BREAKING: Shots fired at Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles; possible hostage situation
LIVE REPORT | Last Updated: 43 mins ago
CENTURY CITY, CA–LAPD, SWAT, and FBI are surrounding Nakatomi Plaza at this hour after an LAPD officer was reportedly fired upon. The officer, Sergeant Al Powell had stopped by the building after receiving what was initially reported as a false fire alarm on the 32nd floor.
Sources on location have revealed that there was an office christmas party happening on or near that level and the participants are the only known hostages at this time.
A short time later in what was at the time believed to be a prank, a call was received by local police. The caller speaking on a restricted police band had stated that terrorist had in fact taken over the building and had killed at least one hostage.
A civilian has taken this photo of an armed man on the 32nd floor. It’s unclear whether this is a terrorist or one of the hostages:
UPDATE: Facial recognition software has identified the man in the photo as former police detective John McClane but “He clearly looks like a crazed hostile,” one witness noted.
Our sources will continue to work closely with Sergeant Al Powell (pictured below) for updates as more details emerge throughout the evening.
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Last Updated: 43 Minutes ago
We must say we were VERY excited to learn that Oprah had chosen our Animal Ski Masks to be featured in the 'Oprah's Favorite Things' issue this year! The December issue hit the shelves and mailboxes on Nov 15th and is always her most popular edition. People just can't seem to get enough of her recommended products, especially in the lead up to Christmas!
In this edition our Ski Masks were chosen to be placed on 'The Gratitude Meter', with the heading "From AWWW to Awesome". In this recurring section, Oprah and other staff members choose the top 5 items each month that make them smile. Being the only actual product chosen this month, we were humbled and got to grace the section alongside Ellen Degeneres!
It wasn't an easy decision though as the Oprah staff reportedly had a hard time deciding between our 'Murphy Dog' ski mask and the 'Happy Cat' style, but in the end the cat lovers won the debate and our Happy Cat made the final cut. No matter the featured product, we are just very happy to be thought of!
> View all the Beardo Animal Ski Masks
Coming up with Christmas gift ideas is harder than ever it seems and to really get that “WOW” moment on Christmas morning takes some serious thinking and a lot of shopping around to find the perfect gift! You don't want to be the type of giver who tries to get away with just grabbing some gift cards, lottery tickets or pre-wrapped chocolates! That's why we've put together our list of the best gifts of 2022.
With more seemingly new and exciting products on the market than ever before (some of which are back-ordered to the moon) we wanted to take the time to highlight our top Christmas gifts for the year! Some are sold out, some are not, but either way, these are the best gift ideas that your family and friends will TRULY Love! In no particular order:
Custom Pet Photo Pillow
Pets are the best aren't they? This is a great gift for yourself or a friend! Check it out at www.santasocks.com
Bookstore scented candle
For the book lover in your life! A cute little find on Etsy, besides the bookstore scented candle, this seller has a huge range of fun and unique soy candles.
The Floor Is LAVA! - The GAME
This is one of my son’s (age 8) absolute favorite games. We have a blast playing as a family. Being able to adjust the difficulty was a good idea and by putting the pieces closer or further apart it is helpful when playing with younger kids or when trying to make it harder.
Something Totally Different BY MoldyCreations
We realize it may not be a perfect gift for your granny, but there is no denying that a handmade gift is always a great idea! Joe Rowles from Moldycreations is a madly talented artist and has been making some utterly disgusting designs and selling though his ETSY shop. From phone cases, to wine glasses, these will shock or delight most people on your list, hopefully both! Check out his designs here
Ugly Christmas Suit - by Shinesty
Forget about the ugly Christmas Sweater this season and take a look at the ugly Christmas suits from Shinesty! These guys are hilarious and a lot of fun and it shows through their product designs! We highly recommend you browse their stuff for some serious shopping, or just for a laugh! They even have ugly Christmas dresses for the ladies!
GROWN® Wooden Sunglasses
GROWN® is the pioneer of wood sunglasses and they even got a deal on the TV show Shark Tank! Their polarized wood sunglasses are Handcrafted from FSC certified wood. As if that wasn’t enough, for every pair that is bought, GROWN® pays for sight-restoring eye-surgery for 1 person or diagnostic eye examinations for 12 children! Shop for Wood Sunglasses
Support your Local Restaurants
More than ever your local restaurants and cafes are feeling squeezed. You can help by giving your family or friends gift cards to support those business owners in your community that may be in need of the extra boost. Besides that, food is always a good gift!
APPLE Airpods
You’ve seen them everywhere. Those wireless Apple earbuds that are on the ears of every commuter and jogger alike. Though we were initially skeptical of how well AirPods actually worked, they turned out to be our favorite wireless earbuds.
Retro Boardgames
Why buy new when you can find some really awesome retro boardgames in your local facebook marketplace? Operation, Trump and Risk are just a few we have come across. Have a quick look and we think you'll find something fun and even obscure. Just look at how much fun the happy asshole above is having...that could be you!
PUGG Lumberjack slippers by POOK
We do love our lumberjack stuff! If you like your UGG boots as much as we do, then you'll love these PUGGS! Pook has been making fun and unique products for years, and this year they came out with a real winner in the PUGGS. Shop for them here.
Weighted Gravity Blanket
Weighted blankets have become increasingly popular because not only are they comfortable, but the extra weight has a calming effect. When we tested some, we found we liked snuggling up with the Gravity Blanket the most. This would be a great gift for anyone who loves cozying up with a warm cup of tea or needs an extra stress reliever in their life.
Retro 80's T-shirts
Everything comes back again... or maybe they just never went out of fashion! Truly though, everyone appreciates a good t-shirt, and 80's Tees has the widest range we have ever seen! Check them out
Beardo® Animal Ski Masks
We can’t help but include our new Animal Ski masks as an awesome Christmas Gift, they are simply too cool! Skiiers and Snowboarders just can’t get enough of them and with 23 fun styles to choose from, there’s a design for everyone!
The favorite design this season is this one by far.
Massage Guns!
The whole World has some pent up stress right now, and depending on where you are you may not be able to get a massage! A wireless massage gun may be just what you or your loved ones need right now. These range in price from $100-400 and come with a range of functions, but I am sure you'll find one that works well for you. try to relax..
Pie Face! Just look at that happy little psychopath!
We know we mentioned board games above, but this one deserves special mention! It is no longer new, but probably easier to get this year! You're in for a night full of laughs and pie faces with this game. The pie-throwing arm can go off at any minute. Just make sure it's not your turn when it goes off! This is good fun for any age and a good chance for adults to get back at kids in the cutest way possible. You can buy it here
Ancestry DNA Test
If you fancy something a little different this Christmas, why not give someone you know an Ancestry DNA test, which can reveal a person's genetic ethnicity and can even uncover new family connections. The kits cost just over $100 from the Ancestry website. Using a simple saliva sample, the DNA data provides a prediction of the locations of ancestors from 26 separate world-wide populations. Very cool.
If you're lucky (or smart) enough to already have any of these gifts in your possession - well done! You are a true hero-gift giver! If you think we missed something, let us know in the comments, we would love to hear from you about what you think is the best Christmas gift idea of the year!
Making the Decision to Enter the Shark Tank
Going on a TV show like Shark Tank or Dragons Den can definitely be a daunting task but as I have pitched businesses on BOTH shows (and accepted an investment offer from 2 Sharks), I wanted to shed some light on the whole process so you can be fully prepared, and not look like a dick!
Applying for Shark Tank
The application process is fairly straightforward and because the information and forms are readily available online, I am not going to say too much on this, but there are some very important points to consider. When applying for any TV show, you need to know WHO you are actually applying to – by that I mean the producers, not the sharks or dragons (actually the investors have NO say on the approval of applicants and NEVER know who is coming through the door to pitch next).
The main goal of any producer is to create great content and ultimately a TV show that is entertaining above all else. It’s worth keeping in mind that they do not care about getting you an investment, or what happens after the episode and their only objective is to make viewers laugh, cry, hate or love. What does that mean for you? … Simple! Show the producers by way of your application (and video pitch) that you have an interesting idea/product or that you are an entertaining character! During the application, do not be afraid to show off and gloat about your achievements because this is the only chance you’ll have to impress and ‘wow’ them, so take full advantage of it!
Preparing your Shark Tank Pitch
Know your investors – Do your research about the investors so that you know what they are looking for, what connections they may have and what interests them. An easy first step is to watch the show! When I was pitching to the sharks, I had no idea who they were while applying, but within a few days I got to know everything about them including family, social media, background and even current investments. There is a lot of information online, so get into it!
Know your numbers – Not knowing your numbers is the biggest mistake people can make and it takes very little time to find out. If you approach any investor with a pitch and don’t know your financials you will fail horribly, or worse – get taken advantage of! There is no excuse for not knowing your financials and if you are in need of support, seek the advice of an accountant. To make it easier on you, here are some basics that you’ll need to know:
- Gross Sales
- Net Profit
- Cost of goods (The cost delivered to you, your wholesale cost and RRP)
- Profit margin – What % of your revenue is profit.
- Projected sales for the current year (and know how you got that projection)
- Sales to date (current year)
- Your current Inventory amount and the retail value of that
- Gross sales to date by year (last 3 years)/ what was your net profit each of those years.
Remember: If something doesn’t sound right, you need to have a good explanation.. For example. If last year your sales were 100k, and your profit was small or a loss of -10k, that’s a red flag, and they will ask questions!
TIP: Watch the show and for each question asked, make sure you would be able to answer it!
How to determine the value of your company - This is the question that potential shark tank pitchers ask me the most. It’s hard to determine true value of anything let alone a business, but one method is to look at revenue- If the business sells $100,000 worth of goods per year, you can think of it as a $100,000 revenue stream and typically, businesses are valued at a multiple of this yearly revenue. The multiple will depend on the industry, but generally somewhere between 2-6 times earnings. Check our this handy resource.
Other factors that you may want to consider are: value of inventory and assets, debt owing (if any), and if you are about to reach a period of large growth (be it because of industry changes, new customers or large purchase orders for example).
... But what if I have no revenue? Valuing a startup with no revenue is tricky and there is no exact formula, but over everything else, you’ll need to show value in the outcome of what your goal is – basically you need to have a plan and a good one! When I say ‘good’ I mean a measurable and attainable goal that you can show to the investors, and one that is believable. If you can demonstrate that a return on investment is likely, then the risk is dampened and you’ll have a far better chance of receiving an investment. Don’t get me wrong, the sharks love a bit of risk, but it must be a calculated risk!
Remember! The value of a deal is not always about the cash you’ll receive, but the value of the connections and experience that the shark or dragon investor can bring to the table. EVERY shark or dragon investor has a lifetime of connections and tapping into those that will work best for you should be your main priority. Put simply, you are selling a share in your business in exchange for the perfect partner, not looking for a loan, or cash injection.
Have a realistic asking price - Let’s be honest, many businesses go onto shark tank or dragons den for TV exposure and have no interest in obtaining an actual investment. The big tell? An astronomical asking price!
There is absolutely nothing wrong with using shows like Shark Tank or Dragons Den as a tool to market your product or company, but you also don’t want to look like a dick! Be realistic about the value of your company and remember, you can always turn down an offer during filming, or afterwards.
What percentage of my business should I offer the Sharks? - Remember how I said producers are only looking to make interesting TV? Well, 10% of a 100k company is not interesting! If your company is not worth over 1m and growing very fast, investors would not be interested in 10%.. it’s simply not worth their time, and the producers know this will not translate to good TV.
Producers want to hear that you are willing to offer 25-40%, they will never say it or force you to offer more than you are willing to give, but it will help you to increase your chances for getting onto the show. Don’t worry though, once you get past the gatekeepers (producers) and walk through the door to pitch, you can offer whatever you like.
What Happens at the Studio
Congratulations on being selected and passing the mandatory psychological evaluation! You can find comfort in the fact that a professional believes that you are sane and now your day has come!
After being put through some basic hair and makeup and possibly a quick interview with the host of the show, you’ll be sent to the waiting room. This doesn’t sound like much but is arguably the hardest part of the whole process.
Usually a day is made up of 8-10 pitches (half in morning and half after lunch) so you’ll have 4-5 other groups around you in the waiting room nervously reciting their pitch and rocking back and forth in their seats. Their stress is usually unnecessary and caused by too much preparation and the fear that they will suddenly forget their pitch. For this reason I highly suggest you rehearse, but not recite!
When it’s time, you’ll be escorted from the waiting room to the doors of the Shark Tank or Dragons Den. From here (outside the set) you can see that the epic stage you’ve seen on TV is made up of nothing more than thin wooden walls. You’ll then be counted down from 10 and shoved into the hallway.
TIP: After your initial introduction and pitch (up to 2 mins) the questions will be coming from all angles. The sharks will ask you what they want, when they want, so Instead of writing a long script and trying to plan the whole experience, just make notes about your best highlights, selling points and of course your financial info.
As you walk down the corridor of large televisions with sharks playing on them a cameraman with a chest-mounted camera will lead the way. The doors automatically open and you put on your bravest face as you enter the Shark Tank. You walk to your mark on the floor (usually a small piece of tape) and stand silently for 1 minute. That’s right! … you have to stand in front of these 5 sharks while the cameras get into position, which typically takes 45 seconds – 1 minute. Once the cameras are out of site, hidden behind their one-way mirrors or lurking in the dark, you’ll here the producer say “begin”.. and it’s showtime!
Making your elevator pitch is the easy part and ironically it’s the part you have been most fearful of, but it will go fast and in no time you’re fielding questions like a pro! Just have fun with it!
Although the pitches you are used to seeing are abut 5-10 minutes long, you’ll spend much longer discussing the business but most will be heavily edited. During my Dragons den pitch for example, I spent about 35 minutes total in the Den with a final edit of about 9 minutes. On Shark tank I was in there for over an hour, but the final edit was 12 minutes.
TIP: try to get in early – Not that you’ll always be given an option, but if you ask to go first or second, you may get lucky! Your nerves will thank you too because you will not having to wait for the impending pitch as others go in front of you. Nervousness is contagious and the waiting room may have a few worry warts that will stress you out. Filming constantly goes longer than expected, so if you are told you’ll be on at 11, it will likely be more like 1.. and that extra 2 hours sucks! It will drain your energy, and there is a chance you will over rehearse which will take the fresh edge off your hard-earned pitch. On top of that, filming for the investors and crew is intensive and lasts for weeks, so they get over it pretty quick! Everyone seems to be happiest in the morning. Right before lunch tempers may be at their peak and after lunch energy levels are down.
After your Shark Tank Pitch
Congrats, because you’ve officially been tossed in with dragons or sharks and (most likely) lived to tell about it…. But don’t get too excited because per your contract you can’t actually talk about it! Unless you secured a deal, you won’t likely ever see the sharks or dragons again and you’ll have to wait several months until the episode is aired. If you did secure a deal, you’ll be contacted by the sharks or Dragons and will have to meet with them to undergo contract signing and due diligence. Things may change at this point, including your deal, so be prepared. How many Shark tank deals fall through? It’s estimated about half of the deals you see made on the show actually get through to signing, and on Dragons Den, it’s been estimated to be less, at about 25%!
Time for your Shark Tank Episode to Air!
Once you know your pitch will be aired, you need to prepare! This is your chance to increase your exposure to the max and gain as many new fans and customers as possible. The first thing you need to do is make sure your site doesn’t crash. You’ll need to make sure your server can handle at least 75,000 concurrent connections. My personal tip: if you are not already using Shopify, make the switch!
Advertising
Contact your local news and newspapers to get extra free publicity. Every media outlet love a local story and your community will be talking! Some other useful marketing tools will be Facebook and Retargeting options that will let you advertise to the tv show fans directly and even retarget all the visitors that visited you, but did not buy. You can consider a special offer or discount if you really wanted to. Also you may want to consider placing google search ads for the week after your episode airs.
How much will I sell? - Inventory levels - make sure you have enough! I can’t stress this enough. The actual sales made from a shark tank episode going to air varies but it’s not uncommon to have a thousands, or even tens of thousands in sales after your episode airs. It depends on a number of factors, but if your product is a gift under $100, you can expect to do very well!
Capture emails – Be setup to capture as many emails as possible and grow your subscriber base. You may want to put a popup on your home screen, or offer 10% off for new subscribers. The more emails you can collect now, the more potential customers you can directly contact later!
Lots to do! - Be prepared for a lot of contact on the night! I didn’t get to see the last part of my episode because I was answering emails as soon as they came in. This was so that the first contact with our company was an excellent one! This also goes for social media too- you will no doubt receive lots of messages, followers, well wishers and probably some haters too. Be setup to reply right away and keep your fans as active as possible. You can also pre-schedule your social media posts to help take off the pressure – after all you will have a lot going on that night with 3 airings of your episode! Oh – you didn’t know that? Yes, your episode will air 3 times on the same night due to different national feeds! That means you’ll receive 3 spikes in traffic an hour apart. Get the coffee out because it’s going to be a long night for you!
When you’re hot, you’re hot!
Even if you didn’t strike a deal on shark tank, you’ll receive plenty of offers from private investors after the show goes to air. This will be on top of the newly interested wholesalers, radio, tv shows and even events that want to have you as guest speaker! It’s all very nice and humbling, but don’t get too caught up in it because that will only last a short time! So take full advantage on everything you are offered.
Repeats are your best friend. Something you don’t hear about much is the repeated episodes. This is great because you’ll have a little mini spike in sales and traffic and at first you won’t know why. It could be months or years later, but is always awesome and you can relive the thrill all over again! My Dragons Den episode has gone into syndication and I am lucky to say that it has aired over 8 times! My Shark Tank Episode is newer, but has still repeated 3 times.
TIP: You may be asked by the network to sell them some product at wholesale cost so that they can have it listed on their website at the time of airing. I would suggest that you do not do this for the fact that once people see the episode they will end up on your site anyway. By selling to the network you are really just giving away your profits to them!
In the End, it's all good!
No matter the outcome of your pitch, just remember that it's all good. Good for your business by getting massive exposure, and good for you for trying new things and putting yourself out there. At the end of it you will know more about yourself, your business and that's never a bad thing.
Lately I have been mentoring and preparing a number of individuals and companies as they set to take on the shark investors of Shark Tank. Whether you are pitching beard hats on Shark Tank or pizza on Dragons Den, you need to be prepared. Feel free to email me if you are in need of some mentoring.
We at Beardo have been accepting Bitcoin payments for over 3 years now and have noticed a significant increase in bitcoin transactions over that time. Though this has a lot to do with an increasing awareness of bitcoin due to media reports and the skyrocketing BTC-USD value, but even before the recent ‘Bitcoin boom’ usage was on the rise.
So, what is bitcoin?
Simply put, bitcoin is a form of digital currency, created and held electronically. No one controls it and bitcoins cannot simply be printed, like dollars or euros. Instead, bitcoin is created digitally, by a community of people that anyone can join, in a process referred to as ‘mining’.
Why use bitcoin over traditional forms of payment?
Just like many of todays startups like UBER, AIRBNB and even AMAZON, people care about only a few things: Low Costs, Convenience, speed and security … and bitcoin checks them all.
Small online retailers and independent consultants often don’t sell their wares and services internationally because of expensive cross-border transaction fees. Bitcoin relieves the steep cost of going global, making cross-border payments easier, faster and cheaper. When you accept Bitcoin, you can accept payment from anyone anywhere in the world at the speed of an email!
With over 150,000 online merchants estimated to be accepting bitcoin as payment, it is quickly proving to be one of the hottest things to hit the tech world since the invention of the mobile app. At the time of publishing, other cryptocurrencies were making some amazing strides to knock down barriers and make accepting cryptocoins simple, and widespread. With a current value of over $5000 USD per bitcoin, one thing is for certain, bitcoin is here to stay.
While everyone is busy scouring the shelves for the BEST Christmas gift ideas this season, we’ve went against the grain to find the absolute worst. As the badness of gifts simply cannot be quantified, these gems are listed in no particular order. Enjoy.
Selfie Sticks
Unfortunately they probably won’t disappear for a while, but if you don’t buy one or ask for one, that is a good start for humanity. We won’t be providing a link for you.
Modesty Panels - Cleavage covers
Nothing says Merry Christmas like a subtle nudge telling your loved one to cover their cleavage. Clothes are hard enough to buy for someone, but we think that the Modesty Panels should be scratched off your list. Sorry guys.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
For the person you’re straight-up trying to kill, why not buy the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The phone is a literal deathtrap, and even if it doesn’t explode, it’ll cause the recipient a huge inconvenience considering it’s banned on all flights. Buy this one only for someone who truly deserves it.
GoPro Karma Drone
It was a good thought, but GoPro may have rushed their first drone to market just a bit too quickly. With their first 2500 drones being recalled promptly for falling out of the sky at random, the Karma Drone is best kept out of the air and on the shelf. If you want one though, you should be able to get it again on the GoPro site.
Anything From Katerina Kamprani
Katerina Kamprani is an architect and 3D modeler that likes to find creative and simple ways to completely ruin the effectiveness of common items. Very simple changes make for the absolute worst gifts. View them all.
Smoking Mittens
Yep, its a thing. But not a good thing. The ingenious lads at Suck Uk came up with this gem, and all they needed was a hole punch.
Bacon Vodka
We don’t have to tell you not to buy this, because their description does that all by itself: No tinge or burn on the tongue, no obnoxious smoky or chemical flavors, just a clean refreshing potato vodka with delicious savory bacon flavor.
Hand Fitness Trainer
It's like a weird futuristic wanking claw. Don't buy it, but if you do, its here.
A Donation in their name
We shouldn’t need to say it but if a donation is your idea of an epic gift, you are just the worst kind of person.
FlatEv - The Keurig of Tortillas
Jealous of your cousin’s beautiful kitchen? Why not ruin it with the Flatev... a gigantic, ugly machine that offers its user a ridiculously inconvenient way to make “homemade” tortillas. Despite its absurd size, the Flatev amazingly cooks just one tortilla at a time. It can’t cook homemade tortillas, because it won’t accept homemade dough: the Flatev only works with single-use tortilla pods sold by the company at US$0.79 apiece. It’s ugly and inconvenient, but anyone you purchase it for will feel obligated to use it whenever you’re around because it’s also very expensive.
Designed by Apple in California - Book
This costly coffee table book is full of photos of Apple’s products from the past twenty years. At a price of $300 you can actually buy some cool Apple products instead, but then I guess the coffee table would be bare. Buy it here
Whiskey Stones
One more for the drawer… you know, the drawer in the kitchen with all the other things you don’t use. Don’t get us wrong, these won’t water down your whiskey, but they will shatter your teeth when you take a sip. The Eternal Ice Cube can be bought here, in case you want to shatter someones dreams.
That's all we have this year, but we want to hear from you! Do you have any additions? Is there something you think we got wrong? Do you hate us because you already wrapped several of these gifts? That's fair. Let us know in the comments! Be sure to check out our BEST Christmas Gifts list of 2016 too!
Christmas shopping is easy if you’re the type of giver who can get away with grabbing some gift cards, lottery tickets and pre-wrapped chocolates. That’s all fine if it works for you, but to really get that “WOW” moment on Christmas morning, it takes some serious thinking and a lot of shopping around to find the perfect gift!
With so many new and exciting products on the market (some of which are back-ordered to the moon) we wanted to take the time to highlight our top Christmas gifts for 2016! Some are sold out, some are not, but either way, these are the unique gift ideas that your family and friends will TRULY Love! In no particular order:
CHiP Smart Cookie Oven
The Chip Smart Cookie Oven is kind of like a Keurig for cookies -- the counter top appliance is designed to bake just enough cookies for one person (or more if you're feeling generous). SideChef's raised $109,000 on Kickstarter to make the Chip a reality, and though you won’t get it before Christmas, it’s one hell of a gift! Order it here.
Hatchimals - Hatching Creatures
It’s a lot like the Furby, in an egg and people are going crazy for them! Using sensors and new technologies, a Hatchimal is a small, colorful animal that lives inside an egg when shoppers first bring it home. Through interacting with the egg and playing with it, you can encourage the egg to hatch. Eventually the Hatchimal breaks through its shell and reveals itself! Order a Hatchimal, some are even available right now!
GROWN® Wooden Sunglasses
No Christmas Gift list would be complete without listing product that doesn’t just look good, but does good too! GROWN® is the pioneer of wooden eyewear and they even got a deal on the hit TV show Shark Tank! Their wooden sunglasses are Handcrafted from FSC certified sustainable wood and all come with Polarized lenses. Each pair has a completely unique grain pattern, and no two pairs are identical. As if that wasn’t enough, for every pair that is purchased, GROWN® fully funds sight-restoring eye-surgery for 1 person or diagnostic eye examinations for 12 children! Shop for Wooden Sunglasses
Something Personalized or Customized
Personalized and customizable gifts are always a winner and show that you put a lot of thought into your shopping. These days you can get almost anything customized for that special someone, and this personalized mug is a good start! You can also head to Zazzle and shop for everything personalized!
Ugly Christmas Sweaters
Ugly sweaters have been trending for several years now, and this year is no different! One of our favorite shops for ugly-ass sweaters is Holiday Fury. They have a wide range of retro and unique sweaters that will make Christmas morning that much better.
This Kelly KaPOWski sweater is our personal favorite and was floating around the office all month!
Beardo® Animal Ski Masks
We can’t help but include our new Animal Ski masks as an awesome Christmas Gift, they are simply too cool! Skiiers and Snowboarders just can’t get enough of them and with 16 NEW styles to choose from, there’s a design for everyone!
The favorite design this season is this one by far.
Nintendo NES
The Worldwide struggle to bag a Nintendo NES is very real! The NES Classic is a miniaturized version of the groundbreaking NES, originally released in 1985. Just plug the NES Classic Edition into your TV, pick up that rectangular gray controller, and rediscover the joy of over 30 ore-loaded NES games. Good luck getting one, but if you do you are our hero!
UPDATE: many stores have already listed their restocked release dates in the next few days!
Pie Face! Just look at that happy little bastard!
You're in for a night full of laughs and pie faces with this game. The pie-throwing arm can go off at any minute. Just make sure it's not your turn when it goes off! This is good fun for any age and a good chance for adults to get back at kids in the cutest way possible. You can buy it here
DJI Mavic Pro Drone
Though it is on a bit of an order backlog, those lucky enough to already have the Mavic will notice some very cool things. Most notably the ability to fly up to 7km away at a top speed of 70km/hr, and the fact that it folds up to a size that can fit in your back pocket!
This very intelligent drone also has some awesome features that make it simple to fly (and hard to crash or break) and you can even stream to facebook live with the touch of a button! It’s not the cheapest gift at a cost of about $1700, but what are friends for right? Order it here.
Instant Camera
Who knew that Polaroids were going to make a comeback? Now with all different kinds of colored film to develop, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 instant cameras are the newest craze among millennials. What a magical time to be alive.
Ancestry DNA Test
If you fancy something a little different this Christmas, why not give someone you know an Ancestry DNA test, which can reveal a person's genetic ethnicity and can even uncover new family connections. The kits cost just over $100 from the Ancestry website. Using a simple saliva sample, the DNA data provides a prediction of the locations of ancestors from 26 separate world-wide populations. Very cool.
Heated Socks
These heated socks reach a maximum temperature of 131º F. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery and ultra-thin heating element provide up to 10 hours of warmth! They are a great addition to your winter wardrobe! Shop for them here
Wham-O Snowball Blaster
This blaster takes a snowball fight to a whole new level by launching up to three snowballs at a time. You’ll be amazed at how far they go and how accurate they are. It will give you an unfair advantage, or will help even the playing field if you’re not as good.
Time to go kick some ass!
Meddy Teddy
Inspire some peace on earth this Christmas and gift a little one (or yoga-lover!) a precious Meddy Teddy. The flexible bear snuggles just like any teddy, but also has a knack for bending his limbs to execute different yoga positions — in perfect form, of course. The new mantra for next year? Namaste. Check it out.
If you're lucky (or smart) enough to already have any of these gifts in your possession - well done! You are a true hero-gift giver! If you think we missed something, let us know in the comments, we would love to hear from you about what you think is the best Christmas gift idea of the year!
Animal Ski Masks
We have been shooting, editing and testing our awesome new animal balaclava designs for over a year now and after all the hard work (and an awesome photoshoot in Australia) it's paid off! We present to you, our Animal Ski Masks with ears! These are designed for Adults and Juniors, but we have found that they do fit some kids very, very well too!
Priced at only $34.99, you can't go wrong! Oh.. and if you spend over $75 within Canada or USA, the shipping is on us!
Our NEW fun & functional products will be released shortly as Winter approaches, but before that, we will be selecting over 100 fans and sending them Product Packs with a value ranging from $100-200.... for FREE! All we ask in return is that you take some fun photos and/or vids this winter wearing the products and doing what you do best! Then just upload to your Instagram or Facebook Page!
We have no requirements to enter but generally looking for people who:
- Live near snow & regularly gets out to play in it! (ski, snowboard, whatever!)
- If you don't live near the snow, that's ok! But you should be able to take other cool pics
- So clearly you'll need to have a camera, GoPro or Drone and know how to use it.
- Followers doesn't matter, but if you have a larger following, that would be bonus!
APPLY NOW: Think you're a good fit, or know someone who is?
All you have to do to be considered for a FREE Product Pack is Follow us on Instagram and Send us a private message there! We'll be taking a look at all who contact us and deciding over the coming weeks! We are stoked to release our new stuff to you! Good Luck!
We teamed up with 'Incredibeard' today for his latest Giveaway. 7 Winners will be chosen on Friday Nov 6th, and each will have their choice of an adult or kid Sized Battle Viking Beard Hat.
Click for Quick Entry and full details.
NEW STUFF! YAY! Our New styles include our most extreme creation to date - Our Battle Viking Beard Hat with Detachable & Adjustable Beards! We have also expanded our styles for the Kids, and added a Limited Edition Dire Wolf Snow & Ice Scraper.
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Inspire some peace on earth this Christmas and gift a little one (or yoga-lover!) a precious Meddy Teddy. The flexible bear snuggles just like any teddy, but also has a knack for bending his limbs to execute different yoga positions — in perfect form, of course. The new mantra for next year? Namaste. 
