TOYS / TOOLS / TECHNOLOGY FROM HERE TO THERE AND FUN ALONG THE WAY

FLY FAN // hammacher.com

Cartoon picnics are often spoiled by ants. They march up to the food and carry off whatever they want.

In real life, flying insects are a bigger threat. They somehow know that we won’t use a fly swatter at the table or use a can of Raid anywhere near the potato salad.

Clearly, we need the Eco Friendly Fly Deterrent—a picnic table fan that shoos away airborne insects. It has 15-inch blades made of lightweight flexible plastic that won’t knock anything over or hurt any hands that make contact by accident. The blades rotate constantly, creating a gentle breeze that pushes would-be pests away from the table.

The Eco Friendly Fly Deterrent sells for about $25. Batteries not included.

HEALTHY CEREAL // magicspoon.com

The folks behind Magic Spoon want to improve on the fun and flavours you remember from Saturday morning breakfast cereal. Instead of corn and sugar bombs, they put the “real” in cereal with products that are high in protein, keto-friendly, non-GMO, and free from gluten, grain, soy, wheat, and artificial ingredients.

Magic Spoon has four flavours: Cinnamon, Frosted, Cocoa, and Fruity. It’s childlike cereal for grownups, at a grownup price: each 200g box sells for about $10.

CARDBOARD COOLER // igloo.com

Recool from Igloo is a cooler designed to replace single-use styrofoam containers. It’s strong, watertight, and made from biodegradable materials. Best of all, it doesn’t squeak when you open and close the lid.

Recool weighs just 8 ounces but it can hold up to 75 pounds. The lid has a built-in handle and four built-in cup holders. It’s designed to be reusable - just dump out any water and air dry before you put it away.

Each Recool sells for about $10.

PHONE FAN // kikkerland.com

iPhone fans, meet the iPhone fan!

This handy accessory is perfect for a day at the beach. You can take it for a spin any time, anywhere, without using an app or installing anything. You just plug the fan into the charging port of your iPhone to generate a cool breeze wherever you need it.

The iPhone fan sells for about $10.

LIQUID DEATH // liquiddeath.com

Who would be crazy enough to pay for water? Lots of people, it turns out. Bottled water was the most successful mass-market beverage category in 2018, with nearly 14 billion gallons sold. Selling water is big business, and competition is fierce.

Marketing, as always, is the key to big sales. It’s not enough to drink clean, filtered water from a tap or a well. You need to buy premium, glacier water, with added vitamins, and pH balanced with electrolytes.

In this crowded market, Liquid Death is the extreme sip du jour. It’s sold in tallboy cans that look like energy drinks or craft beer. The message? Skulls are cool but not as cool and refreshing as mountain spring water.

MURDER YOUR THIRST with Liquid Death mountain water. A 12-pack of Liquid Death 16.9-ounce tallboys sells for about $25.

WAKE WIPES // japantrendshop.com

Feeling sleepy at the wheel? Need to perk up for work or study? Reach for Wake-Up Face Wipes by Koyo Kasei.

Wake Up wipes don’t just clean your face. Each wipe is coated in a compound of menthol and caffeine that will instantly refresh and re-energize you. There’s no way you can doze off when your face is burning with freshness!

Each pack of Wake Up wipes has 15 sheets inside. $30 buys you 8 packs. Heed the warning on the package: “For use on face only!”

FISHING ROD // cyberfishing.com

You’ve heard of gadgets and apps that measure when you walk or exercise? Cyberfishing is like that, but for fishing. The Smart Rod Sensor attaches to your rod and gathers all the information you need to make every trip better. Every cast is counted and saved. Every lake and stream is mapped, so you know where the fish are biting.

Setup is easy. You just attach the sensor to your rod with the rubber bands provided, then start fishing. The Smart Rod Sensor automatically captures data on the number of casts you make and the surrounding conditions. When you catch a big one, just click one button to save the location.

When the day is done, you can review your activity online and share your catches in the Cyberfishing online community.

Bring your fishing rod into the 21st century with the Cyberfishing digital sensor. It sells for about $80.

PLAYDATE // play.date

It’s a bright yellow. It fits in your pocket. It has a weird crank on the side. It looks like a retro Game Boy but it’s something entirely new.

Playdate is the latest thing from Panic, a company mostly known for making great Mac and iOS software. The bright colours and bold design are the results of a partnership with Swedish electronics manufacturer Teenage Engineering.

And the crank? That’s one of Playdate’s fun and unique features. Some games use the built-in buttons and D-pad but others use the crank as a rotating analog controller. Playdate puts a new spin on how you play.

Playdate includes a dozen unique games from talented indie developers like Keita Takahashi, the creator of Katamari Damacy. New games will be released weekly, and each new game will be an event. A light on the Playdate will tell you when the next game is available.

Playdate will sell for about $150. All twelve games are included at no extra charge. Playdate ships next year, but you can learn more and pre-order at play.date

LAY DOWN DADDY GAMES // laydowndaddygames.com

I remember Saturday mornings with my Dad when I was a kid. He would lie down on the floor and I would drive toy cars over him. He made vroom vroom noises for a while, and then he made snoring noises.

Now that I’m older, I understand this better. After a long week at work, there’s not much energy left over. You just want a nap. Fortunately, there are plenty of fun things you can do with your kids from a nearly-napping position.

Lay Down Daddy Games is a handy guide for tired and lazy dads who are looking for fun and rewarding floor-based activities. When you can’t get up you can still tell stories. You can pretend to swim. You can hold on to the leg of the couch and pretend you’re dangling from a cliff. You can lie on your back and describe the shapes of imaginary clouds. And, yes, you can become a winding mountain raceway for a bunch of toy cars.

Lay Down Daddy Games is a bargain at $10.

/ SANDY MCMURRAY writes about games, toys, and gadgets at funspot.ca.