MY DAD’S
A GENIUS

Moms buy 95% of it. Our 5% is the good stuff.

Moms buy almost everything a kid owns, and they are right to. This is about the small share dad picks — the thing nobody needed, that gets remembered for a decade.

Every find gets a Genius Score out of 100. It is not a quality rating and it is not a review: it scores how hard this is to justify and how certain it is that he will buy it anyway.

This week’s finds · 12 things

Tootles X-Large 16-Inch Scented Plush

86

His epic blasts send him into the sky.

SIZE
16 IN
PRICE
$100
MOM APPROVAL
ABSOLUTELY NOT

no thinking occurred

Where to get it scentcoinc.com

36 Inch Giant Inflatable Pickle

72

Juggle a 36-inch inflatable pickle for whimsical fun.

SIZE
36 IN
AGE
3+
PRICE
$35
MOM APPROVAL
WITHHELD

no thinking occurred

Where to get it gagworks.com

Easy Sqweezy Pets Giant Stretchy Cat

71

Easy Sqweezy Pets Giant Stretchy Cat can be stretched.

RANGE
5 FT
AGE
3+
PRICE
$35
MOM APPROVAL
WITHHELD

no thinking occurred

Where to get it learningexpressgifts.com

UFO Rocket Launcher Sprinkler Water Toys

70

The thoughtful design sprays water in a perfect circle pattern.

SIZE
10 FT
AGE
3+
PRICE
$87
MOM APPROVAL
WITHHELD

no thinking occurred

Where to get it thelittlelearnerstoys.com

Jungle Jumparoo w/ Rope Swing

65

Develop holes when inflated in the spring.

SIZE
15 IN
PRICE
$498
MOM APPROVAL
PENDING

the one he will still talk about next year

Where to get it junglejumparoo.com

How the score works

Three things move it. Spectacle — can you tell what it does from across a room. Magnitude — size, speed, height, volume, or price doing something indefensible. Mom approval — inversely. A find that everyone agrees about scores badly.

Nothing here is a paid placement and no link earns us a commission. We find these ourselves and link to whoever sells them, usually the manufacturer. If that ever changes, this line changes with it and the disclosure goes above the find, not in the footer.

Prices and availability are whatever they were when we found it. Check before you buy, and check the age rating — we print it, but the seller’s is the one that counts.