I'll concede that the genius who dreamed up this concoction, deserves credit for Most Inventive Way to Trick Us into Exchanging Money for Garbage. Bravo, I mean I don't know how he sleeps at night, but he did get people to pay close to $20 for a package of colored, sticky, styrofoam.

I'd like to say that we consumers are too smart for this, but I can't.

I don't think concerns about the quality, or lifespan of the products we buy, are crossing the consumer mind. We are rendered defenseless by bright colors, obnoxious graphics, and "deals". How else can you explain catalogs like Oriental Trading Company or Rhode Island Novelty?

Here's the back of a recent Rhode Island Novelty Catalog: The irony of this company giving a shout out to Earth Day is a forehead slapper.

I mean sure, they sell bouncy balls that look like the earth; "They're a global approach to hi-bounce fun!". Can't argue with that.

For .35 a piece, you can order blue glow sticks that offer a "fun blazing beam of light", or if you're feeling spendy, an inflatable Princess Hammer ($1.15 each), because face it, those last a long time and can't be annoying. But if you're looking for "an opportunity to wave Old Glory with patriotic pride", look no further than the Plastic USA Flag, mind they're sold by the dozen and will set you back .23 a pop. But how do you put a price on American pride?

Actually, I owe companies like Rhode Island Novelty some acknowledgement, because their ticky-tack, cheap, environmentally-toxic products brought me deeper into the fold of wanting to better understand the situation we're facing with plastic pollution.

Nevermind that we're doing EVERYONE a colossal disservice in giving kids this worthless, shiny, tacky, crap. I think we grown-ups get high off of the temporary delight kids display when presented with it. This particular form of stupid is on us, and the sooner we take stock of it, the better. Better for the kids, and profoundly better for the planet they're soon to inherit from us.