I’m sure we can all agree that bacon is great for eating. But did you know it’s also a very aesthetically pleasing artistic medium? Or that it’s capable of being hooked up to oxygen gas and cutting through steel? Here are a few of the greatest, most unique uses of bacon from around the web.

Bacon Roses

Regular roses are just kind of lame, especially when compared to ones you can eat. Next time you need a romantic gift for that special lady in your life, follow these instructions and you’ll have the key to her heart: through her stomach.

Bacon Mug

Why would anyone use a regular old cup when you could drink from a bacon mug? Fill it with some Rogue Maple Bacon Ale for the most bacontastic experience possible.

Starry Bacon Night

Bacon: as exceptionally pleasing to the eye as it is to the tongue.

The Ba-K-47

This guy created a full-size replica of an AK-47 out of bacon. In his own words: “I came up with the BA-K-47, a 1:1 scale AK-47 made out of bacon. It took a total of eight hours to create, a lot of bacon, and a blowtorch… oh yeah, and our good friend beer helped too.”

Flaming Bacon Lance of Death

And this guy used bacon to literally cut through a steel pan. A bacon lightsaber? Could there possibly be anything cooler?

Bacon AT-AT

This specimen of pure awesomeness stands 3 feet tall and contains over 40 pounds of bacon. Here are some additional pictures so you can gaze upon its greatness from every angle.

Bacontivity

My mom makes an egg bake every Christmas morning. I’m going to pass this along and tell her she really needs to step up her game next year.

Kevin Bacon

As part of his series of celebrity portraits, artist Jason Mecier created this stunning portrait of Kevin Bacon, crafted entirely out of, fittingly, bacon. His other portraits are also pretty funny (though I’m not sure any are able to top this one).

Awesome Things Made Out of Bacon

When done right, the stocking can be one of the best parts of Christmas. There’s just something wonderful about digging into a packed stocking to find the nearly endless stream of gifts stuffed into that giant sock. With that in mind, here are a few stocking stuffer gift ideas for every type of person on your list.

Buy This Gift for the Burger-Flippin’ Grillmaster

Ideal for anyone that spends summers hovered over a gas grill, the Grill Gauge Propane Tank Scale will give your favorite grillmaster a visual indicator on when the ole propane tank needs a refill.

• MSRP: $15 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: N/A

 Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for Someone that Gets Lost in the Woods

Useful for campers, hikers or basically anyone with a horrible sense of direction, the Lifestraw can be a lifesaver when you run out of drinking water. Removing a minimum of minimum 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria and 99.9% of waterborne protozoan parasites, you can drink from a stream safely.

• MSRP: $25  | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $14

 Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for the Master Chef

There’s nothing more annoying in the kitchen than attempting to peel skin off a garlic clove by hand. Enter the Tube Roller Garlic Peeler, a simple kitchen tool that strips garlic cloves of skin in seconds.

• MSRP: $10  | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $5

 Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for Someone that Prefers Tea over Coffee

Peeking out of the top of your mug with a silly smile, the MANATEA Silicone Tea Infuser perches on the rim of your tea cup in order to make your tea. It’s made of silicone, thus the material won’t impact the flavor of the tea.

• MSRP: $11  | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $4

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for a Funko Pop! Collector

You can really get Funko Pop! characters in almost any genre of pop culture now. The Ron Swanson Funko Pop! is no exception. He can stand on your desk at work, staring at you disapprovingly as you work on your TPS reports.

• MSRP: $11  | Lowest Price on Ben’s: N/A

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for the Star Wars Geek

Mimobot USB Flash Drives come in almost any geeky character you can think of. One of my favorites is the Darth Vader Unmasked version because lifting the cap off reveals Vader’s creepy face.

• MSRP: $25  | Lowest Price on Ben’s: N/A

 Check Mimoco for Darth Vader USB Drive

Buy This Gift for Someone that Often Works in the Dark

Ideal for situations like changing a tire in the middle of the night, the Stanley Hand Tools Mini Tripod Flashlight is a fantastic tool for anyone that has to hold a flashlight while working. It offers up an extremely bright 5mm white, long-lasting LEDs as well as a shatter-resistant lens and slip-resistant rubber grip / feet.

• MSRP: $17 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: N/A

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for the Special Cat (or Dog) in Your Life

Technically, the Accoutrements Inflatable Wizard hat for Cats is designed for felines, but I can’t see any good reason why a small dog couldn’t rock one as well. According to the box, “cats love it.” (Can’t you tell by the picture?)

• MSRP: $1 1 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: N/A

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for the Chronic Texter

Is there anything worse in life than having to take the time and energy to remove your gloves before responding to that important text message or capturing that once in a lifetime Instagram moment?

Thanks to Columbia’s Omni-Heat Touchscreen Gloves (and many others like them), this simply isn’t a problem anymore. If you don’t care about the brand name, you can find touchscreen gloves for as low as a couple bucks on eBay.

• MSRP: $35  | Lowest Price on Ben’s: N/A

Check Columbia for the Touchscreen Gloves

Buy This Gift for Someone Who Loves the Great Outdoors

Nice socks are one of those things that no one really wants to spend their own money on but always appreciate getting as a gift. Once you’ve worn SmartWool socks, you’ll never want to go back to wearing regular old socks, ever again.

I’ve been getting a pair of these in my stocking every year for the past five years or so, and it’s awesome knowing that in just a couple years I’ll have an entire week’s worth of these awesome socks in my possession. Amazon and REI are probably going to have them for the lowest prices.

• MSRP: $12 to $25  | Lowest Price on Ben’s: N/A

Check Amazon for SmartWool Socks

Buy This Gift for the Music Lover

Wireless Bluetooth speakers are becoming smaller and smaller (and cheaper and cheaper), making them the perfect stocking stuffer for the music lover in your life. The Ancord Micro Bluetooth Speaker gets solid reviews (Grade B on FakeSpot), especially for the price.

• MSRP: $18  | Lowest Price on Ben’s: N/A

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for the Man More Manly than Ron Swanson

The classic Leatherman Wingman Multitool includes a knife, pliers, wire cutters, scissors, screwdrivers, bottle opener and more — all the basic tools any man should carry in his pocket at all times. If they’ve already got a multitool like this, here’s a list of 10 more ideas from TheArtofManliness.com.

• MSRP: $50  | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $35

Check Amazon for Leatherman Wingman

Buy This Gift for Someone With a Sweet Tooth

It just wouldn’t be a stocking without something good to eat inside. This year, skip the candy canes and chocolate orange and try something a little more unique, like the Vosges Chocolate Bacon Bar. If for some weird reason bacon isn’t your thing, Vosges also makes other exotic chocolate bars like the Smoke & Stout Caramel Bar and the Reishi Mushroom and Walnut Dark Chocolate Bar.

• MSRP: $15 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: n/a

 Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for the Kid Obsessed with LEGOs

Has there ever been a child a who didn’t like Legos? The LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon Microfighter (with tiny Chewie!) contains 92 pieces and is small enough to fit in a stocking. Lego makes many other mini sets, many under $10. Check out Lego Store for special holiday sets and other stocking stuffer ideas.

• MSRP: $10 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: n/a

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for the Girl Who Deserves Some Pampering

Lush makes some of the best bath products in the world. But they are pretty expensive and I (like most girls I would guess) feel kind of guilty spending $6 on a bath bomb that I ‘m only going to use once, even if that one time will result in the greatest bath of all time. That’s what makes Lush handmade bath bombs and bubble bars the perfect stocking stuffers for the special lady in your life.

• MSRP: $6 to $12  | Lowest Price on Ben’s: N/A (though they do run BOGO free promos from time to time)

 Check Lush for Pampering Gifts

Buy This Gift for the Family Man/Woman

A Star Wars family decal set is a great gift for the mom or dad who is super proud of his/her family & loves Star Wars. Every member of the family can pick the character they most identity with (or just think is the coolest). Not a Star Wars fan? You can also find similar sets with Marvel superheroes, zombies and more.

• MSRP: $20  | Lowest Price on Ben’s: N/A

 Check Amazon for Star Wars Decals

Stuff Your Holiday Stockings with These Awesome Gifts

This week at Ben’s Bargains, we saw Memorial Day sales in full swing from every corner of the web including Amazon, Dell, Macy’s, Perry Ellis, Eddie Bauer, Best Buy, Old Navy and others. We’ve taken a look at some high-profile sales and picked some of our favorites.

Plus, we saw free bacon. I repeat, free bacon.

Microsoft announced the third iteration of their Surface tablet which will hit store shelves in June. Interestingly enough, the Surface Pro 3 looks more like a laptop. Hmm… I see what they did there.

Now let’s check out the rest of this week’s best deals!

Here are the current hottest deals of the week on Ben’s Bargains, organized by category (prices include shipping):

[table caption=”General Offers” width=”620″ colwidth=”5|20|65|10″ colalign=”center|center|center|center”]
,Store,Deal,Price

1,Waffle House,Regular Order of Bacon,Free

2,Microsoft Store,Three Xbox One Games,$60

3,Amazon,GTA: San Andreas Game + $30 App Credit,$6.99

4,iTunes,Word Lens App (iOS),Free

5,Amazon,Plex Mobile App (Android),$0.99

6,Living Social,20% off Sitewide,

7,Olive Garden,20% off Entire Check,

8,iTunes,djay 2 App (iOS),Free

9,Jamba Juice,Buy One Smoothie Get One Free,

10,Amazon,15% off Tools & Father’s Day Items w/ Discover Card,

[/table]

[table caption=”Tech” width=”620″ colwidth=”5|20|65|10″ colalign=”center|center|center|center”]
,Store,Deal, Price

1,Amazon,PNY Attache 3 128GB Flash Drive,$39

2,Tiger Direct,ADATA Premier Pro SP600 256GB 2.5″ SSD,$75

3,Tiger Direct,Samsung SNH-P6410BN SmartCam Pro 1080p Wi-Fi Camera,$125

4,Dell,Dell Inspiron 15 4th Gen Dual-Core 15.6″ Notebook,$250

5,Amazon,UP! Mini 3D Desktop Printer,$600

6,Newegg,Hisense Sero 7 LT 7″ LCD Tablet (refurbished),$35

7,eBay,7″ Touch Screen DVD Receiver w/ Bluetooth,$145

8,Tiger Direct,APC SurgeArrest P4GC 4-Outlet Surge Protector,$7

9,Dell,Dell Venue 8 Android 16GB 8″ Tablet,$130

10,eBay,Microsoft Surface RT 10.6″ 64GB Tablet w/ Touch Cover (refurbished),$249

[/table]

[table caption=”Apparel & Fashion” width=”620″ colwidth=”5|20|65|10″ colalign=”center|center|center|center”]
,Store,Deal, Price

1,Puma,Extra 30% off Sitewide,

2,6pm,Extra 10% off Sitewide + Free Shipping,

3,Busted Tees,40% off T-Shirts,

4,6pm,Under Armour Imminent Run 1/4 Zip Men’s Jacket,$27

5,Macy’s,Extra 25% off Clearance + Additional 20% off,

6,Perry Ellis,40% off Sitewide + Extra 20% off,

7,Tumi,Up to 40% off in Sale + Free Shipping,

8,Oakley Vault,Up to 75% off Oakley T-Shirts,

9,Original Penguin,Extra 40% off Sale + 20% off + Free Shipping*,

10,Old Navy,Up to 50% off Sitewide,

[/table]

[table caption=”Home & Outdoors” width=”620″ colwidth=”5|20|65|10″ colalign=”center|center|center|center”]
,Store,Deal, Price

1,Fry’s,Belkin WeMo Smartphone Light Switch,$30

2,Newegg,Laiputuo Car OBDII HUD w/ Speedometer,$60

3,Amazon,HDE E336 Waterproof Car Rear View Backup Camera,$15

4,Amazon,Emeril by All-Clad PRO-CLAD Stainless Steel 8″ Fry Pan,$20

5,Amazon,Sportsman 4000W Portable Propane Generator,$269

6,Sears,WeatherTech All Vehicle Front & Rear Universal Mats,$35

7,Sears,Smart Solar Ceramic Solar Cascade Fountain,$99

8,Best Buy,20% off one Small Appliance,

9,BuyDig.com,Samsonite Hyperspace XLT Spinner Boarding Bag,$79

10,Home Depot,60% off Select Area Rugs,

[/table]

* Holdover from previous week.

Top 10 Expired or Sold Out Deals

Don’t forget to set up deal alerts on Ben’s Bargains so you don’t miss out on any more of these great savings!

[table caption=”Gone But Not Forgotten” width=”620″ colwidth=”5|20|65|10″ colalign=”center|center|center|center”]
,Store,Deal, Price

1,Sears,LG 39LN5300 39″ 1080p 60Hz LED HDTV,$250

2,Dell,Dell U2414H UltraSharp 1080p 24″ IPS LED Monitor,$200

3,Sears,Samsung PN43F4500 43″ 720p Plasma HDTV,$300

4,Jos A Bank,VIP Take It Easy Pleated Front Men’s Pants,$16

5,Sears,Samsung PN60F5300 60″ 1080p 600Hz Plasma HDTV,$680

6,Sierra Trading Post,40% off Sitewide,

7,Rosetta Stone,Rosetta Stone Level 1-5 Set,$264

8,Amazon,Rollie Eggmaster Vertical Cooking System,$10

9,eBay,TaylorMade Ghost Manta Belly Putter,$30

10,eBay,KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus Series 5-qt. Stand Mixer,$190

[/table]

Deals of the Week (May 23): Semper Deals!

Announced on Oscar Mayer’s site, the Wake Up and Smell the Bacon alarm clock device is a small dongle that attaches to the bottom of your iPhone at the headphone jack. When connected to the Wake Up and Smell the Bacon mobile application, the alarm function will trigger a scented release from the dongle and your bedroom will be coated in a strong scent of delicious bacon.

Of course, the mixture of crushing disappointment and building rage that will ensue when you groggily realize that there’s no actual bacon for breakfast may cause you to smash your iPhone. That’s probably why Oscar Mayer isn’t planning on selling the device. They will be giving away a limited run of the bacon dongles through a promotion that ends during early April.

According to testers, the scent definitely has a smoky flavor. In addition, Oscar Mayer will be sending out a replacement refill with the dongle after the first one finally runs out. In addition to the scent, the Wake Up and Smell the Bacon mobile application plays the sound of crackling bacon grease as part of the experience.

If you are interested in the promotion, visit the Oscar Mayer’s site to enter. There’s also a ridiculous video announcing the product:

As Seen on the Internets: Bacon-scented iPhone Alarm Clock

I have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest. (Don’t know what I’m talking about? Ask your girlfriend/wife/female friend; she’ll fill you in). On the one hand, Pinterest has some pretty decent recipes and gift ideas. On the other, it makes me feel totally lame that there are kids out there getting organic kale-filled quiches shaped like Elmo for lunch, while my child is lucky if he gets a quesadilla.

Over the last couple years, Pinterest has just gotten more and more over-the-top. To the point of hilarity in many cases. Here are some of the most ridiculous “pins” /DIY ideas of all.

1. Wine Cork Chair

Okay, first of all, Pinterest has many variations of the wine cork chair, which is just crazy. Second of all, why would anyone want a chair made out of wine corks? Third of all, if you have this many wine corks lying around, you should probably seek some help. That’s a lot of wine.

 2. Crocheted Man Shorts

These are honestly the dumbest shorts in the history of shorts, and this picture is just.so.gross.

3. Toilet Paper Roll “Art”

I get it: it’s cool to make “art” from the crap around your house. But seriously? It’s toilet paper rolls, on your wall. Sure it might look okay photographed from the right angle, enhanced with the right Instagram filter, but the reality is it’s still totally going to look like toilet paper rolls, on your wall.

4. Weird Things Made Out of Vegetables/Fruit

Ok, This is actually sort of cool. But seriously, if your kid will only eat their veggies if they’re in the shape of a poodle, they are in for a rude awakening (or you’re in for a lot of work).

5. Recycled Pizza Boxes

You know what’s even cooler than toilet paper rolls on your wall? Greasy pizza boxes on your wall!

6. Crafting with Cat Hair

Think this is a joke? It’s not. Go ahead and pretend to be grossed out, but you can purchase the commonly “pinned” book here.

7. Homemade “Pokebra”

There’s just nothing sexier than a Pokemon Master.

8. Anything Involving Mason Jars

I was at Goodwill the other day and they were selling their old mason jars for like $6 apiece. They must have caught on to what a highly sought-after commodity the mason jar is on Pinterest. Mason jar wine glasses, mason jar chandeliers, mason jar snow globes…the possibilities are endless. And mostly just pointless.

9. Anything involving Mustaches

Don’t get me wrong, mustaches are pretty sweet when they are actually on someone’s face, but this whole “let’s slap a fake mustache on everything and call it hip” trend has gotten totally out of control and needs to go away.

10. Beer Bottle Christmas Tree

Because nothing says “Merry Christmas!” like a tree made out of old Heineken bottles…

11. Non-Edible Bacon Things

There are tons of bacon-related recipes, and that’s just fine  amazing. But there are also a lot of strange bacon-inspired crafts floating around on Pinterest that the world could probably do without, such as the pictured felt bacon scarf. Like, really, can you imagine seeing someone actually wearing this thing out in public?

12. Cuddle Pillow

And finally, is this not one of the saddest things you’ve ever seen? (Also, this girl must have serious personality issues to be this attractive and still in need of one of these “pillows” to cuddle her to sleep at night).

As Seen on the Internets: Most Ridiculous DIY Pinterest Ideas

When it comes to bacon, I cannot lie, it’s not my favorite.  And yet, with Oscar Mayer’s latest effort, I may just to have reconsider.  The company made three exclusive bacon packages — The Commander, The Matador, and The Woodsman — as giftably presentable as any aged bottle of Scotch, imported cigar, or culinary masterpiece.  Each boutique-like package boasts the four C’s, aka “the four facets of quality that transform an ordinary slice of pork belly into The Oscar Mayer Original Strip.”

Fine CUT, Dazzling COLOR, Timeless CONSISTENCY and Enduring CURE.

Bundled in The Commander is 18-20 Oscar Mayer Original Bacon Strips, a handsome stainless steel money-clip adorned with bacon, and a personal expression of your passion on elegant card stock.

The Matador switches the money clip for a set of dashing cufflinks crafted to show the fine lines of bacon.

The Woodsman chooses a rugged multi-tool etched with the subtle bacon lines in order to balance elegance with ruggedness.

With these gifts, which are frequently sold out but restocked daily at Oscar Mayer, Oscar Mayer dares you to “say it with bacon” and “fall in love with the original strip.”

Seriously, never before have I had to balance a sudden salivating hunger while acknowledging the perfect degree of ingenious dry wit present in the following marketable declaration from Oscar Mayer: “When words aren’t enough… Say it with bacon.” If Stephenie Meyer could shape her prose half as well as these tender syllables, then we would all be in trouble.

https://youtu.be/uaqf4DsjWYU

Behold the World’s Most Tasteful Gift: Bacon

Listed on Yankee Candle just in time for Father’s Day, the Yankee Man Candles have all the trappings of those quirky, holiday Jones Soda money grabs, but with the undeniable power of bacon. Filling any room in your home with the smell of delicious bacon, the MMM, Bacon Yankee candle will make you salivate constantly and probably weep over the fact that you forgot to pick up bacon at the grocery store.

Ripping off the late Mitch Hedberg’s idea for cinnamon roll incense, the MMM, Bacon candle would be ideal for tricking your roommates or loved ones in the morning. One of the reviews of the candle on the Yankee Candle site indicate that the smell drove their dogs crazy and ended up having to mop up puddles of drool on the floor.

In addition to the MMM, Bacon candle, the company also released a candle called Movie Night that simulates the smell of fresh, buttery popcorn. This could be useful for a private home theater, especially if you haven’t purchased that full size, working popcorn maker yet as decoration for the corner of the room.

Other man-scented candles that the Yankee Candle released last year include Riding Mower (the scent of fresh cut grass), First Down (the smell of leather on a football) and Man Town (musk, spices and woods all blended together). You can check out all of the Yankee Candle man candles here.

Shut Up and Take My Money: Bacon and Popcorn Yankee Man Candles

Bacon, considered to be the most important food ever by every food expert and prestigious culinary institute, naturally has a place in film history. It has appeared in cinematic landmarks and co-starred with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

This brief history of bacon in cinema will leave you impressed with bacon’s versatility, longevity and artistic integrity. It will also make you hungry.

1941

Bacon appears in what is frequently cited as the greatest movie of all time, Citizen Kane. Granted, you may call this a cameo, but the bacon stole the show.

1980

Jack Nicholson heartily consumes bacon in master filmmaker Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

1984

Kevin Bacon thrills filmgoing audiences in Footloose. His last name is Bacon, in case you didn’t notice.

1985

In Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Pee-Wee Herman talks to his breakfast by doing bacon pantomime. “Can I have some Mr. T cereal?”

1991

In Dutch, Ed O’Neill tells audiences that “nothing burps better than bacon.”

Later that same month, a winning Charlie Sheen fries bacon on Valeria Golino in Hot Shots!

1994

Due to sheer awesomeness, Kevin Bacon is the inspiration for the addictive parlor game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” created by three Pennsylvania college students.

Obvious bacon aficionado Jack Nicholson demands bacon from Michelle Pfeiffer in Wolf.

Animated classic The Lion King has an Achin’ for Some Bacon:

A banner year for bacon closes with John Travolta (aka Vincent Vega) extolling the virtues of bacon in Pulp Fiction. “Bacon tastes gooood.”

1995

Michael Moore directs John Candy in a “comedy” titled Canadian Bacon, which has nothing to do with bacon.

Burgess Meredith is so tough he can eat all the bacon he wants, any time he wants in this scene from Grumpier Old Men:

1997

Avant-garde filmmaker Harmony Korine affixes bacon to a bathroom wall.

2001

Meriadoc Brandybuck cooks up some nice crispy bacon in Peter Jackson’s epic Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings.

2002

Mel Gibson dreams of extra bacon in the alien thriller Signs.

2009

The Other Mother serves bacon to Coraline in the Oscar-nominated animated movie Coraline.

A Brief History of Bacon in Cinema