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Unitasker Wednesday: Snowball maker
Winter is here and this is the best time to head outside for a good old-fashion snowball fight. When you head outside, make sure you have everything you need: gloves, hat, boots, scarf and, of course, your trusty Snowball Maker from Flexible Flyer.
What?!? You don’t have a Snowball Maker? Then how do you make a snowball, with your hands? That isn’t very inventive. The idea of using ones’ hands to construct the perfect snowball is laughable. This contraption will supply you with round snowballs that your enemies will envy. Yes, it may be a bit more cumbersome to make a perfectly sculpted snowball at first, but, with practice, you can keep your ammunition coming at a lightning fast pace.
And, for those of you who need a little help constructing a snow fort for defense, Flexible Flyer also makes a Snow Block Maker. (I actually had one of these growing up and we always tried to make an igloo. It was a futile pursuit.)
**Unitasker Wednesday posts humorously poke fun at the single-use items that manage to find their way into our homes.
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22 comments posted
Posted by Melissa - 01/16/2008
Actually, this item works really well for two reasons: 1) your kid’s mittens don’t get wet quite as fast, and 2) as the package states, it makes a snowball that explodes on contact, making it a safer snowball–rather than throwing the old hard-packed ice-ball!
Posted by gamermk - 01/16/2008
Okay, I like a lot of the stuff on your site, but this one I’m going to have to file under “not worth the money”. You bet I’m making snowballs with my hands!!!
Now that Snow Block Maker… they may have something there.
Posted by Erin Doland - 01/16/2008
@gamermk — Unitasker Wednesday items are jokes.
“**Unitasker Wednesday posts humorously poke fun at the single-use items that manage to find their way into our homes.”
Posted by ClickerTrainer - 01/16/2008
Hey not that is not really a Unitasker, you could also use it in the following ways:
1) make really giant melon balls (memo to self: brush up on Heimlich-maneuver skills)
2) scoop up 1500 calorie chocolate chip cookies
3) use as a dog toy, or perhaps to terrorize young children (?)
4) make very large ice cream cones
Posted by Nolan Johnson - 01/16/2008
My kids each got one of these from friends for Christmas. Over the holiday school break, they used them extensively and, I gotta say, these are AWESOME! Especially for a younger sister who otherwise loses out in snowball fights to her older brother. She was able to quickly make useful snowballs even from flaky, powder snow. Her mittens-only brother, however, had difficulty.
Yes, he got clobbered during that fight, and this snowball maker was her strategic advantage. Served him right!
Posted by jb - 01/16/2008
Yeah, I agree that this is not your best unitasker post. I actually wanted this when I saw it and I’m pretty good about avoiding plastic gimmicks. Not only would it keep your hands dry, but when the snow melts, this isn’t going to take up that much room(much less space than a winter coat for sure).
I agree it’s a unitasker for the most part, but it’s just not as rediculous as many of the kitchen appliances seen here before
Posted by Gayle - 01/16/2008
Agreed, that snowball maker is actually cool. But what I REALLY want is this one: http://www.amazon.com/Flowlab-....._njs_img_3
Push! Pull! Flip! Chuck!
Yesssssss.
Posted by Luis Fernando - 01/16/2008
Just make sure you get one of those tennis balls cannons (which, after this great idea, are not unitaskers anymore) to fire up your perfectly round snowballs and you’ll sure end up with very dry hands at the end of game. Ever occur that getting wet is part of the game?
Posted by Liz - 01/16/2008
Okay, okay…I’ve considered the Snow Block Maker. My nearly four year old came home crying from preschool yesterday (which NEVER happens) because no one wanted to make an igloo.
Posted by Jacki Hollywood Brown - 01/16/2008
Yes, I did own a snow block maker but so did every other Canadian kid I know.
The snow ball maker is a waste of time. You need to make snowballs FAST (at least faster than your opponent) and hands are WAY faster.
Also, your Mom KNOWS you’ve been throwing snowballs if you’ve been caught red handed with the snowball maker (’cause who makes snowballs they’re NOT going to throw?).
If you make snowballs with your hands…. well, it’s easier to lie! Right?
Posted by You Mon Tsang - 01/17/2008
Count me as someone who thinks this thing is awesome. If you are in a snowball fight, this is like having a machine gun!
Posted by Alan Perkel - 01/17/2008
Although I was not really excited when my four year old requested we purchase this, I have to admit, the warmer hands, and huge smile it brings made it worth it.
Posted by Acheman - 01/17/2008
Does it ever worry you how many people read this site that can’t a) detect sarcasm in text, or b) read the whole of a post before they reply? If I were you, I would want to buy a special device that bounced out from the wall towards your head, to save you the trouble of banging it yourself.*
*This is a joke.
Posted by Melisa - 01/17/2008
Let me just say, I heart Unitasker Wednesdays!
But for the first time ever, I must disagree on this particular pick. My kids love this thing and so does every neighborhood kid on the block. Not to mention the adults. Weeeeeee!! We also made one heck of a snow wall with the snow block maker…made the newspaper!
Posted by Aaisha - 01/17/2008
This is fantastic! I always manage to lose when it comes to snowball fights, so this would be great. You can also con someone into being part of the ‘ammunition’ team, whose sole purpose would be to supply you with perfect snowballs to pelt at your opponent
Posted by Cyrano - 01/17/2008
Not sure about this one, but I’ve seen one that’s like half of this one, and you use your other hand to help form it. The benefit is that it’s like a lacrosse stick, and once you form the snowball, you can whip it (with practice) at your opponents.
Posted by Julie - 01/17/2008
Um, yeah, file this under use it & forget it before you have a chance to use it again. Now, the snow block maker; that’s a great gadget! I have fond memories of those from my childhood in Michigan! Boy, I do miss the snow!
Posted by Miss Lisa - 01/18/2008
My 5-year-old LOVES these things and has been asking for one. Unfortunately the snow keeps melting on us before we can have an actual snowball fight. He discovered one of these in his cousin’s sandbox last summer and found it the perfect “digger” to make wet sandballs. Kids like scooping things up and making shapes–go figure.
Posted by amy - 01/18/2008
England rocks as a country most of the time… but right now, I WANT SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SNOW! SNOW! SNOOOOOW!
Bah
Amy - sulking
Posted by Michael - 01/18/2008
Wow this looks really lame!
If you can’t make the snowballs yourself, how about just pay someone to do it for you? And you could also pay them to throw them for you too. While you stay warm inside drinking hot chocolate, you could be winning a snowball fight! Weeeee…
Posted by Cynthia - 01/19/2008
A perfect substitute for the snow block maker? Remove the lid from a baby wipe container. We made an excellent fort a couple of weeks ago. Bonus, the Pampers Wipes container is wider at the top than the bottom, so you end up with bricks with slightly angled sides and wider bottoms. It looked really neat and we found it easier to build with as well.
Posted by kate - 01/24/2008
I just started looking at this website, and am so not impressed.
I take it that the concept we’rer going for is to de-clutter you life. To me this means specifically to have less things. The advantage being that the things that you do put in your life can be better made, more beautiful, more sustainable, more accessible (because you can find it) and more valuable, in addition to other ideas such as trying to be less materialistic, not take things for granted, not spending more time on our things than on our family or important commitments or interests, and in general having more perspective in our lives.
All I see so far on this site is the opposite way to achieve all of these goals: here they are promoting a bunch of brick-a-brack, and this snowball maker is just one more promise to make your life easier/more fun that will ultimately get dumped in the garage and sold at a garage sale. (Maybe not even sold… maybe that’s assumoing someone else will want it.) Let’s face it, it’s future landfill we’re looking at. Even before then, it will be part of many a child’s cluttered room, many cluttered garages, basement, whatever.
I really wish people would consider this BEFORE they commit to these kinds of purchases. You could put that money towards a healthier meal for your family, or it could help more with a lesson that could turn into a lifelong passion. It could help with retirement. So many better ways to use the money.
Not to step on any toes - if you really love snowballs, who am I to criticize? Really. If the snow-life is your lifestyle and this is just the thing you need, I am totally there. But for serious. C’mon people.
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