Feature: Holiday Wishlist #3

Getting a complete set, a book, or a video game is great and all, but what would the holidays be without those smaller items?  Those trinkets and baubles can be some of the most entertaining.  They can be geeky; they can be fun.  Clothes and swag aren't too shabby either, keeping us warm when needed and fashionable when hip.  We're able take such items and wear them in public to openly brag about our hobbies.  The next best thing is bringing them to anime or video game conventions to feel at home with your fellow nerds.  Anyhow, if you're wondering where to buy merchandise or gag gifts, I'll be here to provide some answers!  Some of the best spots around the internet are ThinkGeek, J!NX, Tee Turtle, and Rightstuf.  These sites offer a wide variety of goods—key chains, flashlights, t-shirts, and much more.  I'm mainly going to point out a few choice items that I'd buy for myself and my friends.

Merchandise Holiday Wishlist

Do you like Domo?  Do you like DC heroes?  What would you do if you found an item that mashed the two things together?  You don’t have to look any further!  Wearing the costumes of comic favorites Batman and Superman, the fuzzy monster has arrived to save the day.  It’s the perfect domo, superhero harmony.  These 6-inch tall plushes would be perfect to stuff in your kids’ stockings, and they are currently on sale over at ThinkGeek.  Domo-kun is a mascot of Japan’s public broadcaster NHK.  He has been featured in numerous stop-motion shorts representing them; he first appeared in 1998 for the broadcaster’s 10th anniversary.  He grew in popularity and has spawned a manga and at least five video games.  Whenever I see Domo-kun for sale (no matter the form), I at least have to steal a look.  There's something about his open mouth and dead, black eyes that lure you into his "cuteness."

“The cake is a lie.”  If you’ve played Valve’s Portal and Portal 2 games, you have no doubt run into those white turrets that just can’t help in trying to kill you.  Their cute voices might cause you to hesitate in destroying them, or they might completely freak you out.  In either case, you know you’ve always wanted one of your own!  Can’t afford a full-scale one from Aperture Science?  Go for the next best thing and get one of these Portal Turret LED flashlights.  I'd probably go around flashing the red light into people's eyes like the sadistic jerk I am.  I already do that sort of thing plenty with regular flashlights.  What can I say?  I guess I like burning retinas.  These miniatures are roughly 3.5 inches tall and big enough to stand in your palm.  A side button makes it possible for one of these little guys to say a quote from the game.  It comes in a gift box, the batteries are included, and they are currently on sale over at ThinkGeek.

Have you ever taken a big sniff of your Super Nintendo cartridges?  No?  You’ve never even fantasized what they’d smell like if they were made into soap?  It was probably a strange childhood you were living if you did.  Nonetheless, the creative individuals over at FIREBOX have decided to revolutionize game odor by manufacturing soap cartridges.  If the soaps smelled like their games, then it might be an insta-buy for me.  However, I'm not sure how that would even work.  They are life-size soap replicas of popular Nintendo games’ cartridges.  You have your choice among Donkey Kong Country, Street Fright II Turbo, Super Mario Kart, or The Legend of Zelda.  Scented with citrus goodness, you can use them to wash away that overnight gamer smell.  They’re dimensions are about 12.5 cm by 2 cm by 1.5 cm and all made from vegan-friendly ingredients.  (Really, who would eat these?)

Note: Unfortunately, these soaps have been sold out, but they are available for pre-order.  They will be making their return in 2014.

You need a watch to know the time, right?  Unleash you inner hollow with this Ichigo Kurosaki Hollow Transformation Watch found at Etsy.  It is a handmade item that can be shipped worldwide, and the battery is included.  It features the hollow mask of the main character from anime series Bleach.  Some of the coolest parts in the series was when Ichigo went all out, popping his hollow mask.  What compelled me to watch the majority of the episodes was the intrigue whether he would ultimately control it.  Who wouldn't want to show off this badass image?  Stainless steel and customizable for each order, the hour numbers have been done in Kanji.  This is a fully analog watch, and the casing is about 1.5 inches in diameter.  The band fits for most people, the length ranging from 6.5 inches to 8 inches.  The seller also has a great variety of designs for watches; you can check out the gallery here if this anime is not for you.  They are a little fragile and recommended only for adults and teens.

It’s undeniable that you can find many geeky goodies at Etsy.  Spend an afternoon searching for specific titles and your nerd taste buds will be salivating in no time.  For example, this custom winter hoodie sporting Attack on Titan’s Recon Corps insignia is mocking me to ravage my wallet further.  I am a hopeless bandwagon fangirl when it comes to this series.  You can see my review of the anime here.  Even if I'd turn out to be a clone in the crowds of Attack on Titan lovers at an anime convention, I'd still want to try and show this item off.  The Wings of Freedom will never die!  (Although, they do seem to die quite often....)  This hoodie comes in colors of black, green, and gray with sizes ranging from M to 3XL; it is suggested that you include height and weight when purchasing for the best fit.  They’re handmade with a cotton blend material, and they can be shipped worldwide.  There is a warning that the product may shrink about 1 inch its first washing.

*all images from their respective sites