Would you believe it if I told you that I own three of these? I do. The first one was given to me by my former carpool partner; a generous lady who took me to work everyday for about a year. I had given her a Flip camera since she just had a baby, and this was her thank-you gift. The second one was randomly given to me byDustin and Erin. The third one was sent to me by my friends at Crush & Lovely — this one was blue instead of black like the others. I haven’t decided which robot to put where. (One at work, one at home downstairs, one at home upstairs?)

• Price: $5.99
• Description:
  This is perhaps the coolest pencil sharpener ever to walk on its own. Just open its chest, insert a pencil, twist to sharpen, and remove your pointy pencil. By sharpening your pencil, you have secretly wound the 4” robot’s power core and it will now begin walking toward you (or in whatever direction it’s facing). The shavings empty into the robot’s cranial chamber, which can be easily opened for emptying. If you don’t have a pencil handy, just use the included key to wind up the robot. Either way, your robot will walk with delight. Sorry if it proceeds to tell you bad jokes, though.
• Where: Amazon

I am a sucker for windup robots. I bought one of these in a little gift shop in San Francisco. Amazon has them for less money than I spent (it figures).

• Price: $9.99
• Description:
  Build up an army of windup 3-inch robots, this little tin is a great place to start!
• Where: Amazon