All I Want for Christmas Is a $10 Million Zeppelin

Link : http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=583&ncid=583&e=17&u=/nm/20040929/od_nm/catalogue_dc



DALLAS (Reuters) - Baby Boomers, this Christmas season unleash your inner child and empty your bankbook with jewel-encrusted Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head toys at $16,000 a pair.



Retailer Neiman Marcus on Tuesday rolled out its annual parade of seasonal excess and eccentricity in its Christmas Book, which is chock full of luxury gifts that harken to the childhood joys of years past.


For those who pedaled a Big Wheel tricycle, there is the high-powered "Las Vegas Trike" -- a $65,000, three-wheel motorcycle with a long and mean profile, a thundering 330-horsepower engine and a paint style dubbed chameleon because it changes color in varying lights.


Fans of the Jules Verne novel "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" can travel 1,500 feet under the sea in their own personal submarine dubbed an "Underwater Aviator" for its airplane-like shape, with wings that maximize speed and maneuverability. Oh, the price is $1.7 million.


The air ships of yesteryear can be had today, for a tidy $10 million. The Zeppelin company is offering an 8-ton sky gem that seats up to 12 and can fly slow and low for 24 hours.


"This is an adventure ship," said Zeppelin spokesman Ron Hochstetler. "A private jet can whisk you from here today while you are above it all, but in a Zeppelin you can actually stop and smell the flowers along the way."


Fantasy camps are alive and well in the catalog, but they come with a grown-up twist.


For women, there is a haute couture adventure with designer Valentino for $325,000 that ends with a one-of-a-kind gown hand-crafted for the purchaser. There are stops along the way in Paris for fittings with the designer, nights in a luxury hotel and hobnobbing with the high-fashion set.


Country music fans can buy a Grand Ole Opry experience for a mere $25,000 that includes music performances, an autographed guitar and a pair of matching jackets with enough sparkle to catch the eye of everyone in Nashville.


Those who loved the legend of King Arthur as a kid can purchase a custom-made suit of armor for $20,000, and there is a souped-up go-cart for little boys up to 250 pounds is $800.


Some of the less pricey items in the catalog are a holder for sugar packets for $20.


The family fun gift of the season is 5,000-square-foot bowling center with four lanes, a high-tech monitor and scoring system, personalized bowling shirts, and lessons from pros for $1.45 million.