Comments on: Child-sized hamster ball with matching bowling alley

By: Substance McGravitas

Substance McGravitas — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 04:03:00 +0000

Here we join the Boing Boing pursuit of the odd with the Boing Boing Olympic hate.

By: Ian Symonds

Ian Symonds — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 01:19:00 +0000

Forget the children, what an awwwwwsome stoner game, dude!

By: penguinchris

penguinchris — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 22:12:00 +0000

I think things like this are attention-getting things that they don’t actually sell very many of (if any at all). Hammacher Schlemmer stuff is a huge percentage of Skymall. They get you looking because of stuff like this, and then you see something relatively reasonably priced that looks cool and you can’t resist (“you” referring to relatively rich and relatively dumb people of course). So their profit margins are probably not that big and they probably don’t pay much for copywriters.

By: mccrum

mccrum — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 21:55:00 +0000

You bet. Of course, they can pretty much do that if you leave them anywhere alone for a while so you kind of have to keep track of them for most of the day. It’s called “good parenting” and generally keeps them out of car trunks and the like.

By: Lucas Jarche

Lucas Jarche — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 19:38:00 +0000

We had this at our high school graduation. As much fun as it was, it gets old after a couple of rolls.

By: mccrum

mccrum — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 19:07:00 +0000

That’s ridiculous, you can’t bowl with a dryer.

By: noah django

noah django — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 18:27:00 +0000

they make a version for Veruca Salt blueberry fetishists, too.

By: robdobbs

robdobbs — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 18:15:00 +0000

They use that ball at BC Lions (Canadian Football) games for sideline contests.

By: mccrum

mccrum — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 17:29:00 +0000

I thought of that too but decided that at $4,500 for a big plastic ball and some plastic they could afford people who at least went to Princeton or U Penn, so I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.

By: Editz

Editz — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 17:22:00 +0000

It’s Rover!

http://youtu.be/I6Ffr1U7KMY

By: IndexMe

IndexMe — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:57:00 +0000

The ball is inflated. So couldn’t the child suffocate or get heat prostration if you aren’t careful?

By: Teller

Teller — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:37:00 +0000

Will wait for the NBA version.

By: Petzl

Petzl — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:20:00 +0000

*Yard Not Included.

By: silkox

silkox — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Seems more likely that they just didn’t know the difference between the homophones.

By: Jeffrey Rodman

Jeffrey Rodman — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:59:00 +0000

It would be interesting to see this in other environments. Photoshop fodder?

By: Max Allan

Max Allan — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:52:00 +0000

Peter Gabriel took one on stage years back : http://www.flickr.com/photos/kennymathieson/110265438/

By: Max Allan

Max Allan — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:50:00 +0000

I think the air cushioning on the interior is enough to soften most blows and you don’t get the floor moving far before it’s a slope. And if not, I’m sure there will be plenty of disclaimers to fill in.

By: doug rogers

doug rogers — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:46:00 +0000

I can see this as an illustration on a 1910′s Popular Mechanics cover, as an idea from the ‘Children’s Amusements in 2000 AD’ article.

By: katkins

katkins — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:42:00 +0000

Seems like something only Mitt would buy.

By: Boundegar

Boundegar — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:37:00 +0000

A spin in the dryer can easily kill a kid, or at least break their neck. And a parent who can afford a $4500 toy can afford a LOT of legal counsel.

This may not end well for Hammacher-Schlemmer.

By: mccrum

mccrum — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:23:00 +0000

Oh, I think the appeal here is that it really relies on a hill for full use.

By: Joshua Ochs

Joshua Ochs — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:20:00 +0000

So it’s a simpler, smaller version of Zorbing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zorbing

By: Palomino

Palomino — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:19:00 +0000

Any toy that relies on a perfectly flat surface severely limits it’s appeal.

By: lknope

lknope — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:14:00 +0000

What could go wrong?

By: mack

mack — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:10:00 +0000

“Charles, the children are bored with the polo ponies.”

“There. That oughta hold the little bastards.”

By: Michael Wiik

Michael Wiik — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:03:00 +0000

Few things are universal, but child abuse is one of them.

By: mccrum

mccrum — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:01:00 +0000

I’d like to know how many people in marketing it took to eventually go with “roll” over “role” on the concern that nobody would notice the innovative comedy included in the copy.

By: mccrum

mccrum — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:01:00 +0000

Well, it is inflatable.

By: Bart

Bart — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:54:00 +0000

I’d totally get that for my kids, but $4500 for some plastic sheeting is a little to rich for my blood.

By: ddh819

ddh819 — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:53:00 +0000

this and a fire hose sounds like a good time