurdles on a circular racetrack. The goal is to move the little orb around the customizable course as quickly as you can (you control the speed of rotation with a hand-operated knob). The device keeps score for several people.

Control is by brainwave. A headset measures the level of your concentration, and the more you concentrate, the faster a little fan spins that's … Read more

Inside all of us, there lives an inner creep just itching to get out and secretly take photos of unsuspecting members of the opposite sex. The secret book camera, offered here by Keith Carollo and Chris Bick of Fred Flare, definitely confirms that theory. The camera uses inexpensive 110 film and is the perfect size to stick in your backpack or Miley Cyrus-approved clutch purse.

You know what this camera reminds me of? That one scene in Troop Beverly Hills where shevillain Velda Plendor hides a camera inside the Girl Scouts book so Herman can spy on the tragically affluent Girl Scouts of Beverly Hills. Wait, what? You're not as self-deprecating as I am? OK, well I loved TBH and now I can finally live out my cinematic fantasies. Never mind that it's seafoam green and made to look like an antique toy for children--I just so happen to have $55 burning a hole in my apron. Patches?! We don't need no stinkin' patches!

Check out more pictures of the camera after the jump.… Read more

It might not be as technically challenging as modding a PC out of a humidor, but FAO Schwarz's make-your-own-Muppet tool is still a kick for cubicle dwellers with a few minutes to kill.

With the Muppet Whatnot designer, you get to pick from three bodies, choose eyes, a nose, hair, and an outfit, and you've got yourself a custom-made Muppet faster than you can say: Gersh gurndy morn-dee burn-dee.

But for 90 bucks a pop, you'd better be sure you really like that round red nose better than the pointy yellow.

A press representative says it takes four to six weeks to receive your creation--enough time for the holidays if you start now.

But beginning November 13, the Muppets will take Manhattan--again. Customers at the Fifth Avenue store will be able to design their Muppets in-store and walk out with their new toy about 20 minutes later. Also note that, though we don't have one to look at in person (stuffed animals don't quite cut it on the CNET expense account), we suspect these are actual puppets, not full-bodied stuffed animals.

If Muppets aren't your thing, the famed toy store has another do-it-yourself toy-making service. With the Make-My-Own-Monster Custom Design Kit, you can send in your own drawing of the creatures that haunt you in the night, and a few weeks and $250 later, they'll mail you back a stuffed animal fashioned after your design. … Read more