We’re still plotting our first solar-powered product purchase, but with all the wacky doodads made to run off sunlight we have to admit the choices are a little bewildering. should we get something useful like a solar-powered mouse for our computer? Or, do we get something that’ll really impress all the folks at the office, like a sun-powered tortoise?

We’re not sure, but TreeHugger’s listicle of 10 Strange Solar-Powered Gadgets pretty much confirms our suspicion that innovative and cheap green technology is equally likely to be applied to extremely useful products (like hat-mounted fans) and totally pointless and strangely appealing gizmos, like the solar powered rope-climbing monkey at right.