Jack in the Box always has the lamest toys in their kid’s meals. Case in point, this Cartoon Network cross promotion for the show Chop Socky Chooks.I had no idea what Chop Socky meant, so I googled it. Crappy martial arts bar fights was the result. I think these are supposed to be Kung Fu Chickens. They battle the evil Dr Wasabi. I’ve never seen it, but these toys are weak. They are actually a step up for Jack in the Box kids meal toys, which are ore apt to be a plastic display stand for some nature facts collecting cards, or something equally as uninteresting to a kid. I saw them earlier this summer on the way to the Oregon Trifecta in Lincoln City. That’s KO Joe on the skateboard. I don’t know if he rides one on the show or not.

It was nominated last year and didn’t get in, but this year the skateboard made it into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Joining it this year were the baby doll and the “stick.” Proponents of the booger and the “doodle” (As in “They can see my doodle!“) were upset, as can be imagined. Tony Hawk appeared in a prerecorded video at the induction ceremony. In his words skateboarding “promotes individualism … artistic expression and it’s also very athletic.” Also, it doesn’t make you go blind if you do it too much.

– Thanks to Livmo and Sorenee for the tip.
[Source: CNN]

Actiga is a company with it’s finger on the pulse of… No. let’s see… Carpal Tunnel syndrome was never this Extreme!™ Oh never mind. These guys have a couple of products aimed at enhancing your sports gaming experience. First up is Big Vert, a skateboard that you stand on an use as a controller to play skateboarding video games, kind of like the Wii Balance Board, huh? They also appear to have a series of games with little controllers that look like the sport you are supposed to be playing.

[Source: Gizmodo. – Thanks to Dave Arpin for the tip.]

I went to McDonalds with the kids while trying to wait out the rain at a skatepark. They had these little Ronald McDonald figures in the corner of a glass case as part of another display. I told them I needed one, and they finally relented and gave it to me. I was prepared to buy it, but they weren’t for sale. The next time someone says “It’s not for sale,” just say “That’s OK. It must mean I can have it for free, right?” Right. It’s not a Happy Meal toy, rather part of the birthday party package that they have there. I think there were some with Ronald on blades too. It says copyright 2004 on the bottom. Made in china, of course. Group II Communications. More pictures than warranted after the jump.

This is exactly the kind of thing that I don’t want diluted by the mere presence of a bunch of skateboard comics. It’s a Beetlejuice Magic Slate with a picture of Beeltejuice on a skateboard. What, no coffin shape? Looks like he’s riding switch. It can be yours for a mere $58 ?!?! You can see the whole thing after the jump, but it’s actually smaller than the shot above.

This is a true story. We’re potty training our oldest kid who is not yet three. When we know we can watch him, we let him wear regular underpants – well, at least if you can call tighty whiteys covered in cartoon characters “regular.” After a particularly successful day full of positive reenforcement, we went for a ride in the van. From the back seat we hear my son telling me ” I have pee pee.” We tell him it’s ok to go right now because he’s wearing a diaper. He’s having a little trouble grasping the situation, so we talk about it. After a short break he asks “Where is my pee pee?” to which we reply without thinking it through “It’s in your weiner.” Yes, that’s what we’re calling it. Now don’t ask me what kind of drugs my son was on, but these were his next words. “My pee pee is in my wiener? Is it having fun? Is my wiener riding a skateboard?” I kid you not. Anyway, here’s the image I came up with to illustrate this post.

From the Hot Diggity Dog Collection. Dachshund figurine titled “Real Weenie.” This wiener dog wears his cool outfit while riding on his skateboard, and has a backpack on his back. Made of resin. Measures 4″ high.

Yours for only $17.99. Apparently, painting your own wiener is not just for fans of the band Ring 13.

There are two things wrong with the Skateboard Park Tycoon game title. First, it should be “Skatepark Tycoon” or “Skate Park Tycoon.” Second, nobody really makes money running a skateboard park. Skateboard Park Tycoon combines a sims type atmosphere with all the fun of building your own pretend skatepark and and sitting there watching pretend people skate it. It was so good, they made three of them.

Yes, you know the type. Hanging out here all he time instead of skateboarding… Oh wait. That’s me. These shots were taken in late 1999 with an early consumer digital camera. The lighting is kind of crappy. It’s battery powered, and the troll stands on a turntable set into the skateboard that spins as the it rolls. Hence the name “Turn 360°” Whee! I hate those little troll dolls. This one is about 8 inches tall if I remember correctly. It was annoying enough just to open these images, I’m not about to go dig around for it in the boxes of my basement.

The beauty is, it gets smaller, see? Insert joke about street skating decks here. Shrinky Dinks used to be pretty popular, but they don’t seem to be around much anymore. Maybe it’s because the patent expired and someone figured out a way to apply the technology to inkjet paper. The company’s official web site doesn’t mention them. This is the Shrinky Shiny Skateboard kit, from another company, which also appears to be discontinued. I found it on eBay in 2005 and put it on the old hard drive.

There’s enough Bart Simpson skateboarding merchandise out there to choke a horse, not to mention bore it to death, but this motorized Doodle Double Dare set is amusing when dissected. Quick, what’s the first you imagine when you think of a naked dude and twin sisters? I’m kind of surprised this one got made. Since we actually got to see Bart’s “doodle” in the scene from the Simpsons movie recreated by this toy, why bother to put the leaf on? It’s still pretty funny, all things considered. Not funny enough to warrant the $25 price tag, no matter how fast he skates around in a circle. Still, if you’ve ever wanted to see a cartoon character skateboarding naked (Jackass crew excluded) now is your chance.