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CHANGING CHANNELS: Hot products outside of food, drug and mass

10/25/2010

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. —The Sniffle Duffle, created by Zubie’s Village, offers a convenient, fun way for kids to form healthy habits.


The Sniffle Duffle is a cozy pouch that on one side has a sleeve for travel tissues, and on the other side has an elastic pocket to store dirty tissues until they can be disposed of. There also are two secret pockets in the center of the Sniffle Duffle that contain a face/ lip balm and a nonalcoholic hand cleanser.


Each Sniffle Duffle comes with a clip, which can be attached to a belt loop, backpack, side of a classroom desk or on a diaper bag.


Sniffle Duffle kits include a pack of tissues, one Organic Cozy face and lip balm, and an 18 mL pen-size of Ickies Be Gone hand cleanser. The suggested retail price is $18.95.


The product also is available for school fundraisers, where 30% of proceeds earned go directly back to the school. For more information, visit ZubiesVillage.com.


DALLAS—Usually, when you want to unscrew a light bulb, you should make sure the light is turned off first. But one kind of bulb that just reached the U.S. market can stay lit even when taken out of its socket.


The MagicBulb, developed in Norway, is an LED bulb billed as the world’s first rechargeable light bulb—it can stay illuminated for up to three hours after removal from its socket. The MagicBulb retails for $25 to $60. For more information, visit MagicBulb.net.


BISMARCK, N.D.—When not used in labs or purchased in pet stores, mice and rats have been considered a scourge for centuries. Today, they infest homes and businesses throughout the world, leaving behind chewed up food containers and feces. But killing them with traps often is ineffective as a long-term strategy, and exterminators can cost a fortune.


Perhaps a better way to get rid of the little critters is to keep them from entering your home in the first place. Earth Kind, based in Bismarck, N.D., has developed Fresh Cab, a natural, wood-based repellent that creates a smell pleasant to humans but disgusting to rodents. A four-pouch box retails for $14.50. For more information, visit Earth-Kind.com.


OCEANSIDE, Calif.—Stuffed animals are an essential bedtime item for many small children, and most adults today probably have fond memories of their favorite Teddy bear or stuffed rabbit. But aside from providing something fuzzy and cuddly at night, stuffed animals don’t have much of a functional purpose.


A company formed in San Diego in 2003 is changing that with My Pillow Pets, a line of stuffed animals that fold out into pillows. The pillows come in various animal shapes, including rabbits, bumble bees, bears, koalas, elephants, cats, dolphins, giraffes, ducks and others. The suggested retail price is from $15.99 to $24.99. For more information, visit MyPillowPets.com.

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