Best of Rhode Island 2009 Editors' Picks

Seventy candles on a cake? Nah, not when the brilliant designers at Fred have created Roman numeral candles. (That's LXX, right?) Fred & Friends, based in Cumberland, offers a robust catalog that centers on puns, cheeky surprises, familiar pop culture references and turns of phrase all rendered in molded plastic, silicone and the like. Not to be confused with novelties or gag gifts, these are good, inventive and mostly highly functional items that work in kitchen, bath, at parties and in the office. Guaranteed to give chuckles or even guffaws to all who see them.