Fatboy Original: $229 For my grandparents, that dark brown velour sectional, with its seven square pieces, was about as versatile a bunch of seating as they could possibly need. Everybody could sit down together to watch a movie, and then when it was bedtime, they could rearrange the sections to make a sleeping fort for the grandkids. I mean, it wasn't particularly comfortable, but I've got some great memories tied to it.Even so, I still think the Fatboy is way better than a sectional. The main thing is, it's even more versatile. You can prop it up on itself and sit in it just like a chair, but you can also recline in it, roll it up and lie against it, perch on it horseback-style--and since it's 55 inches by 70, you can really sleep on the thing. And as for grandkids, it's got it all over velour: the Fatboy's coated-nylon fabric exterior wipes clean with a damp cloth.

PLANK Canvas Tote: $195 Everybody loves the familiar, right? It's comfortable, reassuring, gentle . . . and everywhere. If everybody loves it, that means it's hard to get away from. It's almost impossible for a thing--a consumer good, anyway--to be familiar and individual at the same time. You've seen this problem in shoes, at least if you've tried to buy men's shoes for shorts-or-sports wear in the past couple years.Doreen Hing saw the same problem during her years as a shoe designer, and grew weary of it. When she began to observe it again, this time in canvas totes, she decided to put a stop to it. She was "visually bored" with the totes around, so she came up with totes that are anything but boring. She and Jennifer McKinley formed Plank, which brings a welcome measure of wit and design flexibility both to the surprisingly stiff world of accessories and to life outside the classroom, using fun graphics and strong color combinations.

zid zid kids Animal Cushion - Toadstool: $38 I never had an imaginary friend when I was little (or once I grew up, for that matter). I recently read some people's stories about their imaginary friends from when they were kids, and I started to get a little envious. I just think there's something neat about your mom setting a place at the dinner table for your friend, even though she can't see him, and carrying on conversations with him all night with you as the interpreter. I don't know, maybe I wouldn't think it's so neat if it had ever actually happened to me. And to my mom.Even better than imaginary friends, though, are these cushions from Zid Zid Kids. I don't see how a child could own one of these things and not make pals with it--they're fun, they're super-cute, and there's something about them that's just really friendly (parent-friendly, too: the polyfilled cotton flannel cushions are washable). They're great for playtime, storytime, bedtime, just about anytime. And if your child happens to think they're great companions for dinnertime, then at least you'll know where to face during the table talk.

Strida Folding Bike 5.0: $799 The world's simplest folding bike, lightweight and ultra-portable.The STRiDA was invented in the United Kingdom as an elegant solution to a pressing urban problem – the daily commute. The STRiDA has evolved over the past 20 years to become the lightest, cleanest, most efficient and easy to use folding bike on the market. Its unique triangle construction, greaseless chain, and six second fold time truly distinguish it from the legions of overly complicated and heavy folding bikes on the market.

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