Othmar Mühlebach's design won second prize at the Berner Design Awards, and certainly would have won first prize if it had a built in a butter and jam printer. It's probably for the best, though. I don't want to have to buy overpriced Smuckers refill cartridges. [Polaine via Core77 via Likecool]

Of course, instead of crushing or impaling, these walls toast your bread to death. The crumby lifeblood falls into the pan below, and can be easily removed and cleaned for the next victim. Again, Product Tank is only a concept, but it has potential. [Product Tank via Core77]

That's not to say it's common, perhaps because however cool or useful it is, it's decidedly more dangerous than other two standard toaster types. It would beat hell out of the Black & Decker my wife and I got for a wedding gift, but then so would a lighter held perpendicular to a piece of bread at 6 inches. There is a crumb tray that you can slide out, but that still doesn't prevent jackasses from trying to fry a burger on its grill—surely that's one of the many reasons this format is not favored. That and the fact that the heat dissipation must be crazy, and right up in your face. Still, somehow, I want one.

You know we've written about toasters, toasters and more toasters, but tell me, have you ever heard of a flat toaster? [Fagor via Appliancist PLUS Toaster Pics; Web Marketings; Nomura; Zannell]

OK, so it's not called the steak toaster, it's called the Ariete SteakHouse Indoor Grill, but that's pretty much what it is. It holds your hunk of meat vertically, keeping the heating elements on the side so all the fatty, greasy juices drip down to a tray and don't smoke. Sure, for $220 you could just fire up the grill, go to a steak house or get a cheap George Foreman grill to get similar results, but then you wouldn't be able to brag to your friends that you have a steak toaster. [Product Page via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Note: Toatser teapot does not actually make toast.

Only one slice toasts at a time, which is pure badness in my book; and, as yet, it's only a concept. Arthur, you need to do a double-toaster and keep those '80s tapeheads happy. [Yanko]

• It's small, white and squarish.
• Where other toasters go for bigger and better sets of toasting options, this one underwent a technical downgrade in the name of simplicity: It has a slider, a knob and just one slot for bread.
• Just available online in Japan for 8,400 Yen ($68), it's bound to be in scarce supply for some time.
There's just one final qualifier to make it a true Wii-scendant, however, one that we can't judge from the picture. Will the PlusMinusZero Toaster appeal to non-toast-lovers? Guess we'll have to buy a loaf of bread and find out. [PlusMinusZero via MoCo Loco]

But who, pray tell, is satisfied with just one measly piece of toast? Never mind that. Toasty is pretty enough to have sitting there on your table, where you can pop in another piece and it'll be hot and ready to go by the time you're finished with the first one. We especially like that lit-up Toasty logo up front. Way to go, Artie! – Charlie White

Toasty, Cassette-deck Style Toaster [Yanko Design]

Product Page [Target via Slashgear]

$40 may seem like a lot to pay for the Pirate Toaster, but just think of all the money you'll save on bacon, eggs and sea biscuits. – Mark Wilson

Product Page [via crave]

It's a bit difficult to see how this toaster works, but you can figure it out from the big pic above; its Ultrason exterior has great insulating properties and is cool to the touch now matter how much you burn your toast, so you can set the toaster down just about anywhere. Plus, you can see through it and easily observe how that bread is doing, maybe avoiding burning it altogether. It's a design concept so far, but looks promising. – Charlie White

Like toasters? Have we got tons o' toasters for you!

Ultrason Property Toaster [Yanko Design]

Sunrise, Wall Mounted Toaster [Yanko Design]

There's a solid-state amplifier shoehorned inside there, powered by a 9-volt battery, and the sound comes wafting out the vintage American toaster's slots courtesy of a 6-inch Jensen speaker.

Who could resist the idea of first getting toasted, then having a hot jam session, laying down some smokin' licks until your ears turn to toast. It's distorted, but sometimes that's a good thing. – Charlie White

Product Page [Hottie Amplifiers Inc., via Red Ferret]

Four separate image designs—a sun, a cup of coffee, a smiley face or a birthday cake. You know what? As jaded as we've become over cutesy gadgets, this thing's pretty great. We're buying these as gifts for everybody this Xmas. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Brookstone via Coolest Gadgets]