“A game in which a toy dog leaves ‘little presents’ for children to clean up is set to be one of the best selling gifts this Christmas. The Doggie Doo game gives players a chance to scoop up as much plasticine poo as possible in order to win. The dice game, from manufacturer John Adams, retails for up to $33 and is among this year’s Christmas ‘dream’ wish list for children. This year’s list of ‘must have’ toys – drawn up by the Toy Retailers’ Association – also features Fijit Friends, a fluffy interactive rabbit. It also includes a Fireman Sam Pontypandy rescue set, a hi-tech tablet children’s computer, dolls that double as bedroom lights and perennial favorite Lego. Gary Grant, chairman of the association’s Dream Toys selection panel, said: “This year we have seen some amazing technological advancements from the toy industry.” w/ photo

“Burton-on-Trent has got its own designer scent which apparently smells of Marmite, leather, pickle and beer. The city, said to smell of ale from the surrounding hops fields, has inspired the bizarre new perfume called Eau-de-Burton, reports the Daily Telegraph. Businesswoman Victoria Brookes thinks her new fragrance works perfectly and is selling it for $51.69 in the run up to Christmas. She said: “Burton is known for its smell but not always in a good way. But the perfume smells really good – I have had lots of compliments from people. “It is made up of Gourmand, representing Marmite and Branston Pickle, which were invented in Burton. “It also has leather, representing the boots and footballs used at Burton Albion, and Ambra, inspired by amber nectar, the beer which made Burton famous worldwide. “I was shocked at how good it was as that is not normally how you make a perfume.” w/ photo

“Living life on the edge, this young couple are perilously perched above a 800ft drop. The pair had carefully crawled right to the end of Australian landmark Hanging Rock, where the sandstone is only a few centimeters wide. Photographer Michael Matthews was amazed to see the duo so far out on the narrow rock formation, overlooking the Grose River Gorge in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. He said: ‘They even had a hug and a kiss out there but were being extremely careful.’ Matthews, 54, had driven from his home in Sydney, having seen an image of the Hanging Rock on a postage stamp. ‘I decided that I had to see it for myself,’ he said. Matthews reached a viewpoint known as Baltzers Lookout but still couldn’t see the landmark – which shares its name with another Australian feature made famous by the book Picnic At Hanging Rock: ‘I felt quite vulnerable up there. There were no fences and a wind was blowing. I felt it would be easy to get blown off the cliff if you got too close to the edge.” w/ photo

“Is it a piece of art, or a groundbreaking water experiment in the desert? Take the design of a leaf — nature’s master at absorbing the sun’s energy — and cover its 2,153 square feet surface with solar cells. Under the face of the elm leaf-shape structure are cooling condensers that soak up humidity from the desert air. Even in the hottest conditions, it will produce a layer of ice on the leaf’s ridged underside — so the theory goes. Ap Verheggen’s vision of creating a “glacier” in the desert is a statement. It’s not meant to solve the world’s ever-worsening water problems, but to demonstrate, as he says, that the seemingly impossible is indeed possible. For the Dutch artist, his sculpture will be a cry of alarm at the rapid pace of global warming. Impractical in itself, it is meant to spur others to strive for innovative responses to the evolving circumstances of changing climates.” w/ photo

“Stags often go to great lengths to attract a female – but it moss have been love for one male who slipped on a grass wig to impress potential mates. The stag was seem wandering alone for days in Richmond Park before it dived into a lake and came out with a grassy mop resting between its antlers. After letting out a mating call he emerged from the water to find two females waiting for him. Unfortunately, he also attracted the attention of another stag, who he had to fight off before strolling away with the two females in tow. The incident was witnessed by keen photographer Robert Piper, 55, who couldn’t believe his eyes as the extraordinary events unfolded. He told the Daily Mail: ‘Sometimes the stags adorn themselves with bracken to impress the females – and it must somehow strike a chord. ‘But the head gear can also attract other stags and on occasions will end up with a fight exactly like what happened here.” w/ photo

“Shoplifting cases are usually forgettable, but a Cobb arrest warrant issued Thursday is pregnant with intrigue. According to Cobb police, a woman identified as Alexandrea Brooks infiltrated the Walgreens at 3033 Johnson Ferry Road in Marietta and made off with 26 boxes of condoms and an ovulation test. And, perhaps in an homage to the film ‘Raising Arizona,’ a box of Huggies baby wipes. Total value of paradoxical purloined prophylactics: $562.68.” w/ photo

“Rescuers responding to reports of screams emanating from a wooded area in the Laguna Hills found a man stuck up to his chest inside a trunk. It took 90 minutes to free the Orange County man who had become embedded in the hollow trunk that extended about four feet underground. Although the man was uninjured the tree suffered. A fire spokesman said: ‘We had to bring in our heavy equipment guys. We had to chip away at the tree.’ It’s still not clear why the man decided to climb into the hole.” w/ photos

“A British man has become the world’s first ever patient to have a smartphone docking system built into his prosthetic arm. Trevor Prideaux, who was born without his left arm, used to have to balance the smartphone on his prosthetic arm or put it on a flat surface to use it. But now Mr Prideaux, 50, can call and text his loved ones without moving the mobile, which is embedded into his fibreglass and laminate limb. The catering manager sought help from medical experts and communications chiefs at Nokia to build the special prosthetic. They carefully carved a phone shaped fibrecast cradle into the skin-colored prototype, allowing his Nokia C7 to sit inside it. Mr Prideaux, of Wedmore, Somerset, said: ‘I think this is the first time this has ever been done in the world – and it is brilliant.” w/ photo

“To some, a discarded paint pot lid thrown on the seabed may be litter, but to a cunning octopus it presented a great piece of building material for a new home. The cephalopod is part of a species known as the coconut octopus because they are renowned for using discarded coconut shell halves thrown into the sea by humans to build closable lairs (presumably this octopus was off to find something shaped like a paint pot). Once the eight-legged creature has gripped an item, it uses two of its tentacles to ‘walk’ in a bipedal manner. The soft-bodied creature has been known to carry debris up to 20 metres to construct a defensive fortress. The medium-sized cephalopod, belonging to the genus Amphioctopus, is found in tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean.” w/ photo

“They are meant to be one of the most fearsome animals on the planet, but this tiger couldn’t even hold its nerve after being frightened by nothing more than a floating dead leaf. The 22-month-old Bengal tigress got the shock of her life while taking a dip in a pool in the Bandhavgarh National Park in central India. She had been enjoying a leisurely swim but the fierce feline lost her composure as a dead leaf was seen floating towards her. The big cat was very unsure of the object quickly approaching her in the muddy water. Her tail shot straight out of the water and into the air as she flashed her teeth while letting out a ferocious roar. Predictably the leaf failed to react to the juvenile tiger and her bid to scare it away.” w/ photo