Remember those little handheld virtual pets from the '90s? Tamagotchi, Giga Pets and all those gadgets that made you feel guilty if you forgot to feed a tiny digital dinosaur?
Well, there's a new version just in time for Thanksgiving. And this one might actually make your family more useful around the dinner table!
Butterball has introduced something called the Butterball Buddy, a turkey-shaped digital gadget designed to help Thanksgiving hosts get their guests involved in the holiday chores.
Think of it as a virtual pet mixed with a Magic 8 Ball... except instead of telling your fortune, it might tell you to peel potatoes or take out the trash!
Here's how it works: One person starts with the little turkey device. After a chime and vibration, it assigns them a Thanksgiving task. That could mean helping with food preparation, serving dinner or tackling the cleanup.
Once the person finishes their assignment, they pass the Butterball Buddy to the next willing family member.
And yes, apparently the goal is to get people to actually HELP instead of sitting on the couch waiting for dinner!
Butterball says the idea came from a survey showing that 85% of Thanksgiving hosts would like help preparing for the holiday, but only 38% actually ask their guests.
Sounds like somebody finally figured out how to get Uncle Bob off the couch!
The gadget has a fun, old-school look, almost like one of those little pagers from the '90s. Best of all, the Butterball Buddy is FREE.
The first batch went out Monday and sold out, but additional giveaways are scheduled for Monday, November 9th, and Monday, November 16th. Quantities are limited.
You can find more information at ButterballBuddy.com.
NOW THE BIG QUESTION: If you had a Butterball Buddy at your Thanksgiving dinner, what chore would you hope it NEVER assigned you?
Doing the dishes? Taking out the trash? Peeling 20 pounds of potatoes? Or being stuck entertaining that one relative who talks for three hours?
Because let's face it... Thanksgiving is great, but somebody's got to do the dishes!
