Do you flip through the SkyMall ^[1] Catalog when you fly? Isn’t it great? In addition to adding greenhouse gases directly to the atmosphere from the flight itself, we can also shop our way to global warming. (And yes, I feel guilty every time I get on an airplane.)

Here are a few of the SkyMall gems I spotted during my recent trip…

A plastic cat litter box in the shape of a plant pot, complete with plastic plant:

This isn’t just tacky, it’s not even functional.  First of all, if you turn it to the wall to hide it from guests (as in the inset), how is your cat supposed to use it? And can you imagine sticking your head in there to clean it out? Who would let their cat track litter through the living room? The sad thing is that people might buy it thinking it’s a cute idea and then trash it when they discover it’s not. Just more plastic in the landfill.

Here’s a fake plastic Sumo Wrestler statue for your yard:

And if having the statue in your yard is not tacky enough for you, you can buy the glass-top table version and make the fat little guy work for you.  Simply tacky or downright offensive?  You be the judge.

Here’s an upgrade to that staple of gadget catalogs, the Snuggie:

Why settle for a fake plastic blanket with sleeves when you can add PVC wiring to it and suck up energy while you read?  I’ve never understood this phenomenon.  You can’t stand up and walk around in a snuggie in the first place.  You surely can’t move around in a plugged in version.  What’s the point?  Wouldn’t a bathrobe and a regular blanket work better?  (Or am I just bitter because my cat tried to eat the Snuggie my dad sent me for Christmas a while back?)

How about plastic surgery without the surgery?

Really?  Is anyone going to cover their face in Neoprene (or whatever this thing is made from) more than once or twice before realizing how silly it is and tossing it out?

And in the category of fun for a minute and useless for a lifetime, check out this wireless car mouse:

Can you say, “carpal tunnel”? This novelty might be good for a laugh when the recipient opens the box but will most likely sit on the shelf over the desk when he realizes his old mouse is a lot more comfortable.

Here’s the thing: some of the other gadgets and contraptions in the SkyMall catalog could actually be useful to someone.  In fact, I found myself thinking, “Hey, that would be cool,” a couple of times.  The trouble is that when we’re stuck on a plane and feeling anxious about hurtling hundreds of miles per hour thousands of feet off the ground, we just might be a little more susceptible than usual to advertising.

How many people stop and think before ordering something that seems cool for a moment?  I, at least, have my priorities in order, and as soon as I get over this cold/flu I came home with, I’m ordering this for the backyard:

Just kidding!  (Or am I?)