Piggy bank with a Tamagotchi twist

Leave it to the Japanese, makers of the Tamagotchi and offshoots like the "Otoizm," to bring the piggy bank to virtual life. The programmable "The Bank of Life," from Takara-Tomy, bears an LCD screen with information that reflects life in modern Japan. Spluch's description says it best: "A little Japanese man living in the screen starts off by living in a shoebox home and gradually upgrades to a luxury apartment reflecting on the amount of money in it." Call us old-fashioned, but we'll stick with the porcine variety.