Life Bank: teaching stick figures the value of a yen
Perhaps the problem with traditional piggy banks is that they don't give you any positive or negative feedback regarding the amount of loot you stuff into them; therefore, you're more likely to spend your dough on sake and sushi than to save it for a rainy day. Well Japanese manufacturer TakaraTomy thinks it has the solution to this lack of interactivity between man and interest-free money container in the form of its upcoming Life Bank, which allows you to set a savings goal and receive regular reminders about your financial progress or lack thereof. Instead of just keeping a running tally of your wealth, though, the bank features a small digital stick figure whose living arrangements directly reflect the amount of money that's been deposited. So when you turn the Life Bank on for the first time, the little man resides in a small hovel probably not unlike your typical blogger's abode; as your wealth increases (up to a maximum of 100,000 yen, or $858), however, his dwelling becomes more habitable -- until eventually he's lounging in a Cribs-style pad. Japan's high-tech answer to the low-tech piggy bank will be available in mid-November for between ¥4,000 and ¥5,000 ($34 to $42), although make sure that you don't spend all of your yen on one of these, or your little stick friend might keel over and die before you can raise enough funds to put a decent roof over his head.
[Via dottocomu and Tokyomango]
