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Squishies
A squishy is a type of soft toy made of a specially formulated soft polyurethane foam, that slowly returns to its original shape after being squeezed. Squishies are manufactured into many different shapes and sizes, such as animals, fruits, and food items. They are often scented to match the object represented. The toy is also called kawaii squishy, ''kawaii'' meaning "cute" in Japanese. Originating in Japan, squishies became available in the US in the spring of 2017. In the following years, the toys become popular all over the world, Lauren Schwartzberg (2017):What’s the Next Fidget Spinner?. Article on the ''New York Magazinewebsite ''The Strategist'', dated 2017-08-24. Accessed on 2020-01-13. and have huge presence on social media (especially YouTube and Instagram). Squishies became popular among children and adolescents, but also among adults, for the tactile pleasure that one experiences squishing them — which is said to relieve stress.Annaliese Griffin (2017):Adult ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dimethylformamide
Dimethylformamide is an organic compound with the formula ( CH3)2NC(O)H. Commonly abbreviated as DMF (although this initialism is sometimes used for dimethylfuran, or dimethyl fumarate), this colourless liquid is miscible with water and the majority of organic liquids. DMF is a common solvent for chemical reactions. Dimethylformamide is odorless, but technical-grade or degraded samples often have a fishy smell due to impurity of dimethylamine. Dimethylamine degradation impurities can be removed by sparging samples with an inert gas such as argon or by sonicating the samples under reduced pressure. As its name indicates, it is structurally related to formamide, having two methyl groups in the place of the two hydrogens. DMF is a polar (hydrophilic) aprotic solvent with a high boiling point. It facilitates reactions that follow polar mechanisms, such as SN2 reactions. Structure and properties As for most amides, the spectroscopic evidence indicates partial double bond charact ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polyurethane Foam
Polyurethane products have many uses. Over three quarters of the global consumption of polyurethane products is in the form of foams, with flexible and rigid types being roughly equal in market size. In both cases, the foam is usually behind other materials: flexible foams are behind upholstery fabrics in commercial and domestic furniture; rigid foams are between metal, or plastic walls/sheets of most refrigerators and freezers, or other surface materials in the case of thermal insulation panels in the construction sector. Its use in garments is growing: for example, in lining the cups of brassieres. Polyurethane is also used for moldings which include door frames, columns, balusters, window headers, pediments, medallions and rosettes. Polyurethane formulations cover an extremely wide range of stiffness, hardness, and densities. These materials include: * Low-density flexible foam used in upholstery, bedding, automotive and truck seating, and novel inorganic plant substrates fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slime (toy)
Slime was a toy product manufactured by Mattel, sold in a plastic trash can and introduced in February 1976. It consisted of a non-toxic viscous, squishy and oozy green or other color material made primarily from guar gum. Different variations of Slime were released over the years, including Slime containing rubber insects, eyeballs, and worms. The late 1970s also introduced a Slime Monster board game; the object of the game was to avoid having your game piece slimed on by a foot-tall plastic monster that had slime oozing from its mouth. Other toy companies have produced their own slime such as Hordak's Slime Pit playset as part of the ''Masters of the Universe'' toys in the 1980s, and Ecto-Plazm play gel sold with selected figures in Kenner's '' Real Ghostbusters'' toy line. Playmates Toys' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figure line also had Retro-mutagen slime sold in containers and included with playsets. While the substance was considered non-toxic, it was extremely diffi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Novelty Items
Novelty (derived from Latin word ''novus'' for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual. Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an individual. From the meaning of being unusual usage is derived the concept of the novelty dance (a type of dance that is popular for being unusual or humorous); the novelty song (a musical item that capitalizes on something new, unusual, or a current fad); the novelty show (a competition or display in which exhibits or specimens are in way some novel); and novelty architecture (a building or other structure that is interesting because it has an amusing design). It is also this sense that applies to a novelty item, a small manufactured adornment, toy or collectible. These, in turn are often used as promotional merchandise in marketing. The Glossary of chess#N, chess term, novelty, is used for a move in chess which has never been played bef ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fidget Cube
The Fidget Cube is a small hand-held device designed by Matthew and Mark McLachlan, brothers and co-founders of the Colorado-based design studio Antsy Labs. It has fidget tools on all sides: a switch, gears, a rolling ball (marble), a joystick, a spinning disk, a worry stone, and five buttons. Reception In a positive review, ''The Verge'' described the cube as "basically a baby toy for adults". After its 2016 Kickstarter campaign, the Fidget Cube ranked tenth on the highest-funded crowdfunding projects See also * Fidgeting * Fidget spinner * Stress ball * Worry beads Worry beads or kombolói, kompoloi ( el, κομπολόι, , ''bead collection''; plural: , ) is a string of beads manipulated with one or two hands and used to pass time in Greek and Cypriot culture. Unlike the similar prayer beads used in many ... * Infinity Cube References Kickstarter-funded products 2010s fads and trends Mechanical toys Sensory toys {{toy-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Office Toy
An office toy (also known as an executive toy or a desk toy) is a novelty item typically placed on the desk of a corporate executive or other office worker. They have no work-related function, but are often intended to provide decoration or pleasure, relieve stress or inspire creativity.Hsiang Cheng 'Sam' Wang (2007) The Investigation of Office Toy. National Central Library The Newton's cradle is a classic example of an office toy. Functions Different types of office toys fulfill different needs for their users. Although providing pleasure and being decorative could be the two major functions in office toys, there are still some differences between each types of office toys. For example, puzzle-type toys can also help inspire creativity. A fidget spinner is an office toy that is used to reduce stress or boredom.James Plafke (2016Fidget Spinners Are The Must-Have Office Toy For 2017''Forbes, 23 December 2016. Design curator Donald Albrecht described executive toys as "aspirational" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Silly Putty
Silly Putty is a toy based on silicone polymers that have unusual physical properties. It bounces, but it breaks when given a sharp blow, and it can also flow like a liquid. It contains a viscoelastic liquid silicone, a type of non-Newtonian fluid, which makes it act as a viscous liquid over a long time period but as an elastic solid over a short time period. It was originally created during research into potential rubber substitutes for use by the United States in World War II. The name ''Silly Putty'' is a trademark of Crayola LLC. Other names are used to market similar substances from other manufacturers. Description As a bouncing putty, Silly Putty is noted for its unusual characteristics. It bounces but breaks when given a sharp blow; it can also float in a liquid and will form a puddle given enough time. Silly Putty and most other retail putty products have viscoelastic agents added to reduce the flow and enable the putty to hold its shape. The original coral-colored S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kinetic Sand
Hydrophobic sand (or magic sand) is a toy made from sand coated with a hydrophobic compound. The presence of the hydrophobic compound causes the grains of sand to adhere to one another and form cylinders (to minimize surface area) when exposed to water, and form a pocket of air around the sand. The pocket of air makes magic sand unable to get wet. A variation of this, kinetic sand, has several of the same properties, but acts like wet sand that will not dry out. Hydrophobic sand, whether the wet or dry type, will not mix with water. History The earliest reference to waterproof sand is in the 1915 book ''The Boy Mechanic Book 2'' published by ''Popular Mechanics''. The Boy Mechanic states waterproof sand was invented by East Indian magicians. The sand was made by mixing heated sand with melted wax. The wax would repel water when the sand was exposed to water. Magic sand was originally developed to trap ocean oil spills near the shore. This was done by sprinkling magic s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flubber (material)
Flubber (named from the film ''The Absent-Minded Professor''), Glorp, Glurch, or Slime is a rubbery polymer formed by cross-linking of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with a borate compound. Slime can be made by combining polyvinyl-acetate-based adhesives with borax. Reaction The gelation process entails formation of a borate ester that crosslinks the chains of the PVA. Borate esters form readily by condensation of hydroxyl groups and the B-OH groups. The individual polymer chains are bound together by weak hydrogen bonds. The resulting polymer network is composed of strands of polyvinyl alcohol held together side-by-side by the borate molecules. It is evident that this cross linking is weak because of the ease with which the slime flows and pulls apart. However, even though this cross linking is weak, it does alter the properties of the resulting polymer. Properties Flubber is a non-Newtonian fluid that flows under low stress, but breaks under higher stresses and pressures. This co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Language
is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been many attempts to group the Japonic languages with other families such as the Ainu, Austroasiatic, Koreanic, and the now-discredited Altaic, but none of these proposals has gained widespread acceptance. Little is known of the language's prehistory, or when it first appeared in Japan. Chinese documents from the 3rd century AD recorded a few Japanese words, but substantial Old Japanese texts did not appear until the 8th century. From the Heian period (794–1185), there was a massive influx of Sino-Japanese vocabulary into the language, affecting the phonology of Early Middle Japanese. Late Middle Japanese (1185–1600) saw extensive grammatical changes and the first appearance of European loanwords. The basis of the standard dialect moved f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
