This microphone is named after a rapper who’s known for using auto-tuning so he can sound relatively in pitch when he “sings”. Now, in this no-child-is-allowed-to-be-mediocre era, your kid can get the illusion that he can sing, even if he sounds like a cat held over a bathtub when he belts out the national anthem. For $39.99, this microphone comes with three pre-recorded beats and a USB connection so your child can Bieber-ize himself on YouTube. Thank you, voice correction software, for this 2011 Christmas toy – and for convincing a generation that they should sing somewhere other than in the shower.

Courtesy of Leanne Shirtliffe
The I am T-Pain microphone, which comes with voice-correction software, ranks as No. 7 on my list of worst Christmas toys for 2011. Does it really encourage pitch-challenged youngsters to sing better – or just more?