If you’re still trying to dissuade your tot from a living pet, why not try Huey first? Granted, it is a lamp, but it’s a robot glowing chameleon lamp that changes colors just like the real reptile. Huey will match the color of whatever surface he sits on. It’s not easy to explain to a small child how a chameleon actually has the ability to change color (how do they do that?), unless you have a cooperating Huey on hand. He will show your tot what a fantastical world we live in, in which science sometimes (almost all the time) seems like magic!

Wow, we had lava lamps, and now our kids have Huey the Color Copying Chameleon Lamp! That’s progress! At Think Geek for $29.99.