Unlike most children, toys hold down an important summer job. In fact, they have two: keeping excess energy in the yard instead of the house and making sure car rides are whine-free and, dare we say, Hilary Duff-free. Wait, they have a third job, too: helping adults find their inner summer child. So if you buy these new goodies (sold at big retailers unless noted) for yourself instead of your kids, we won't tell.

GAMESNACKS ($13, snaptvgames.com). Silly trivia queries will air on your backseat DVD player for hours. TV junkies may prefer Pop Culture. Or start a mini sibling rivalry with Gender Wars, which covers sports, fashion, and more.

DODGE DISCS ($20, shopwildplanet.com). The bagel-shaped pieces of foam don't really hurt. Ask the mom whose child aimed straight at her forehead. Trigger-happy kids may have to scour the lawn for scattered pieces, though.

GAME WAVE ($111, zapitstore.com). Game Wave makes sure everyone gets a chance to play its DVD games (one is kinda like Boggle; another tests history trivia). It comes with four remotes that work simultaneously.

CRANIUM BOOK OF OUTRAGEOUS FUN ($15, store.cranium.com). The four categories from the popular board game have been spun off into activity books. Invent superheroes in Word Worm. Perform stand-up comedy (to the sound of a kazoo) in Star Performer.

NINTENDO DS LITE ($130). It's just like the old DS, with the same games and touchscreen play--only scrawnier, less heavy, and capable of changing brightness. Best perk for kids? The new Super Mario Brothers game. And for adults? Gotta be sudoku.

TYCO R/C AIRBLADE ($80). This remote-controlled all-terrain hovercraft has no silly limits, like, say, using it only on land. Fans in the tires keep the vehicle skimming all kinds of surfaces--solid or liquid. cosmic catch ($25). Players swipe color-coded wristbands to let the high-tech sphere know who's in the game. Then the ball decides where it's going. "A blast," said our tester. But the ball did go mute at times.

AQUADOODLE GO N'DOODLE ($15). Because the pen is filled with water, the designs on the lightweight tablet won't stay forever. But that means the kids can't stain your car's interior, either.

FELT/HOT WHEELS CRUISER ($479; check "dealer locator" at feltracing.com). Big kids--that means you, grown-ups--will crave this life-size Hot Wheels vehicle. This baby's got honking tires and a don't-mess-with-me look to get you through any midlife crisis.