If you get annoyed at people who insist on tapping out nonsense rhythms with their pens on whatever hard surfaces are lying around, this musical pen will probably send you over the edge. If, however, you’re tired of having to wait until you get home from work to hammer out the drum line in the hit song you’re working on, this could be useful. In addition to writing (for the lyrics, of course), this novelty pen plays drum, crash, and snare sounds depending on the buttons you press. It’s no substitute for having a full kit in front of you, of course, but it’s a fun desktop toy, and it can’t be beat for portability. After all, just try to sneak a drum set into your cubicle. I dare you.

[via Perpetual Kid]

It seems that some musicians will license their image for use in anything – from baby clothes to office supplies to floormats – but interestingly enough, I can’t seem to find any of these common offenders in the realm of stuffed toys. You’ll put your logo on light switch covers and ashtrays, but you won’t let someone make a plush toy out of you? *Sigh* Musicians…

These classical composer stuffed “thinkers” from Shakespeare’s Den are so cool that they’re outfitted with music boxes that play the composers’ works. Having been dead for centuries, though, Mozart and Bach are exceptions to the no-licensing-plushies rule I seem to have uncovered. For current stars, I’m drawing a blank! Aside from good old Michael Jackson, of course. Where are the plush rock stars at?!

Video games combined with guitars do not always lead to Guitar Hero or other bland substitutes for actually playing real music. This cool (if unabashedly geeky) guitar unites the case of an old Nintendo system and the neck and accessory hardware of a mini Les Paul to form what its creator calls the “NES paul,” hopefully inspiring gamers everywhere to put down the fake musical instruments and pick up the real thing. News flash – making music is more fun than playing with expensive electronic toys!

[via Technabob]

If you really are what you eat, the commissioner of this questionable custom cake may have just found a shortcut to rap music stardom. This cake is modeled after rapper Lil’ Wayne’s head, with sunglasses made of chocolate and dreadlocks made of licorice. It’s not a bad likeness, but to be honest, it doesn’t look too appetizing to us. Then again, we’re not in the habit of eating our favorite bands, even when reproduced in full candied splendor. We’ll leave that to the aspiring Hannibal Lecters out there…

[via Street Level]

Everyone’s familiar with the world’s smallest violin, metaphorically “played” when someone else is being melodramatic and whiny. This tiny guitar, however, is the real thing, musically speaking. You have to build it yourself using a kit from Otona no Kagaku, a Japanese magazine, and it has two fewer strings than a normal-sized guitar, but the finished product really works. A miniature built-in amplifier and speaker are included, but you can also plug it into any normal guitar amplifier and crank up the volume to typical ear-splitting levels if you want to really surprise the audience at your next show. Not to mention the space it’ll save when you’re traveling around on tour – talk about convenience! No, they’re not laughing at you, they’re laughing with you. Trust us…

[via Technabob]

I wonder how the Ramones would have reacted back in 1979 if someone told them their name would be imprinted on a line of custom diaper tote bags twenty years later. It would probably resemble the reaction they’d have upon hearing that legendary venue CBGB’s had turned into a designer apparel store. Oh well, at least they would have been rewarded with an induction into the Rock’n'Roll Hall of Fame…

This fashionable bag even comes with a changing pad and side pockets for bottles and pacifiers! Nothing but the best for punk rock babies. I really have to admire parents who don’t give up their subcultural identity just because they have kids–why should all families try to look the same? Plus, the kid with the Ramones bag is totally going to be the envy of his peers in pre-school, when he can use it as a tote bag to carry his school and art supplies.

[via Fashionably Geek]

Usually, these days, promotional wristbands stand for some kind of cause awareness–various diseases, social issues, political campaigns, and so on. Not so here, for this classic Nine Inch Nails logo wristband. Given NIN’s nihilistic, introverted lyrics, I somehow don’t think Trent Reznor will be wearing any awareness bracelets anytime soon. Which is sort of refreshing–too often popular bands use fame as a platform to babble on with the delusion that they’re bringing about some sort of social change when they’re really just irritating fans who love them for their songs, not their “ideology.” So – cheers to Nine Inch Nails for staying focused on the music!.

Music lurks in the strangest places. Here, for example, we have an innocent-looking fashion tote shaped like a cat head, with what appear to be huge buttons for eyes. These buttons are actually speakers, however, and the lining of the bag unzips to expose a headphone jack and cables for plugging in your MP3 player. This cat doesn’t just meow–it can sing, wail, or just rock out however you want it to!

[via Fashionably Geek]