Zero Blaster

September 12, 2002 11:16 AM

OK, no I guess I was the only one that thought this toy was cool (I have since bought one and enjoy it), but it would be hard to deny that the Zero Blaster is a very cool toy. See it in action.
posted by Sal Amander (19 comments total)

Sorry, I was distracted by a shiny object when I typed this. The word 'no' should be 'now'.
posted by Sal Amander at 11:20 AM on September 12, 2002

Is this for real or are they just blowing smoke (rings)?

(someone had to say it...)
posted by wanderingmind at 11:33 AM on September 12, 2002

You can build these yourself, including massive ones. Here's one version here.
posted by substrate at 11:43 AM on September 12, 2002

You can build these yourself, including massive ones.

Heck, you can do it with cigarette packages. Pull the plastic sleeve down a bit, burn a hole in the bottom with the lit cigarette, put some smoke in there, and gently push the sleeve back onto the package. Neat bar trick.
posted by starvingartist at 11:46 AM on September 12, 2002

Ze Blaster, it shoots nothing!
- R. Wolfcastle

Now with double the amount of radioactive isotopes!
posted by blue_beetle at 11:51 AM on September 12, 2002

Seriously, though, these look quite cool. I may have to get one for myself.

This also reminds me of a singularly odd sight I saw once while riding the train home - a running engine of some kind (possibly a tractor; I didn't get a very close look at the thing itself) with a long vertical exhaust pipe. It was spewing smoke in short percussive bursts, generating - you guessed it - smoke rings out the pipe, drifting every which way. The air was literally fill of rings. It was like a three-dimensional bowl of Cheerios, or a snow of donuts, with more and more rings being pumped out. I sat there agog until it was out of view.
posted by wanderingmind at 12:00 PM on September 12, 2002

Those of us who are of a certain age remember the Whammo Air Blaster which worked much the same way. We used talcum powder to see the puff of concentrated air it shot. And yes, I used mine to annoy my cats and sisters.
posted by ahimsakid at 12:02 PM on September 12, 2002

Seriously, though, these look quite cool. I may have to get one for myself.

Seriously, though, these look quite cool. I just bought one for myself.
posted by warhol at 12:07 PM on September 12, 2002

It's fun until someone pokes an eye out.
posted by sharksandwich at 12:09 PM on September 12, 2002

I remember a few years ago I bought a little plastic novelty toy called a "Smokey Dog". It was a little brown dog that came with tiny cigarettes you would put in his mouth and light. And he'd blow little tiny smoke rings.

A plastic dog that smoked! This is indeed the best of all possible worlds!

I'm pretty sure it was the teeny cigarettes themselves that blew the smoke rings, but still!
posted by Kafkaesque at 12:11 PM on September 12, 2002

Air Blaster! I loved that thing. :)
posted by Foosnark at 12:11 PM on September 12, 2002

Smoking plastic dogs? Feh. Kaf, you need some of these bad boys.
posted by yhbc at 12:17 PM on September 12, 2002

From the Playing Ring the Cat page: Not suitable for all cats. I guess it's only suitable for some cats.
posted by Samsonov14 at 12:25 PM on September 12, 2002

The iGandalf.
posted by dhartung at 12:33 PM on September 12, 2002

yhbc, those monkeys look rather like turds.

And it behooves me to mention that dogs smoking are, in fact, way way funnier than monkeys smoking.

That's just sad and wrong.
posted by Kafkaesque at 12:44 PM on September 12, 2002

and you can play such amazing games as "RING THE CAT!"

did anyone else see this video? the cat just sits there. what a faannnnntastic game!
posted by Satapher at 2:11 PM on September 12, 2002

Looks like something you're average stoner could modify into a killer bong... dude.
posted by Witty at 2:12 PM on September 12, 2002

it IS cool. i have one.

and the smoke smells like cherry!
posted by jcterminal at 8:49 PM on September 12, 2002

Just a "FYI"....The "fog" from fog fluid can be an asthma trigger to sensitive children and adults. having said that it looks COOL!!!!
posted by hoopyfrood at 7:09 AM on September 13, 2002