CES (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show). THE biggest tech convention of the year. This helps set the stage for all nice gadgets let’s see in the next 12 months. However, among all the quadcopters, questionable robots and devices with fancy flexible screens, there are many small things to do to make CES a one-of-a-kind event. To highlight some of the silly, stupid and sometimes great things we encountered at this year’s show, we humbly present the unofficial Dumb Fun awards for CES 2025.

The most beautiful digger – Komatsu PC01E-2

Komatsu’s PC01E-2 looks like a children’s playground toy, except it actually works and looks great. You almost want to go and pinch that little bucket until it turns pink. But it’s not all fun and games because this little digger is meant to help dig things out – even in tight spots. In fact, it’s small enough to fit in most elevators, so if you’re in a situation where you need to finish digging, say, on the roof, Komatsu’s got you covered.

Most likely vaporware – FX Super One

We generally try to be optimistic about new technology. But since Faraday Future announced it first concept car back in 2016the company made less than 20 cars in total. And for the great achievement of making less than two dozen cars, the founder and CEO of Faraday Future went and gave themselves up. Now at CES 2025, the company is trying to get back to the new FX EV line, except it won’t bother painting it. The use of special camouflage cars is generally intended to help hide the design of a vehicle before it is announced, so it doesn’t look like a half-finished product at its own press event. That said, calling it 50 percent done might be too generous. So while there’s always a chance a company will change it, don’t be surprised if you don’t see an FX Super One down the road.

If you need someone to sacrifice their sartorial charm for a story, he’s your guy. And yet, despite a floppy photovoltaic-equipped, chaos of a head decoration, there is no doubt that he is the most beautiful Dan.

Everyone is always worried about when our superior robots will come and defeat us. Except for the people we should be most concerned about. That’s because during a demo for Unitree’s robot, its homo sapien operator fumbled with the controller, resulting in the robot facing our very own Karissa Bell. Human or robot, that’s not OK.

Most beautiful – Bathing

Originally this list was meant to highlight interesting things we saw at CES that didn’t get much praise (or hate) elsewhere, but then Mirumi went and won an award. But I don’t care. This robot is designed to do one thing, hold your arm and focus on things while you walk. It’s basically a puffball with eyes and a clingyness that can’t be denied. And I will protect and cherish it with my life.

Look, taking care of your skin is important. It is the largest organ in your body after all! But if traditional moisturizers, creams and exfoliants aren’t enough for you, I’m not convinced that Shark’s red light mask is the answer. If I’m at home and my significant other comes out of the bathroom looking like goddam Doctor Doom, I don’t sleep. I ran out the door and Reed Richards called for help.

Coolest booth: AARP

AARP describes itself as “the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age.” So instead of encouraging people to wander from booth to booth while checking out all the new gadgets during CES, AARP went ahead and decided to set up a full-ass pickleball court right on the show floor. Naturally, the attendees young and old climbed the net and caused the balls to bounce back and forth with everyone seeming to have a relaxing time in the midst of the biggest technology convention of the year. It would be good.

Company with the most FOMO – Jackrabbit

Las Vegas is a mockery of Mother Nature. It’s an impassable town in the middle of the desert filled with all kinds of temptations and enough neon lights to melt your brain. So if a company doesn’t want to fly to attend CES, we get it. But that doesn’t mean you can try to push your way into the spotlight by sending out e-mails about being “perfect for CES, but smart enough to skip it.” Stop sitting on the fence and suffer with us or shut up. So hey Jackrabbit, you said you were fine not being at CES. So, we feel the same way.

You know what sounds safe? An electric moped that can be a quadcopter, but only if you put the propellers and weapons yourself. The base model also has about 25 minutes of flight time while the company claims to have many built-in safety features, there is also a built-in parachute. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we won’t have air taxis and such in the future. But this thing does not inspire confidence. However, if you have more guts and more sense, please try it and let us know how it goes.

Not every part of the computer should be about pumping out higher framerates and MSI proved that this year by creating a CPU cooler with a built-in turntable. What’s the point you ask? Look at that happy little dragon sitting on its throne. Just look at him. But really, it can be whatever you want there that makes you happy. The sad part is that this water block is just a concept and MSI has no real plans to sell it. What a bummer.

We couldn’t decide which was more pathetic, so we lost the category. For Dell, its new unified branding is even better. After all, no one really cares about lines like Latitude, Inspiron and Optiplex. But killing the XPS name, which is the only Dell sub-brand that actually has meaning, is a step too far. Meanwhile, in an attempt to attract younger buyers who may not be associated with classic black laptops, Lenovo went and made a ThinkPad without carbon fiber or a Trackpoint nub. That is sacrilege. Granted, if you’re younger than 50 you won’t care, but any nerd who grew up with rotary phones will probably be upset.

Coolest booth: Handy

CES is home to all kinds of sex technology, but even with all the vibrators and various toys, the Handy booth somehow managed to stand out from the rest. That’s because in addition to having a selection of kinky gadgets on display, the company has guests lining up to spin a wheel for a chance to take home their own prize. And if people eagerly waiting for a chance to get an entertainment device so they can get their rocks off isn’t crazy, I don’t know what is. Maybe just put it in your pants all the way home.