Gadget Inspector | Gadgets and Gizmos, Gifts and Novelties

Dec 201502

6 Must-Watch Christmas Movies

Joel Dear gadget inspector news

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, and there is no better way to celebrate this joyous season than to have the whole family gather round and watch a festive a film together! With that in mind, we have a few suggestions that we strongly recommend to get you in the Christmas spirit:

Be warned: spoilers may lie ahead.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

In this adaptation of the cherished children's tale by Dr. Seuss, the bitter,green Grinch (played brilliantly by Jim Carrey) comes up with a plan to take Christmas (which he absolutely despises) away from the cheery and festive inhabitants of Whoville (who he equally loathes). His plan may be foiled, however, when he bumps into cute Cindy Lou, who tries to melt his dark and black heart and change his devilish plans to ruin the festive season.

Elf (2003)

This beloved festive comedy is a favourite among many families, and for good reason! This film follows Buddy the elf (Will Ferrell), a human raised by elves, and his experiences with modern-day New York and human culture, whilst on the search for his birth father. The whole family will be chuckling away whilst they watch Buddy struggle with human life.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

This film is well and truly the definition of a Christmas classic! It's entertaining and message driven, with a truly remarkable performance from James Stewart as George Bailey, a man who is contemplating suicide. By the end has a fresh, new outlook on life, as his neighbours all pitch in and help him get his life back on track. If you're not sobbing into your mince pie by the end of this film, there's something wrong with you!

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Michael Caine, Gonzo the Great and Kermit the Frog – now these probably weren't what Charles Dickens had in mind when he was writing A Christmas Carol, but that is one of the many reasons to love this warm-hearted take on the classic story. Despite the presence of Muppets, it is to be believed to be one of the more faithful versions of the original tale, and is of course our favourite!

Die Hard (1988)

All John McClane (Bruce Willis) was hoping for was a a quiet and relaxing Christmas, but Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) has other ideas, when he holds the staff (including John's wife) of the Nakatomi headquarters hostage. With no immediate police help, John is forced to take matters into his own hands and try to save his wife from the evil German terrorist. This against-the-odds action is hailed to be one of the greatest Christmas films ever, and for good reason too!

Home Alone (1990)

After mischievous Kevin McCallister (Macauley Culkin) get's into an argument with his family, he's sent to his room. The next morning, the whole family leave for their trip to Paris, but accidentally leave without Kevin! He wakes up to an empty house, all by himself, and soon begins living an eight year old's dream. This dreams is short-lived, however, as he soon realises that two burglars are going to attempt to rob his house on Christmas eve. Left to defend the house on his own, Kevin sets up a host of make shift booby traps around the house to try and stop them..

What are YOUR favourite Christmas movies? Let us know on Twitter!

Dec 201501

Check Out Our Movember Competition Winners!

Joel Dear gadget inspector news

Now that November has ended, the time has come for us to announce the winners of our Movember competition. Throughout the entire month we've been encouraging you lot to grow out your majestic moustaches, and tweet us your fan-tache-tic movember attempts to win prizes while showing your support for a great cause, and you didn't disappoint! We've been inundated with brilliant moustache pics from far and wide, making it really difficult for us to choose the best three. If we could, we'd send you all a moustache-themed prize for being such great sports!

We started by shortlisting our moustache donning competitors before choosing our favourite three, but before we announce our winners, we'd just like to thank everyone for entering once again; you should be so pleased with yourselves for supporting such a worthy cause!

So, in 3rd place, who will be winning this ZAP - Mullet and Tache Set is... @grinnerlynn! We love the arts and craft moustache, and we salute you for that pose!

Congratulations to @crummey15, you're our runner up and the winner of this classy Anchorman Wallet and Moustache Set. We loved your White Goodman style moustache!

And finally, the entrant who stood out to us most and will be winning this fantastic Thabto Moustache Door Mat, is @leeinroyston! Your Double moustache was well and truly spectacular and is deservedly our winner!

To the 6 entrants we've shortlisted - you made cracking attempts, so we thought we'd add your pictures to show our appreciation. Please feel free to enter again next year, you may well end up in the top three!

Congratulations to our lucky winners and thanks to everyone who entered. Keep your eyes peeled for more awesome Gadget Inspector competitions coming soon.

Nov 201530

Christmas Party Survival Kit

Laura Roberts party gadgets

It's the 1st of December! Who had the first choccy in their advent calender today? (You're never too old right?) Seeing as all of our Christmas parties are due to kick off very soon, we thought we would put together a little survival kit to guarantee you have the best night ever!

Drink in Style

At Gadget Inspector we have a huge range of drinking accessories, which are perfect to give your party that added dose of boozy fun. These Bomber cups are the most fast and efficient way to measure out your alcohol of choice, or create the ultimate 'bomb' mixer without the hassle of buying individual shot glasses. The best part is that they come in packs of 10, 6 and 4, as well as being sold individually, making them ideal as both a party supply as well as a gift!

If you're looking for something a little more festive to add to the seasonal cheer, then these Christmas Spirit drinking flasks are exactly what you're after. While they make a great serving solution for party shots, they also have a little loop for you to hang them just like a real bauble! Hide them somewhere on the tree as a reward for those who are quick enough to spot them, just make sure to watch out for the more clumsy guests!

Fun and Games

While you may be old enough to consume alcohol, it's undoubtedly a fact that Christmas turns us all into a bunch of big kids! With the range of drinking games we have available here at Gadget Inspector, you're sure to find something to add a fun twist to the evening's festivities, whether this is an alcohol fuelled card game or a beefed up version of beer pong!

Buy Here Buy Here

The Secret Santa Gift

If you're going out with your work buddies to celebrate Christmas, it's more than likely that you'll also be taking part in a Secret Santa draw. While it may seem quite difficult at first to think of an item which fits the brief and budget, you're sure to find plenty of quirky and affordable gift ideas here!

This Giant Gummy Bear is ideal for the sugar addict in your office, while the stress Rubik's Cube is a useful yet subtle way to tell someone that they need to chill out! This Complaints Department Grenade is also a humorous desk top addition for someone who works in customer service.

Picture Perfect

Christmas parties are a great opportunity to take loads of funny and memorable photographs, so it's essential that you have some great accessories to make these even better! If you want to get some great group photos, why not pick up this Selfy Stick to capture some awesome phone snaps? We also have a bunch of fun fancy dress props, for adding to all your outlandish poses! This crazy and slightly scary Basset Hound Mask is just one of them!

The Recovery Solution

If you've had a really good time on your Christmas do, it's quite likely that you'll be feeling a little worse for ware the next day. Whether this is due to an over-consumption of alcohol or lack of sleep, it's a given that you'll want something cosy and comfortable to cuddle up in. Our Christmas Snug Rugs are the perfect thing to keep you warm and toasty, while rekindling your festive spirit!

Nov 201526

10 Strange Facts About Thanksgiving

Joel Dear info

Today, America will celebrate their annual Thanksgiving holiday, a custom that is said to have been initiated by a feast shared by a group of early settlers and Native Americans. Here in the UK we tend to be a little clueless on the finer details of these celebrations, so we thought it would be a great idea to share some fun facts about the day with you!

The Annual Turkey Pardon

Every year since 1989, the president of the USA is presented with two turkeys, one of which will be saved from the dinner table by being officially 'pardoned'. Read more about this strange tradition here.

Forks Wouldn't Have Been Used at the First Thanksgiving Feast

The now commonplace eating utensil wouldn't have been present at the first Thanksgiving feast, simply due to the fact that it wasn't invented until 10 years later, and didn't become popular for another 200 years!

They Probably Didn't Have Turkey Either...

While Turkey has become a firm staple of the modern Thanksgiving dinner, evidence suggests that the famous feast which inspired the holiday would have more likely consisted of passenger pigeon and seafood!

Speaking of Which, Americans Eat A LOT of Turkey!

The rough figure is around 46 million of the unlucky birds, more than double those eaten at Christmas!

Black Friday Origins

The day of deals and crazy shoppers was apparently named after it's ability to get business owners 'out of the red' and into positive profits.

There are Actually Two Thanksgivings

Canada celebrate their version on the second Monday in October!

Jingle Bells Was Originally Intended For Thanksgiving!

The famous tune was originally written for Thanksgiving and not Christmas, but was so popular that it kept being played into December and soon caught on as a popular Christmas song.

What do you call a Male Turkey?

Believe it or not, this isn't intended as a joke. Only male turkeys make the recognizable 'gobble' sound, which is why they are referred to as 'Gobblers'.

690 Million Pounds of Turkey?

We've told you how many Turkeys the US consumes each year, but apparently this is how much meat was consumed at it's height - that's roughly the same weight as the population of Singapore!

Arnie Loves Thanksgiving!

We'll leave you with some, errr, 'words of wisdom' from our favourite action star. Schwarzenegger was one quoted as saying 'I love Thanksgiving turkey. It's the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts'. And on that note...

Nov 201525

Superhero Gift Guide

Laura Roberts gifts & gadgets

From page to screen, comic book heroes and villains have been an integral part of modern popular culture, particularly in recent years. Whether you're a budding Batman or an aspiring Avenger, we stock a wide range of themed accessories and novelties here at Gadget Inspector. To show you some of them, we thought we would put together another gift guide so you can get all of your shopping done in time for Christmas!

Batman Apron

Bruce Wayne may have Alfred to do all of his cooking, but some of us just aren't that lucky! If you don't have an elderly butler to do all of your work, don't despair, we have the perfect solution to your problems. This easy-tie apron is perfect for whipping up a hearty meal in a hurry, particularly if you find yourself having to pop out between dishes, to deal out a dose of justice on the streets of your city.

Hulk Mug

If you find that your tea demands often go unnoticed, this hefty Hulk mug could be the solution to all your beverage bothers. Shaped to resemble the sizeable fist of the green Goliath, this mug not only provides you with a generous helping of your chosen drink, but also sends out the message that you won't take no for an answer!

Joker Wallet and Belt Set.

If badass bad guys are more your speed, then why not show your allegiance with this awesome, Joker wallet and belt set? Complete with a cool, retro comic book design, these additions to your wardrobe are an ideal way to show some love to good ol' Mister J. Just pair them with a purple suit, and you have the perfect combo!

Superhero Logo Cufflinks

The Batman v Superman film is being released in the new year, so it's high time that we all picked a side! Wear your allegiance on your sleeve (quite literally), with one of our superhero cufflink sets! Whether your a high-flying businessman or a justice-serving journalist, be sure to show where your loyalties lie. Browse the rest of our selection here.

Stay tuned until next time, when we bring you another gift guide to save the day! To see our full range of gifts and gadgets, visit our homepage now!