"novelty" news and stories

You're going to think that I have toasters on the brain, since it was just a few weeks ago that I posted about the toaster concept that would enable you to leave messages on your toast. But I was just glancing at the New York Times and noticed in the lower right hand corner of the screen, where they often advertise a branded product from the NYT, that they are now selling toasters that have the ability to mark you toast with the 'T' from the Times. It's certainly a fun literary way to decorate your morning meal.

Pumpkin season is coming up and without getting in to GMO pumpkins and the nutritional value of ice cream, let's get imaginative and make some pumpkin ice cream, served in a creative way.

• You'll need an ice cream maker (there are even ball shaped models that can be kicked around at partie, though I have never tried one) and a good pumpkin grown for its meat, rather than just its appearance.

• This can be a family endeavor-- messy. In this typical ice cream recipe I would add two cups of good and mashed pumpkin meat. Not too stringy. Make the ice cream and then serve it the carved out pumpkin, lid and all.

Source

I'm always glad to see new ways for people to integrate bacon into their daily routine. You might recall bacon band-aids, for instance. Here's a faux-leather wallet made to look like bacon. They sell for $8.99 at Perpetual Kid and, amazingly enough, their sales pitch doesn't include any "bring home the bacon" jokes. What could be better than pulling your American Express Gold card from wallet of streaky goodness? It just screams "responsible spender."

[Via Boing Boing]

I am disturbed that the slogan for The Fizz Cup is "Buy it. Try it. Die for it."

The cup makes root beer floats and no matter how good a root beer float is, it is hardly worth dying for.

The Fizz Cup screws onto the top of soda bottles and, using a straw that extends from the bottom of the bottle, though the cup and into your mouth, you can suck the soda up and create an instant root beer float. The advantage of using the cup is that it is highly portable, unlike a traditional homemade float in an open cup. Another selling point, according to the company, "It lets you have fun watching the soda and ice cream mix inside the dome lid, just like a volcano. Experience the science of fizz making with this special treat!"

Is a soda volcano worth dying for? No, and a mentos fountain is probably more exciting. Worth $10 + $6 S&H for a pack of 6? Maybe if you really need to take your floats to go.

Source

If you have visited a few theme parks in the past, say, 10 years, chances are good that you have come across a product called Dippin' Dots. Dippin' Dots are small beads of ice cream (sorbet and yogurt are available, as well) that are frozen with liquid nitrogen. Described by the company as the "ice cream of the future," they come in a variety of flavors and are certainly novel to eat. The beads seem fairly "dry" in the serving cup, but melt once they're in your mouth.

Up until recently, the Dots were only available in theme parks and at fairs. The company then expanded to special vending machines and to retail outlets at many shopping malls. Keeping the supply limited was a good way to protect the novelty of their product, but now a new product called Dots n' Cream, which is a combination of Dippin' Dots and ice cream, will be carried at supermarkets.

Ice cream with bits of super-frozen ice cream? Sounds like a strange concept to me. I think one of the malls nearby just opened a Dippin' Dots store. I'll probably just head over there if I get the urge for some novelty frozen treats, but I can see how this would be a hit with kids since it's like bringing a bit of the theme park home.

 

Source