It does, however, provide an orb of warm light for up to 15 hours on four D batteries.

For some, it's more important to ditch those bulky D batteries and play it green.

"In about 45 seconds, it looked like I had a couple of D batteries on my forehead."

And I found it very humorous that he needed 20 D batteries.

"A flashlight with two D batteries and an incandescent bulb can be bought for less than $5," he said.

We unpacked the toy, set it on the floor and inserted two D batteries in the bottom of each foot.

It takes eight D batteries; $150 from Brookstone, brookstone.com or (866)576-7337.

Top drawer on the right: envelopes, invoices, a flashlight, and some extra D batteries.

This desktop air-conditioner, which can be plugged in or run on two D batteries, cools off one person at a time.

Like the D battery, the C battery size has been standardized since the 1920s.