Let’s face it – the economy if pretty shithouse at the moment. The stock market is falling apart, banks are dropping interest rates – it kind of makes you long for the days when all you had was a ceramic pig with a slot in its back that you could drop your coins into.
Well, Australian company Moose Enterprise has gone one step better by creating the Fish Bank, a digital piggy bank that lets your kids (or you) interact with a digital fish named Gil, who counts your money as you deposit it and lets you set savings goals. It’s also part Tamagotchi, as you need to feed and clean Gil’s tank as well.
With every coin deposited, new animations and features are unlocked. And while they’re hardly exciting for an adult, they’re pretty fun for the kiddies – so much so that the product won the 2008 Australian Development Award from the Australian Toy Association.
The Fish Bank hits shelves in November (just in time for Xmas, of course) for $60. Sure, it might not earn you (or your kid) a heap of interest on your investment, but at least its not going to go bankrupt with the current credit crunch…