I’m going to seriously geek out for a minute here, so please bear with me. For my birthday this year, I got a gift from a friend who was determined to get me something a little unusual, while indulging me my passion for British sci-fi TV programs. Specifically, the original BBC Dr. Who series that aired from 1963 to 1989 (though I have to admit that the new series, currently starring David Tennant as the Doctor, is worth geeking out over too).
Anyway, said unusual gift arrived via messenger in a big box marked "fragile." I opened it, and among a blitzkrieg of packing fluff was the neatest thing I’d ever seen — a giant porcelain Dalek cookie jar.
Oh my yes. It’s got really nifty-looking gold-colored knobs all over it and a telescoping robotic manipulator rod, and the head twists off and everything. (It doesn’t scream "EX-TER-MI-NATE!!!" when I walk by in the morning to make coffee in the kitchen, but hey, nobody’s perfect). And no worries — nothing so messy as a COOKIE is ever going to crumble and muck up the innards of The Coolest Thing I Own.
But my friends don’t get it. At best, they dubiously eye myliving-room mantle where the Dalek occupies a place of distinction,having recently displaced a photo of my grandmother. I can almost hearwhat they are thinking: How much could I get for this totally weird thing on eBay?
How about you, PopWatchers? Have you ever gotten anentertainment-related gift that blew your gourd but left your friendskinda baffled? Or how about the worst pop culture gift you’ve ever received? Now is your time to ‘fess!
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I haven’t gotten one yet, but I so very much want to own a bustedtees.(com) t-shirt. They are the best at pop culture statements.
Worst-my dad got me a huge model of the Enterprise (1701D) with about 10,000 parts. I may be a geek, but I’m a lazy geek and there’s no way I’m putting together 10,000 of anything.
My step dad got a Star Trek TNG phaser remote control from his cheap sister about 20 years ago. I inherited the gift, as he hated it (and he’s a bigger trekkie than i).
About two years ago I got a Force FX lightsaber for Xmas. I love that it makes swooshing and clash sounds, but my wife hates the way it takes up so much space.
But the best pop culture gift I ever got is my replica “Warriors” vest. My mom hooked it up for my birthday two years ago, and it was used for my halloween costume a few days later. My wife hates the vest, but to me it’s a prized possession. I wear it every time I watch the warriors, play the warriors ps2 game, or go out in central park to fight with those baseball gang guys.
Seinfeld was a “Show about Nothing”.
This is an “Article about Nothing”.
I spent about two minutes looking around this page for the link to next page – to see how the story finishes. NO SECOND PAGE… no amusing saga. I re-read the article, twice. In my best Costanza voice, “It’s an article – about nothing!”
Lazy… geek… we get it. Not too lazy to write a story – ABOUT NOTHING – tho. I could do that.
[apparently I just did]
One day, out of the blue, a package arrived for me at boarding school. Inside were Shock, Lock, and Barrel dolls (from the Nightmare before Christmas) sent by my dad. It’s still easily the best present I’ve ever received. Although these days, I’d love a little mini Tardis…
Hey tia, if you like bustedtees.com, check out luckythreadz.com as well!
Here’s my personal favorite, a visual explanation of the term “butterface”
http://www.luckythreadz.com/images/placeholder.gif
Sorry, bad link. Here it is:
http://www.luckythreadz.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=299&name=Butterface
A couple years ago, my sister got me an 8×10 replica of the Shaun Cassidy poster I had hanging in my room as a kid in the 70s (you know the one, where he’s all backlit wearing his powder blue satin jacket). It has proudly adorned my walls (currently my refrigerator) since. Whenever someone new comes to my apartment, at some point I get a question asked incredulously “Is that Shaun Cassidy???” I am very proud that it is!
@Sad_Geek: Wow, you are sad! I’m sorry Santa put an authentic replica of Rudy’s Notre Dame varsity jacket under your Christmas tree. But I don’t think you’re a real geek, cause any real geek would have to admit that an imperial Dalek cookie jar is just about the coolest thing on earth.
My own best entertainment-related gift: fishing lures shaped like Homer Simpson.
And a runner-up to the imperial Dalek cookie jar:
http://www.earthlab.net/notes/?p=12
Best entertainment related gift? Well that could be any of the Star Wars toys I had between 1977-1983 and I was lucky enough to have most of it. But my favourite of those would be the remote controlled R2-D2.
I also really dug the Six Million Dollar Man dol…uh…action figure. It had the “bionic eye”, it was some kind of tiny binocular lens and if you looked through the back of Steve Austin’s head, you could see things up close.
Sweet cookie jar! I own a Sonic Screwdriver which I adore. It’s got the sounds, the light AND the extending thing.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/cubegoodies/8cff/
@Ford_Imperfect… haha… lump of coal… LUMP OF COAL!… my fellow geek. No nasty gifts here – given or received. Worst ever two minutes – holiday gift – holiday morning – a signed/autographed
Bobby Sherman poster – Mom got it for big sis – but, due to excessive alchohol consumption the night before (hangin’ w/ Santa) she plopped a “Sad_Geek” nametag on it. Sis cried, Mom sobbed… I gave a feral 8-yr/old sneer and miracle of miracles – sis had the best gift ever – I haven’t spoken to Mom since…
Oh Boy! I am the one who usually gives pop culture gifts!! Just sent a buddy a set of dog tags from BSG! All my kids were given a personalized Stargate Clock, they would groan everytime it was on-I love that show! The list goes on and on
I however recently received a sterling silver ring with two cylon raiders on it! (re-imagined) I wear it proudly!!
That’s pretty cool. I confess I desperately wanted the Face of Boe action figure, but it has sold out. I can only hope I’m getting it for Christmas.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/313ighmeeiL._AA227_.jpg
Forgot-how pathetic is this? my car is painted to look like a Ga’ould death glider!
Worst. Gift. Ever: my husband, about five years ago, surprised me with a matched set of busts of Scully and Mulder. Now, I loved the X Files (pre season 8). But the disembodied heads of Scully and Mulder? Ewwwww. Where the heck were we going to put those? In the living room? Uh, a world of no. To this day they remain in their boxes at the top of my closet in the back. Way back. He paid too much for them and now I wouldn’t be able to GIVE them away on Ebay. Yikes.
Back when “Fellowship of the Ring”,theaters gave out two-sided bookmarks,such as-
1)Boromir/Orcs
2)Aragorn/Arwen
3)Gandalf/Hobbits
4)Frodo/Galadriel
Of course,the Frodo/Galadriel is my precious bookmark. My favorite fantasy couple of all time!
How about the complete set of “Battlestar Galactica” blueprints. Every ship, from the Battlestar to the Viper and everything inbetween. Mind you I got this back when the ORIGINAL BSG was on the air. Came across them while digging through some old boxes. Should be worth something on eBay to some fanatic
I covet the Dalek cookie jar!
PEARS IN A BASKET!!!!!!
I got a Sonic Screwdriver this year. But the best gift in that genre I ever got (very much in that genre) was a hand-made Fourth Doctor scarf. My girlfriend learned to knit to make it for me.
My Grandparents were told to get me the Matrix Trilogy when it came out, for Christmas. My Grandmother had selected what I was told was simple, boring little box of three. But my Grandfather saw the Neo bust in the 10 disc set and said ‘we’re getting her this’ My grand father is a 75 year old retiree, he is just so sweet.
My in-laws got me the Oprah Box set last year, along with the companion book… I have no idea why. I’ve never even cracked the case open. Wonder if I could get rid of them on Ebay…
Best gift I ever got was Galadriel’s ring Nenya from the Lord of the Ring. I still wear it all the time. My friends just think I’m a geek, but I love it!
Best Pop culture gift I’ve ever recieved… A My Little Pony hand-painted to look like Cloud from Final Fantasy: Advent Children. It’s something of an inside joke, but my Cloud-pony occupies a place of honor on a shelf right by my front door and he makes me grin like a fool every time I see him.
A close runner up is the stuffed Monster Book of Monsters from Harry Potter that I got for my 26th birthday from a couple of friends. You pull on its tongue and it vibrates and bounces across the floor (sorta…) just like the one in the movie. I almost managed to get the actors who play Fred and George and Neville to sign it at DragonCon but ran out of time/money. *Weeps*
Why yes, I am an unrepentant nerd and I am indeed proud of it.
I’ve gotten the Star Wars and the Star Trek ship ornaments from my mom every year.
I converted a bookcase into “space” complete with stars (wallpaper) and spraypainted those Christmas single-ornament hangers black to blend in with the background. Looks like all the ships are floating in space.
I’m starting to run out of room…
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i know this is really late, but this year I got a t-shirt that says Party Like It’s 5.5/APPLE/26. Which is the year the sun exploads in Doctor Who.