If you have kids, you’re probably biting your nails down to the quick worrying how you’re going to find–much less pay for–this year’s super hot fad toy, Zhu Zhu the Robot Hamster. But don’t be so stupid! The thing about fad toys like Zhu Zhu is that they’re about 30% fun, 30% marketing, and 40% media hype. You can bypass all that nonsense and make your own in less than 20 minutes, and for a fraction of the cost. [More]
videos
Videodrome #3: Paper Puppet Reenactments Of Removed YouTubes
By 12.14.09
Faster! Leaner! Meaner! Ben Popken rounds up Consumerist.com’s top stories of the week, from psychotic stewardesses to deadly foreclosures. This week we introduce a new feature: printing out the internet and turning it into a puppet show. [More]
Man Pays Best Buy For Washer/Dryer, It Doesn't Appear, Takes Laundry To Store, Shames Store Into Delivering
By 12.10.09
After Best Buy blew two delivery dates on the washer/dryer he paid $1,600 for at Best Buy on Black Friday to arrive, a man decided to take his dirty laundry to the store. He had unhooked his washer/dryer at home in anticipation of the new appliances and wanted to know which washer of theirs they wanted him to wash his clothes in while he waited for his. His buddies videotaped the adventure. This plan didn’t go ever so hot with Best Buy management. Let’s roll the clip: [More]
10 Great Commercials Of 2009
By 12.9.09
Time just published its “Top 10 Any Category We Can Think Of” issue, and buried in there is a group of 10 great ads from the past year. Well, maybe not “great”–I would rather shove Norplant in my eyes than watch Evian’s rollerskating babies spot, but some of the other ones are pretty good. There’s also some great music in the list, including “Rapper’s Delight,” a Radiohead track, Bach, and Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. [More]
New Droid Ad Goes For iPhone Jugular, Misses
By 12.8.09
A new ad for the Verizon Motorola Droid tries to savage the iPhone for being more concerned with looking good than working great. Does it work? [More]
AT&T Sends Monster After Verizon Subscribers In Threatening New Ad
By 12.7.09
Happy Halloween from AT&T! The maligned cellular carrier’s latest ad doesn’t seem to be as concerned with getting Verizon to stop picking on it. Instead, a headless Luke Wilson staggers around the screen, roaring silently and searching for someone to kill. Stick to AT&T or who knows what might happen to you. [More]
Consumerist Videodrome #2: The "New Moon" Felons
By 12.7.09
Is loving New Moon a crime? It is, if you accidentally tape it during your sister’s surprise birthday party at the movie theater. Plus, how you will end up paying for Hulu after the Comcast/NBC merger, Oscar Meyer shaved meat, subprime loan gangstas, and a pacifier you might choke on. Now that we have a video show, what should my signoff be? Leave your thoughts in the comments. [More]
What Does "Hostile Takeover" Mean?
By 11.20.09
Does the phrase “hostile takeover” give you a mental picture of Vikings swarming into an office building and taking over by brute force? The term is in the news due to proposed takeovers of Cadbury and Barnes & Noble, but that’s not quite what the term means. Marketplace’s Paddy Hirsch and his trusty whiteboard explain.
If Yours Isn't Good Enough, He'll Get Some At The Office
By 11.16.09
Marketers had a message for the housewives of the 1950s: they weren’t doing a good enough job at home. Their husbands had to resort to going elsewhere for it. Why, even the girls at the office could do it much better.
Directly Pitch Your Stories To Pro Video Journalists
By 11.11.09
VJ Movement is a new site that lets everyday people pitch their ideas for news stories to a group of selected global professional video journalists who then go on to produce them and post them online. Here’s one about a poor Chinese immigrant turned professional gambler who plays poker so that his kids can live the American Dream in Orange County, California.
Mafia Wars CEO Brags About Scamming Users From Day One
By 11.9.09
From the beginning, the profitability and viability of popular Facebook social networking games Mafia Wars and Farmville were predicated on the backs of scams, boasts Zynga CEO Mark Pincus in this video. “I did every horrible thing in the book just to get revenues,” he crows in the clip to a gathered bunch of fellow scumbag app developers.
Which Condom Holds The Most Air Before Exploding? (Video)
By 11.2.09
You might be be surprised how much air a condom can hold, or water (try 25 liters). But which holds the most before bursting to pieces? Our friend Theresa at Consumer Reports donned a lab coat and glasses to find out which brand of condoms came out on top in their durability tests.
United Loses $12,418.28 Of Famous Rock Climber Steph Davis's Gear
By 10.30.09
Pro rock climber and base jumper Steph Davis is always superstitious about her last “flight.” On any trip, the last jump off the cliff in her wing suit, she’s sure something will go wrong. Recently, her fears came true, but not while hurtling herself off the Eiger. It was her flight on United, who lost $12,418.28 of her gear, including parachute.
Creator Of Baby Einstein Vids Admitted In 2005 She Didn't Know What She Was Doing
By 10.29.09
A website that focuses on female entrepreneurs interviewed the creator of the Baby Einstein video line back in 2005. As Boing Boing pointed out yesterday, her explanation of how she developed the videos is pretty funny. Well, Boing Boing calls it “damning,” but it’s funny that everyone—Disney included—took the product line so seriously.
Brooke Shields Has Hypotrichosis
By 10.27.09
Oh no! Brooke Shields used to have stringy, stick-figure eyelashes! I figured this out after watching Consumer Reports’ video dissection of a new commercial for Latisse, the glaucoma medication that has been rebranded as an expensive, temporary eyelash enhancer with side effects.
