Cocoa Puffs Lip Balm

I admit that this stocking stuffer idea is inspired more by nostalgia than anything else. I used to love Cocoa Puffs when I was a kid (and Cocoa Pebbles perhaps even more). I used to eat bowl after bowl of these cereals along with a glass of Welch's grape juice. It's a miracle I didn't go into sugar shock!

In any case, though, here's a way to enjoy the memory without the sugar -- Cocoa Puffs lip balm! I would think kids up to 8 or 9 years old might really like this -- any older and they might be too "sophisticated" for it! I found this on the Perpetual Kid website, and they also have Lucky Charms and Boo Berry cereal flavors, and Pillsbury Cinnamon Roll flavor, in case Cocoa Puffs aren't the thing.

What: Cocoa Puffs Lip Balm
Where: Perpetual Kid website
How much (as of today's post): $2.99 (plus shipping)

Building Block Calculator

Looks like you can get anything made out of "building blocks" (sorry, I call them all Legos automatically, even though I know that's not accurate) these days: utensils, USB flash drives, tie pins for men, you name it. This building block calculator is a new one to me, though. It measures 5.5 x 2.5 x 1 inches, and comes in red, green, blue, or black. From what I can see of the buttons in the picture, it doesn't look like it does the higher math functions so it probably wouldn't be the thing for a student taking calculus, but it certainly would be sufficient in the home office for balancing a checkbook, or in the workplace for simple math tasks.

I remember loving Legos as a kid. I have several Star Wars and Harry Potter Lego toys now, but I still remember fondly the days when you just had plain Lego blocks and you figured out what to make with them instead of being directed on the box!

What: Building Block Calculator
Where: Perpetual Kid website
How much (as of today's post): $26.99 (plus shipping)

Pac-Man Bandages

Considering how sophisticated video games are these days, it's amazing that Pac-Man is still around and that there is so much Pac-Man merchandise available (I posted about Pac-Man Power Pellets and Ghost Sours back on November 11 of last year.) I guess the little yellow guy is just a classic! And here are some bandages to commemorate him. Pretty cute, aren't they?

What: Pac-Man Bandages
Where: FredFlare.com
How much (as of today's post): $9.00 (plus shipping)

Snack & Stack Utensil Set

This is a little pricey -- just under my limit before I call something a "luxury" stocking stuffer, in fact -- but I do think it's awfully cute and maybe just the thing for a college student's stocking, especially if they're in a dorm room and don't need a lot of silverware, but just a little something to have on hand. It also has the nostalgia factor (Legos, anyone?) and the funky factor that suits college students.

And now that I think of it, it's also great for kids who are still a little new to the whole utensils thing! I mean, I don't think they're appropriate for toddlers, who might jab themselves accidentally, but wouldn't five to seven years old love these?

What: Snack & Stack Utensil Set
Where: FredFlare.com
How much (as of today's post): $20 (plus shipping)

Old-Fashioned Metal Jacks

Sometimes you just can't beat the classics! I can't remember the last time I saw anyone playing with jacks, but I do remember them fondly and I think younger kids would still find them entertaining. RetroPlanet.com sells the old-fashioned metal jacks, which I think are much more satisfying to play with than plastic ones. This package here comes with 10 metal jacks, a rubber ball, a cloth pouch, and rules for different variations of the game. They recommend it for ages six and up.

You know how supporters of video games talk about the great hand-eye coordination benefits? Well, this is the original hand-eye coordination game!

What: Old-Fashioned Metal Jacks
Where: RetroPlanet.com (or toy stores and drug stores)
How much (as of today's post): $4.99 (plus shipping)

Pillbox Tins

Today's stocking stuffer is more a gift "wrapping" than a stuffer itself, but these little pillbox tins from the Nostalgic Candy website are cute enough that the recipient will want to keep them. They cost only $2.00 each, and there's a tin for just about everyone, including Betty Boop, the Cookie Monster, Horton (from Horton Hears a Who), Elvis, the Lone Ranger, Barbie, and Roy Rogers. In other words, that covers men, women, and kids!

So for a stocking, these tins could hold some individual candies, a folded $5 or $10 or $20 bill, or a do-it-yourself "gift certificate" for "one pair of jeans", "two movie tickets", or anything else you can think of. Especially when it comes to clothing, a little do-if-yourself gift certificate might make more sense than a plastic gift card that ties the person to buying from one store only.

I have to say that my favorite is Horton! Although Barbie is kind of funny with her "A Plastic Tan Never Fades" message. (Just to be clear, I'm not in favor of fake tanning. I think it's dangerous and unnecessary.) I could see giving the Roy Rogers or Lone Ranger pillbox to my dad or even my mom -- she has told me she remembers seeing the Lone Ranger at the movies.

What: Pillbox Tins
Where: Nostalgic Candy website
How much (as of today's post): $2.00 (plus shipping)

Pac-Man Power Pellets and Ghost Sours Set

[Click here to enter my ongoing giveaway of stocking stuffers for boys. Giveaway ends Friday Nov. 13, 2009! Apologies, but U.S. residents only.]

How's this for a blast from the past? I stopped into a speciality candy shop the other day and saw Pac-Man Power Pellets, i.e. a tin shaped like our traditional yellow hero with "power pellet" candy (I'm assuming some form of pure sugar). Then I came home and looked for them online, and lo and behold, I found this entire set from the fredflare.com website! Mr. Pac-Man has the power pellets, the red ghostie contains cherry ghost sours (the candies are actually shaped like the ghosts), and the blue ghostie holds blue raspberry ghost sours. Pretty funny, don't you think? The entire set (one of each tin with candy) is $12 plus shipping, or you can look at a candy store to see if you can buy them individually. I don't recall the exact price of the single Pac-Man tin I saw in person, but I'm pretty sure it was right around $5.

I'm not sure I'd like the candy -- thankfully my sweet tooth has declined as I've gotten older -- but I sure as heck like those tins!

What: Pac-Man Power Pellets and Set
Where: fredflare.com or candy stores
How much (as of today's post): $12 for set (plus shipping); under $5 for one in candy stores

80s Cube Clock

I grew up amidst the Rubik's Cube craze, and even (after reading a how-to book) learned to solve it. So this 80s Cube Clock from Vat19 gave me a wave of nostalgia! It's a little pricey for a stocking stuffer at just under $20, but it's both fun and functional, and would be cute for kids, teens, college students, or geeks of any age. You rotate the top to change modes from clock to alarm to calendar to temperature. It's three inches high and requires one AA battery. Pretty clever, don't you think?

What: 80s Cube Clock
Where: Vat19 website
How much (as of today's post): $19.95 (plus shipping)

Nostalgic Items from Ebay

When my baby sister got married a few years back (and yes, my baby sister getting married made me feel old!), the bridal shower was for general gifts but there was also a "wishing well" (a big garbage can) that we filled with small kitchen items. I decided to go on ebay and see if I could find a duplicate set of the red Tupperware cookie cutters that had been in our family for at least a couple of decades. And there they were! I couldn't believe how easy it was. There was the Christmas tree, the Halloween pumpkin, the Thanksgiving turkey, the gingerbread boy, the pig that looked like Porky Pig (I have no idea what occasion that one was for), the Easter bunny (that we thought looked an awful lot like the Playboy bunny!), and the birthday cake.

In fact, I just looked, and the same set is on ebay again right now for all of $5.99! Looking at the photo (shown above) just brings me right back to my childhood!

The point is, if there is something from your childhood that you've long since lost or given away, or if your husband talks wistfully of his favorite pirate Weeble from his childhood, or if there's some favorite book or Barbie doll or Honey Hill Bunch doll that you remember, well, chances are you can find it on ebay! And lots of such vintage, nostalgic items will be perfect for a really unique stocking stuffer or other small gift. Just remember to shop around a little and don't bid outrageous amounts for the first item you see. And remember to check the seller's ratings to make sure he or she is reliable.

Nancy Drew and Literary / Mystery Art Pins

Having been an avid Nancy Drew reader in my childhood -- and I still own my books, by the way, including my favorites The Secret of Shadow Ranch and The Clue in the Broken Locket -- I was thrilled to stumble across Etsy seller ptierneydesigns' Nancy Drew Girl Detective Mystery Art Pin. It cleverly combines a charm of Nancy in her original incarnation with other danglies, including miniature book cover reproductions, pewter charms of a police car and a notepad, and skull bead dangles, to create a unique piece of wearable art that pays tribute to the Girl Sleuth.

If Nancy wasn't your thing, don't worry -- there's also an adorable Trixie Belden art pin (including a magnifying glass, a police badge, and a mysterious key). Or you can just click on the "literary art pins" section of the shop to find Perry Mason, Charlie Chan, Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot, and even our friend J.B. Fletcher of Murder She Wrote! Or you can go with something a little more general: one of my personal favorites, the Cozy Cats and Crimes pin pictured below. I love the fish charm labeled "red herring"! Any of these pins would make a wonderful -- and very unique -- stocking stuffer for the mystery book lover in your life. And don't forget to look at the rest of the shop to see what other mysteries you might uncover!

What: Nancy Drew and Literary / Mystery Art Pins
Where: Pattie Tierney Designs Wearable Literary Art (ptierneydesigns) (an Etsy shop)
How much (as of today's post): $16.00 (plus shipping)

The Monster at the End of This Book

I hope everyone had a terrific Mother's Day! And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming....

I'm in my early 40s, and I still own my original copy of this wonderful classic, The Monster at the End of this Book, starring Grover from Sesame Street. When I was little, I thought this was the cleverest book ever written, and it still makes me smile to this day. So out of curiosity, I searched Amazon to see if they might have it in a board book version small enough to fit in a stocking, and lo! According to Amazon, this edition measures 5.7 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches. So it might take a wide-mouthed stocking, but it is just possible! This is the perfect read-aloud book, especially if you as the reader don't mind hamming it up with voices and "special effects" (my favorite is when the brick wall comes crashing down).

(There's even a "sequel" that incorporates Elmo, titled Another Monster at the End of This Book. Not quite as good as the original, of course, but still enjoyable.)

What: The Monster at the End of This Book
Where: Amazon or elsewhere
How much (as of today's post): $4.99 (plus shipping)

Barrel of Monkeys

What can I say, it's a classic! Younger children (as long as they're not too young to be in danger from the small pieces) will enjoy this game that encourages hand-eye coordination. Honestly, how often does something this inexpensive provide so much entertainment?

What: Barrel of Monkeys
Where: Hammond Toys Hobbies Dolls (Amazon Marketplace Seller) and elsewhere
How much (as of today's post): $4.98

Recycled Journal/Notebooks from Kids' Books

While browsing through Etsy, I idly did a search on the Flintstones, which I adored watching when I was growing up. That search brought me to the notebook pictured above, in which a clever spiral notebook/journal has been fashioned out of an old Whitman Tell-a-Tale book. The Etsy artist, Sara of Heaven Sent Crafts, even interspersed the book's interior pages with the 60 blank pages, creating a fun nostalgia-filled notebook that is also useful, of course!

In addition to the Flintstones, the notebooks made from children's books include Dennis the Menace, a Sesame Street Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Seuss, Woody Woodpecker, and even a Dolls from Other Lands book (perfect for a doll collector, don't you think?). Prices and sizes vary; most of the notebooks I looked were $8.00, while some of the larger ones were $10 or $12.

The two journals pictured here measure 6.5 x 5" and 6.5 x 5.5" respectively, which could easily fit into a stocking -- but if you want something even smaller, be sure to check her link for mini recycled notebooks, featuring little notebooks made from vintage Old Maid cards, vintage animal rummy cards, or even the more modern Pokemon or Dora the Explorer cards. There are also some larger notebooks made out of board games. I love to see old things getting new life in such clever ways.

What: Recycled Journal/Notebooks from Kids' Books
Where: Heaven Sent Crafts (an Etsy shop)
How much (as of today's post): $8.00 to $12.00 (plus shipping)

Curious George Wooden Car

Everyone remember Curious George? This six-inch, hand-painted, wooden toy makes a nice accompaniment to a Curious George book or two, and should delight the little ones. I found this at the "Live and Learn" website, which sells "educational and classic toys." They list the appropriate ages as 2 to adult (and I imagine there are some Curious George collectors out there in the adult population).

I still have my stuffed animal Curious George. Just sayin'. :-)

What: Curious George Wooden Car
Where: Live and Learn Educational & Classic Toys and elsewhere
How much (as of today's post): $6.95 (plus shipping)

Nancy Drew's Guide to Life

This silly little book is great fun for anyone who grew up reading Nancy Drew. It pulls quotes and illustrations from the many books in the series, humorously applying some important "lessons" to everyday life. My favorite is from The Mystery at Lilac Inn: "If you see something resembling a shark in a river, don't fret. It's more likely to be a small submarine operated by thieves." As silly as that sounds, I know I didn't even blink when I read that as a 10-year-old. I mean, why wouldn't thieves use small submarines in their crimes?! At less than 3 1/2 inches high, this miniature book has stocking stuffer written all over it.

What: Nancy Drew's Guide to Life
Where: Amazon or any bookstore
How much (as of today's post): $4.95 cover price

Peter Rabbit's Holiday Collection Deluxe Giftset

This attractive little boxed set of the classic Peter Rabbit tales by Beatrix Potter makes a great stocking stuffer for kids. It includes four small books: The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, The Tailor of Gloucester, and The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The dustjackets are coordinated with the holiday-themed outer box. The list price for this set is $18.99, but it's currently available on Amazon for $12.34.

My philosophy is: give books when you can. When they're attractively presented, kids will be that much more willing to give reading a try.

(By the way, this boxed set for a little one, plus the DVD of Miss Potter would make a great coordinated mom-and-child gift.)

What: Peter Rabbit's Holiday Collection Deluxe Giftset (Potter)
Where: Amazon or any bookstore
How much (as of today's post): $18.99 cover price or $12.34 on Amazon