I didn't think much about how much power toys came with until I started shopping for my nephew this holiday season. And I'm not talking about the 18 AAs you'll have to buy to make the new gadgets go. As I perused catalogs and toy sites, I realized that the messages toys send to children are powerful. So here's a list of some cool finds that will help you beget the best gift of all: kindness.

For the Outdoor Explorer: Instead of giving JCPenny's Hunting Set, give Family Pastimes Walk in the Woods Cooperative Game from KidBean.com: Can a kid ever have too many friends? Friendly fauna abound in the Walk in the Woods Cooperative Game. Lions and tigers and bears—oh yes!

For the Aquatic Adventurer: Instead of giving Wonderworld's Wooden Fishing Puzzle, give PETA's Sammy the Sea Kitten plush: Pieces of cold, stiff wood that simulate the suffering of fish or the cuddly soft fins of PETA's Sammy the Sea Kitten plush toy? Um, do we even need to ask?

For the All-Star MVP: Instead of giving Nokona's kangaroo-leather baseball glove, give Carpenter Trade Co.'s custom-synthetic baseball glove: Synthetic and sympathetic gear—always a perfect catch.

For the Fledgling Foodie: Instead of giving McDonald's Food Cart by Creative Designs, give Majesco's Gardening Mama video game. What's cuter than the one-and-only Gardening Mama herself? A kid with a green thumb. (And for the cost-conscious, play our super-new, super-free New Super Chick Sisters video game.)

For the Wildlife of the Party: Instead of giving Brookstone's Frog-O-Sphere, give the LED Jellyfish Mood Lamp from ThinkGeek.com: a party on your kid's desk—every day of the year? Just turn on the psychedelic-chic brilliance of an LED Jellyfish Mood Lamp.

For the Showbiz Superstar: Instead of giving Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for Nintendo Wii by 2K Play, give Cynthia King Dance's vegan ballet slippers: Classy, elegant, and cruelty-free—they're a budding ballerina's dream come true!

Happy holiday shopping!

Posted by Logan Scherer

BabyGirlCigars/Creative Commons

For those of you who haven't heard yet, I'm a new dad! And I've been giving out these cigars all over the office for the past few of days to celebrate. Granted, I'm celebrating the birth of an amazing new internet marketing campaign, not a baby, but hey, my work is all I’ve got . . . so just humor me, OK?

You see, I've been working on this Super Chick Sisters game (for those that haven't been a teenager at any point in the last 23 years or so, it is a parody of, like, probably the most popular video game in human history, Super Mario Brothers) for what seems like the better part of my adult life. And to be honest, the process has been a lot like what I imagine having a baby must be like, minus the super fun part at the beginning and the gross part at the end though. But now that all the work is done and the game is out there, I gotta say, I'm a damn proud Papa.

Don't get me wrong, there are a ton of people to thank for this little bundle of joy, not the least of which is Karen, who spent God only knows how many hours making changes based on my latest whims. And dear dear Paula, who bless her sweet little lawyerly heart, actually thought that a koopa was a contagious disease when the game's concept was first thrown her way.

My excitement comes not just for finishing the game—but because it's already been extremely successful! It's gotten great pick up on super popular blogs and gaming sites. All in all over 100,000 folks have been to KentuckyFriedCruelty.com in the past couple days to play the game (and learn about how chickens killed for KFC are crueltly treated)! Best of all it's received over 1k diggs on digg.com, driving massive traffic to the game. So play the game, and if you enjoy it give it a digg yourself, or at least tell everyone you know to go play it.

And one more thing. I'm not giving up the cheat codes, no way.