I know most of you have seen this a million times, but the posts are slacking because I haven’t had any time to sit down and type them out all pretty. So in the meantime, this commercial always makes me happy, regardless of the fact that I’ve seen it a billionty times.

So watch it again… and smile.

If you are interested, click here for the making of the commercial.

(2/15/2009 Update: I had to replace the first video in this posting, because the original was moved and created a dead link on this side. This new video is an up-close slow motion version of “Mouse Trap” – to see the whole thing, and a whole bunch more gooey awesomeness, run over to YouTube. The premise of it all is that these little Cadbury eggs figure out ways to squish themselves…)

Thanks to Alex for Twittering this - I saw it on his feed this morning and promptly adopted it for a post here.

It’s a fantastic little campaign! It’s got a great viral trend to it - watching the videos is totally addictive and there are TONS of opportunities for off-shoots of the campaign, people taking the idea on themselves to innovate and create their own versions. My favorite example of that being this (seriously… this is awesome…):

Totally cremed…

zak!

Who left the comment: “the sound of a metal slinky slinking is what does it for me. so cathartic.” You will get an email shortly and your Slinky soon!

Thanks for entering, everyone! There will be another giveaway soon, as well as a new post… before you can say the word ”cathartic.”

To celebrate the launch of Gawking in Traffic, you can win a classic example of fine interaction design – a SLINKY!!!

YEAH! I’m sure you’re excited about this.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post to be entered.

There’s something fantastic in the simple enthrallment of a Slinky. And the whole “Slinky walking down stairs” trick is seriously one of the coolest interactions ever!

And as cool as the iPhone is, can it walk down stairs? It most certainly cannot. Trust me, it just bounces down erratically in a hopeless fall to the cement at the bottom…

So just leave a comment (scroll past the picture) before 11:59pm on Sunday, July 20th and you will be entered into the drawing. A winner will be randomly chosen Monday, July 21st, and will thereafter be able to kick it old school with a sleek new Slinky.

For those readers in the NY area, maybe we’ll have to have a huge Slinky race down the NY Public Library stairs one day. Maybe it could be one MASSIVE giveaway! We’ll have to see about that…

When you discover this for the first time, it’s utterly mesmerizing. For me it was in 8th grade at the lunch table – Mark was nearing the end of his Pepsi and, in playing with the can, tipped it up on its side and realized that it was supporting itself.

He pulled his hands away with a look of pure joy on his face. “Dude!” he shouted (or something to that effect – just picture 8th-grade boys). And “dude,” let me tell you, it’s almost surreal. Mark was definitely the coolest person at the table.

Try it for yourself. As you are getting toward the end of your next can of Pepsi, tip it up on its edge. If you are at the right point, it will stay, and your friends will be awfully impressed.

Oh, and yes – Pepsi is my favorite soda. But Mark really did have a Pepsi that day. The image is burned into my mind – I even know where we were sitting.