Green Daily

You know what they say: money is the root of all evil and power corrupts. So, you might as well start educating your children about both at an early age. Coming in at second place in this year's Greener Gadgets Conference is the Power Hog -- a toy that teaches children how annoying it would be if everything in the world was coin-operated. Just kidding, of course, the Power Hog is designed to teach children about the energy costs associated with their electrical devices.

This gadget is basically a energy-monitoring piggy bank attached to an extension cord that requires a donation to power your child's TV, Nintendo Wii, etc. As long as children feed the piggy meter, their device stays on and the dollar sign on the side glows green. As the Power-Hog begins to run out of funds, the dollar sign flashes red faster and faster. Kinda weird, right?

Look, everybody's got their own parenting style, and that's cool -- but something about making your kids pay to play Wii really makes me bust out laughing. On the upside, it's a sneaky way to force your children to supplement the electric bill with their allowance.

[via DesignMilk]