Make My Own Monster: No Sewing Required

In theory, I do love those make-your-own-doll kits, but even with the craftiest of kids (and moms) at the helm, they still scream "homemade" a little louder than you're hoping for at times. (Oops...there goes Teddy's eye.)

With Make My Own Monster, a cool service from the folks from North American Bear Company, you get the best of both worlds - your kid gets to design his own monster, and someone else gets to make it for you.

Purchase of one of their kits and you get a few drawing pages, coloring pencils, and a series of questionnaires to help their designers (yes, real designers!) put together the exact monster your kid envisions. Granted, this is not a low budget gift. But having tried it out myself, the end result is an actual high-quality stuffed animal that you'd find at your favorite toy store, making it one one of the coolest kid gifts I've seen. -Kristen