I often wonder what some people where thinking when they go and buy (or maybe even regift) some of the toys they buy for those Christmas charities that come around ever year.

Every year the company I work for sets up boxes on every floor near every elevator for “Toys For Toys”, a foundation by the Marines. Every year the employees of my company fill up these boxes and also give some really great gifts. I often like to look and see what some have given, kinda helps look to know what would be good to give. But every year I always notice a toy or 2 that just baffles my mind. I can’t help but wondering what the person was thinking when they considered this to be an appropriate gift.

Don’t get me wrong, these are not dangerous toys or adult toys and I am not attempting to insult a person who was kind enough to give a gift to a child from their own pockets, especially when the economy is not going to well for many. But I can’t help seeing these toys and just not quite making sense as to how the child who gets it could use it, at least the way it was meant to be used. What I am referring to are toys that are dependent on other things in order for them to function properly, call it a two-part toy. Imagine getting an accessory for an iPhone you don’t own or an DVD for a DVD player you don’t have.

The toy I am talking about is an iFish. Like the iDog, the iFish is a gadget designed to work with the iPod (also works with most MP3 players). It’s a fish with a speaker inside of it to plays your music on the iPod and the fish moves to the beat of the music. Sounds pretty neat, but to be honest it seems like an unusual kind of gift for a child. It’s not exactly a toy, but what really has me going is the “two-part toy” issue. In order for this “toy” to work, the child who gets it would have to have an iPod (or an MP3 player) to use ti, otherwise it will simply be a fish ornament on some desk, table or corner. I mean, seriously, if the child who gets it does not have an iPod, what will they do with this gadget? Play fish? Use a toy fishing rod to catch it?

What I find even more curious is if the people who work for “Toys for Tots” see this as well and somehow determine it’s not an appropriate gift or do they try to find a child who has an iPod (or MP3 player). I just can’t find the logic in this gift considering the reason you gave it. Hell, I often question those who give gifts that require batteries. Its one thing to by your child a battery operated gift, you can always buy the batteries for them. But how do you even know the child will get batteries with the toy? Seems to much hassle in my opinion, buy (as some here say) I digress.

So, have you guys/gals seen gifts that just make you question the people who bought them and where they hell they left their brains at when they went shopping?