Cool Gift of the Day
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
What it is:
A totally kid-powered vehicle that gets its forward momentum from twisting the wheel side to side.
Why we love it:
Children's toys these days seem to be all about the glitz, the flash, the "bling". They beep, they light up, they require an enormous number of batteries to remain operational, and they all do fascinating things. All of that is fun, we admit, but there's something appealing about a children's toy that might actually get them to go outside and get some exercise. The Plasmacar is a perfect example, it's unusual and innovative enough to impress today's savvy youngsters, but it's also pleasingly simple and entirely battery free. The Plasmacar is a self-powered mechanical marvel that runs on sheer kid energy. Just twisting the wheel back and forth gets this clever little vehicle moving along at a good clip, running on nothing more complicated than gravity, friction and centrifugal force, the Plasmacar can go for as long as the kid can. Which, as any tired parent can tell you, is a very long time.
Who we'd give it to:
Active kids, hyperactive kids, overactive kids, and really worn out parents.