Enlarge ImageQoopy sounds like it could be real. Screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET A lot of my friends have chickens. I’ve thought about having chickens. I even coop-sat for some chickens once while my buddies were out of town. I like chickens and I love the thought of them having their own version of doggie day …

Enlarge ImageThis bears only a very passing resemblance to me. peanutizeme.com Remember back when “The Simpsons” movie came out in 2007? Everybody you knew was making their own using the movie marketing site’s character generator. The 2015 version of this phenomenon is peanutizeme.com, a place where you can make your own “Peanuts” character to match your physical characteristics. “Peanuts” has …

Enlarge ImageThe Loom Launcher Wizard is ideal for Harry Potter fans. Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET The Loom Launcher’s promo video on Kickstarter starts off in a suitably dramatic fashion, with designer Adrian van Wijk intoning about how the creation is “the first all-in-one, mechanical, 3D-printed, multi-shot rubber band launcher with a self-priming trigger.” Then it ascends into cat footage …

Enlarge ImageWho’s a good dog? You are! You are! Pooch Selfie Not all dogs are natural supermodels. Try to take a selfie with your canine and the fluffball is more likely to look off to the side at a squirrel or stare at that morsel of moldy bread it just noticed on the ground. If your Instagram feed is full …

Enlarge ImageDon’t take a bite out of this toaster snack. Falcon Toys A short time ago, at a breakfast in a galaxy far, far away, boutique toy maker Falcon Toys offered an inedible treat embossed with the body of Han Solo frozen in carbonite. The figure, called “Pop-Art: Frosted Han Solo,” is made to look like the iconic Pop-Tart toaster …

You could have a lamp on your desk. Or you could have a lamp that would be at home in a sideshow, fooling viewers into thinking it’s something it’s not. The Bulbing 2D/3D lamps from Studio Cheha on Kickstarter are a fun visual mind trick. When you look at the lamps from the front, they appear to have 3D shades, …

Enlarge ImageI “sizzled” this profile to the max. Screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET What if there was an app like Tinder, but the main thing you had to worry about in your quest for love (or hookups) was a mutual interest in bacon? That’s the idea behind Sizzl, a promotional-stunt app by bacon maker Oscar Mayer. Sorry, bacon-loving Android users, you …

Enlarge ImageThe sonic screwdriver lights up behind blue glass. Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET We can’t all have access to big-budget BBC prop shops. There are a lot of plastic “Doctor Who” sonic screwdriver replicas out there, but sometimes it’s more fun to make your own. DIY Prop Shop, a YouTube show dedicated to cheap make-it-yourself props, took on the …

You remember the Ostrich Pillow. Of course you do. You can’t forget it. It’s a large pillow you stick your whole head inside in order to block out the bustling world and get a quality nap. Plus, you can tuck your hands into it. It’s delightfully weird, and it’s a Kickstarter success story, having raised nearly $200,000 in 2012 to …

This time last year we were all sitting around speculating about the iPhone 6, wondering if a big version would be announced. It might feel like you’re stuck in “Groundhog Day,” because we’re at it again, pondering what features the iPhone 6S will sport when Apple unveils the new smartphone at its Wednesday event in San Francisco. Rumor watchers seem …