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Car Dealership Idea: Hot Wheels Sign
If I were to open a car dealership the first order of business would be a sign, one that is essentially a giant Hot Wheels package containing an actual car.
Not only would it serve as eye-catching signage, but it would also serve to highlight a particular car - much like dealerships do when they place a single car on a ramp or display stand to make it stand out from the lot.
This sign would also illicit smiles from those who see it because it triggers feelings of nostalgia, particularly the experience of car shopping when you were a kid. Because back then all the cars were in card packages sitting on pegs.
This type of signage makes it clear the car is a purchase item, and also implies the car is really cool and fun to drive.
It would only work for car brands that had a few cool models in their lineup. Seeing a Mustang or Challenger enclosed in the sign is appropriate. A compact or a station wagon, not so much.
Reminds me of this Acura commercial from the early 90′s, which has the greatest tag line at the end:
While it would be nice to feature the Hot Wheels package design, you could easily make the card backing compliment the dealership in appearance (like the image above).
I imagine this would draw people just to take their picture with it. People love giant touristy things.
TMNT Blu-Ray Case
UPDATE (Aug 27/2012): There is now an official release of a TMNT collection in a turtles van which can be seen here.
This is my least original creation! And for a few reasons: there has already been a pizza-themed box set for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and this is a shameless rip-off of the excellent Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine DVD box set. However this being a design I would want to buy, I may as well throw it out there. Plus it was fun to make, so why not.
To be honest this started out as a slipcase, much like the View Askew design I did recently. I just decided to go full-bore and make the vehicle. It really could work as a simple box with the vehicle plastered all over the sides. I might still do that eventually.
In my estimation this would be close in size to the original TMNT van toy. As a result it could easily accommodate a few figures in the front cabin, much like the previously-mentioned Scooby-Doo design. If going with the slipcase alternate, then it would just hold normal Blu-Ray cases alone, nothing else.
I decided to go with the late 80′s/early 90′s cartoon era of TMNT for this design, though different styles could be issued for the films and the late 90′s/early 00′s version of the cartoon.
UPDATE (Aug 27/2012): There is now an official release of a TMNT collection in a turtles van. Below is a pic, more details can be found here.
Traffic Light Idea
They already use arrow shapes for traffic lights (turn signals) and person/hand shapes for pedestrian crossing lights, so why not assign specific shapes to the standard traffic light?
Red would be represented by an octagon shape, already established in its use for stop signs. Amber would be represented by a triangle (or a diamond shape, see below), which is often used in symbols of caution or warning. Green would still be circular.
I’d like to see the red stop light being larger than the other two, to give the impression there is greater emphasis to stop than the other two.
While I would like to see these implemented at every intersection, it may be worthwhile to install these only at accident-prone intersections. Approaching the odd intersection equipped with different-looking lights may elevate the attention of drivers.
This would assist colorblind drivers as well.
Other variations:
Aliens Quadrilogy Blu-Ray Case
Last year I ridiculed that “egg edition” Blu-Ray for the Aliens Quadrilogy. Don’t get me wrong, the execution and effort there was top-notch, but the egg was ugly, no matter how accurate. Also the tiny Alien (compared to the egg) was odd. There was also a giant head release, which had a bunch of discs inside an Alien noggin, but that looked so unwieldy.
I’ve always tried to think of a Blu-Ray case for this franchise, and it hasn’t been easy. I’ve thought of designs revolving around the Queen alien and the airlock, Ripley’s power loader suit, and even the cryo sleep chambers. Nothing really worked! So I turned to a crutch of mine: use a vehicle. In this case, the APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) from Aliens.
I’m not proud to use the vehicle crutch, but this crosses Aliens off my to-do list. I have other franchises that also plague me (Indiana Jones, Battlestar Galactica), so I’m happy to get this one out the door.
For what it’s worth the APC works very well, much like that Dark Knight Trilogy design - a big boxy vehicle to stow cases. This design differs by being able to use full-size cases, made possible by making the front wheels thin (there is fake tire on the underside).
To compliment this design, I included three Alien action figures. I’d do the figure thing more often in my designs, if they weren’t so time-consuming. These Aliens were relatively easy to churn out. Ideally this design would also get a Marine figure too. A Ripley figure would be boss.
To truly trick-out this design, the figures would have magnets on their feet and hands to grab onto the die-cast or metallic frame. BONUS IDEA: They really need to make a Spider-Man figure with magnets you can throw on the fridge.
This vehicle is actually decked-out in green camouflage, but at the risk of enraging fanboys I opted for the dark blue to make it look like its onscreen appearance. The turret would be able to move on the rail system. The figures can be stowed inside. A few LED headlights would complete the design.
In closing this was a tough one, and a bit of a compromise. I would like to do a design that encapsulates all four films, but went with my favorite - Aliens. It’s a design I would certainly would buy, if given the choice between this and those other ones that were actually released.
Slot Car Clock
Every so often here I will post something which I assumed already existed. Well much to my surprise, there is no such thing as a Slot Car Clock.
There are probably three reasons for this: 1. A clock using actual Slot Cars would eat a ton of electricity, even if the cars are crawling forward slowly. 2. Cars that move slowly is the antithesis of racing in general - a blasphemous display! 3. Slot Cars are a popular toy of yesteryear, currently kept alive by a community of enthusiasts - so a niche market for such a product.
I’d like to think that Slot Car clocks possess a nostalgic appeal many guys would dig - even beyond the NASCAR crowd. This little clock would bring back fond memories of that big cumbersome track that engulfed your floor when you were a kid.
There are a few power solutions: the cars could be affixed to standard clock hands which are beneath an open-grooved track. The cars could be smaller and thus lighter. Each car could have it’s own lithium battery supply, and can be pulled off the clock to recharge (swappable cars!).
One feature I’d like is for the cars to race a few laps at every top of the hour - so 3 laps for 3 o’clock for example. Or the cars would always be in a pause state, only racing to the current time on request. LED lights for the cars would be awesome. This could be a wall-mounted clock, or something that sits on your desk.
Ghostbusters Ecto-1 Alarm Clock
I always thought a toy firetruck or police car would make for a cool alarm clock. It would feature lights and sirens and would add a little more urgency to getting out of bed in the morning. Albeit that idea is more suitable for kids.
But then I remembered for Ghostbuters 2 they added a large LED panel display to the roof rack, which served as a billboard of sorts. I think that would make for an excellent time display, more so than a firetruck or police car as neither features this kind of signage.
The Ecto-1 also features a very distinctive siren, which makes for a great alarm sound. Though you could probably opt to listen to the radio or your iPod instead.
I’d probably make the engine hood the snooze button, or provide a base/stand that would house the button, as there is too much kibble mounted on top of the car that might be prone to a swatting hand.
This would make for an excellent collectible even without the alarm clock. Hopefully Diamond Select, which issues a great BTTF Delorean with lights and sounds, can release a comparable Ecto-1 vehicle. Oddly enough, Diamond Select has a replica Ecto-1 license plate for sale, but that doesn’t seem like nearly enough!
Something like this as a collectible would be nice. If only I could pester Diamond Select somehow.
If you like this alarm clock idea (or any gadget idea I post), please bug Thinkgeek here. Email them a link to this post, and tell them you want one! Your endorsement is much appreciated.
