Our Favorite Toy Gifts That Won't Just Sit On The Desk
By Alex Chen | January 01, 0001
Action figures and tiny vinyl statues are great for taking up work real estate and making employers question professionalism, but toys are meant to be played with. Here’s a selection of toy gifts that they won’t be able to keep their hands off. (Or something.) Fifteen years ago I bought my stepfather, a huge baseball fan, a 12-inch Babe Ruth figure complete with cloth uniform and a plastic body far too slim to be Babe Ruth. He put it on a shelf in his office, and it hasn’t moved since. All of that articulation, wasted.cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({"playerId":"e3616d04-4972-4839-a63a-c6975e2e9731","settings":{"advertising":{"macros":{"AD_UNIT":"/23178111854/od.kotaku.com/article","CHILD_UNIT":"article","POST_ID":"1741998062","POST_TYPE":"post","CHANNEL":"uncategorized","SECTION":"","SUBSECTION":"","CATEGORIES":"uncategorized","TAGS":"","NOP":"0"},"timeBeforeFirstAd":0}}}).render("cnx-player-main")}); Forget that nonsense. If you’re going to buy someone a toy for the holidays, get them something they’ll interact with. Better yet, get them something you both can play. Here are a few choice suggestions. Anki Overdive Starter Kit Remember back when we were kids and we’d put together elaborate slot car tracks and watch little noisy cars whir from lane-to-lane in a circle for hours? Anki Overdrive is pretty much that, only the cars are fitted with tiny computers that allow them to drive themselves. Instead of joystick controllers you drive with your smartphone, controlling speed, lane position and weapons. Oh yeah, these cars have virtual weapons they use to destroy each other. The Anki Overdrive Starter Kit contains a pair of cars and enough track to create eight different raceways. If the gift works out, new cars and track pieces make excellent birthday gifts. View-Master Virtual Reality Starter Pack The folks at View-Master get a head-start on the virtual reality age with a new version of its classic disc-based picture-viewing device that uses your cell phone to display full 360 degree virtual reality environments. At only $30 it’s one of the cheapest ways to experience virtual reality. Grab one of three $15 VR packs—wildlife, space and famous landmarks—to further tailor