PLAY (Excerpts)*

Toon Tumblers
Remember those hot summer days of yesteryear when you walked into 7-Eleven with a handful freshly wiped of brow sweat and walked out gripping an icy beverage contained in a glass decorated with an image of your favorite comic book character? And remember how fun it was to go back every week to see which new hero glass had been introduced? Well, those days are here again, thanks to the ‘Toon Tumblers beverage glass series by PopFun. These high-quality 12 oz. collectible glasses feature colorful images of your favorite animated, comic book and comic strip characters–including some that weren't even available back in the day, like Power Man! Best of all, instead of that Slurpee™, you're old enough to walk around now with a tumbler filled to the brim with a frigid mudslide–or a frosty margarita! So show yourself and all of your drinking buddies a super good time with these great glasses from toontumblers.com.

DC Comics Superhero ‘Cami Panty’ Sets
Ladies, you're never too old for Underoos. Well, you actually are...but you’re never too old to have fun! And this DC Comics licensed underwear set can be a fun alternative to the 'blah' white bra and granny panties that the love of your life has begrudgingly become accustomed to. This strikingly colorful camisole and panty set features an 'enhanced' version of DC Comics’ Wonder Woman outfit. The red cami top with adjustable straps features a bold yellow ‘W’ bust shield, and the baby blue hot pants-style panties show off the classic star-spangled pattern. And for you Smallville fans, there’s an equally adorable Supergirl costume design. These 5% spandex / 95% cotton undie sets also come in a wide range of sizes, from small to a super-sized 3X large! To get 'outfitted' for some über fun times, fly on over to webundies.com!

Iron Man 2 4 GB USB Jump Drive 
Back when you were a young crumb snatcher, you could always trust ol’ “shell head” to save you from boredom. Now you can trust him to save all your important digital data–including movies, music and photographs! This 3" Iron Man 2 movie-inspired USB drive by Funko is a funky flash memory storage device that holds up to 4 GB of files. It also shows off your iron-clad sense of style when others see it hanging from a neck lanyard, keychain, or the messenger bag that holds your laptop. To get your own Iron Man 2 4GB USB Jump Drive, point your metal detectors to Amazon.com, or to the web site of your preferred high-tech toy dealer.

PEZ Candy Dispensers
Mild depression got you thinkin’ about poppin’ pills? How about poppin’ PEZ instead? PEZ candy is a cheap and non-addictive alternative to drug prescriptions (and the even more costly drug habit). So when you’re sitting around worrying about things you have absolutely no control over, knock back the head of your PEZ dispenser, open your mouth, shake, and let that sugary goodness give your nervous system a jolt. By the time you’re done chewing, you may feel as right as rain again. And although nothing at all has actually changed in your life, sometimes we need a shift in perspective. And sometimes we need good tasting things to remind us of the good stuff in life.
PEZ candy can serve as a quaint reminder of the good ol’ days when we had virtually nothing to worry about. Frankly, these cool little joy dispensers also serve as good figurative symbols of all of the people whose caps we would just love to peel back for making our lives a living hell: the boss, the ex, the idiot who cut us off in traffic! Just flick back the cap of your PEZ dispenser, close your eyes and imagine yourself crunching down on the sweet bones of your oppressors. Go ahead. It’ll make you feeeeel gooood. (Find PEZ in the candy isle at your local grocery store!)
*Originally published in Kung Fu Grip! No. 5