After 18 months of protests, thousands of calls and e-mails, and appearances outside Brookstone stores by our giant "frog," Brookstone has finally decided to pull a cruel product called the "Frog-O-Sphere" from its shelves!

PETA started campaigning against the tiny plastic frog prisons after receiving complaints from Brookstone customers and after a whistleblower reported that frogs and snails housed in the tiny 4-inch-by-4-inch plastic boxes were neglected, deprived of veterinary care and adequate food, and kept in filthy water. The whistleblower told PETA that when frogs became obviously ill and "unsaleable," they were moved to the stores' storage rooms, where they often wasted away and died.

PETA's undercover investigation of Wild Creations—the company that came up with the idiotic idea of throwing two frogs and some gravel into a container smaller than a shoebox and leaving them there for their entire lives—revealed filthy conditions and deadly neglect. In some cases, frogs were so hungry that that they chewed each other's legs off.

juhansonin/cc by 2.0

Brookstone joins Magic Beans, Target, and other retailers that have stopped selling these cruel products, but Coach House Gifts is still selling frogs in "EcoAquariums" to make an easy buck. In one shipment to Coach House Gifts, 37 out of 40 frogs died after they were left in a container so long that they suffered from heat prostration. Please take a moment to urge the company to stop selling its deadly EcoAquariums.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

We received a call recently from a whistleblower who alerted us to a situation at Coach House Gifts, a Clovis, California–based business where 37 out of 40 frogs in a shipment died after being left in a shipping box so long that they succumbed to heat prostration.

Wondering what a store that specializes in greeting cards and silly bracelets is doing with frog shipments? Well, Coach House Gifts also sells frogs who are crammed into 4-inch plastic cubes. These "desk decorations" are similar to Brookstone's "Frog-O-Spheres."

The similarities between the two novelty gifts don't stop there, either. Both Coach House Gifts and Brookstone buy their frogs from a hellhole called Wild Creations. Our undercover investigation into Wild Creations documented rampant neglect and mishandling of these delicate animals and a total disregard for their needs, welfare, and lives. Our investigator witnessed frogs being thrown around and even tossed into the garbage while they were still alive.

Please ask Coach House Gifts President Craig J. Walker to pull these cruel novelties off the shelves immediately. And then demand that Brookstone do the same!

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

amazon / CC

The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde isn't just the lead singer of a rock band and a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer—she's an animal rights leader too. With that in mind, we're giving you a chance to win a copy of the band's highly anticipated new CD/DVD box set, Live in London. It includes all the major singles, from "I'll Stand by You" to "Brass in Pocket," and it hits store shelves tomorrow.

To enter, tell us what you've done to lead friends, family members, community members, or anyone else to help animals. Rise above the "Middle of the Road" and tell us about something that no one else has ever done. We'll give a copy of Live in London to the 15 readers who share the stories that inspire us the most.

The contest ends on February 15, 2010, and we'll announce the winners on February 17, 2010. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!

Written by Logan Scherer

dcist / CC

I ♥ Target. In addition to the mega-retailer carrying cruelty-free cosmetics and stylish, skin-free kicks, Target recently made the decision to save the lives of hundreds of frogs.

When PETA found out that Target was selling a miniature aquarium called "Planet Frog"—a tiny, plastic prison that's very similar to Brookstone's "Frog-O-Sphere"—we reached out to the corporation's execs. We told them that biologists and wildlife specialists believe the mini-aquariums are cruel and inadequate for frogs and can be hazardous to children's health, exposing them to diseases such as salmonellosis, sparganosis, and psittacosis. We also pointed out an alarming stat: Since May 2009, at least 85 people from 31 states have become ill after exposure to water frogs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Hmm … National retailers start selling frogs in tiny tanks. People all across the country get sick from exposure to water frogs. Coinkidink? Methinks not.)

We asked Target to stop selling "Planet Frog," and they agreed to do just that—easy peasy. No need to send out the troops, call on our celebrity friends, or launch a letter-writing campaign.

Brookstone execs could learn a lot from Target about how make a responsible, compassionate decision without weeks of hand-wringing. Will you ask them to follow Target's lead?

Written by Karin Bennett

Victory Update: Following a national PETA campaign against Brookstone's sale of Frog-O-Spheres —tiny plastic boxes containing two African dwarf frogs—the retailer has discontinued the sale of these little frog prisons in its stores. Learn more about this victory for frogs.

The following is a guest post from peta2's Rachel.

Quick! Think on your toes! What things in life do you hold dear? Is it friendship or family—or even just plain old freedom? All good things ... and pretty essential, right?

Frogs imprisoned in Brookstone's tiny tanks being so brilliantly marketed as "Frog-O-Spheres" are denied all of those things, even though they desire them as much as you or I. Why? To make a quick buck, of course.

Brookstone, what will it take to get you to stop supporting cruelty to animals? It's not just us at PETA who are concerned—it's your own employees, your customers, and millions of others who've seen our recent undercover investigation into the supplier your Frog-O-Sphere prisoners come from—where these frogs were seen being thrown around carelessly and even tossed into the garbage while they were still alive. Brookstone, the complaints don't just come to us—they come to you. Check out some of the more concerning/awful/just-plain-dumb comments from the Frog-O-Sphere review page on Brookstone's Web site:

"Our family cat knocked over the tank and 'played' with the the frogs for over three hours. I was able to find the frogs (scattered through the house), who were still alive??"

"It's hard to keep track of which frog ate however many pebbles and making sure the other one got enough. ... I guess it's not that crucial though ...."

"My grandsons received this as a gift and we thought the 'living gravel' was the packing pouch of black/brown stuff. We almost killed the frogs before we started."

"A lot of people on here have said that their snail has died. It's VERY common for the snail to die, they told me that at the store."

Luckily, in large part because of e-mails and calls from people like you, Brookstone stopped selling snails in its tiny frog prisons, but frogs are still dying. Please call Brookstone and ask it why, after undercover investigations, employee concerns, and comments on its own Web site about frogs suffering and dying, it refuses to stop selling animals. Ask the company to do the right thing now.

Written by Rachel Owen

Victory Update: Following a national PETA campaign against Brookstone's sale of Frog-O-Spheres —tiny plastic boxes containing two African dwarf frogs—the retailer has discontinued the sale of these little frog prisons in its stores. Learn more about this victory for frogs.

Since we announced the disturbing findings of our recent undercover investigation inside Wild Creations—the supplier of frogs for Brookstone's Frog-O-Spheres—we've seen Wild Creations shut down its Facebook page in less than a day (that's got to be some kind of record!), and thousands of people have taken action to get Brookstone to stop selling Frog-O-Spheres forever.

Here are five simple, sure-to-be-successful things you can do to help fight Brookstone:

• Take action by urging Brookstone to end all Frog-O-Sphere sales immediately.
• Share our investigation on Facebook, and in mere seconds you can tell everyone in your social network about the horror behind Brookstone's frog prisons.
• Call Ronald Boire, president and CEO of Brookstone, at 1-603-880-9500. Our digital presence is unstoppable, but old-school dialing never hurts!
• Make animated amphibians entertaining and educational by handing out flyers at upcoming screenings of The Princess and the Frog.
• Put your viral talents to a compassionate cause by creating your own Brookstone video.

If all our readers take action on the digital, viral, and cellular fronts, we can win this battle. Do your part, and I’ll save you a seat at the victory celebration!

Written by Logan Scherer

Victory Update: Following a national PETA campaign against Brookstone's sale of Frog-O-Spheres —tiny plastic boxes containing two African dwarf frogs—the retailer has discontinued the sale of these little frog prisons in its stores. Learn more about this victory for frogs.

Want some stomach cramps, fever, and vomiting with that Frog-O-Sphere?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported this Monday that a national salmonella outbreak has afflicted at least 48 people in 25 states—many of whom say they've been in contact with frogs like the ones Brookstone imprisons in its filthy Frog-O-Spheres. Huh, that's strange … the illnesses began in June, the same month Brookstone started selling Frog-O-Spheres, and officials warn that African dwarf frogs are among the believed causes of these infections. Brookstone markets the Frog-O-Spheres as an educational product for kids. Seventy-seven percent of the people infected with this salmonella strain are children under 10, so I'd have to say that it's evident that Brookstone doesn't care about animals or people.

Our recent undercover investigation inside Brookstone's Frog-O-Sphere supplier revealed thousands of frogs trapped in unfiltered water ridden with excrement and molted skin. And many of the plastic tubs that housed frogs shipped to customers contained the bloated, fungus-covered remains of decomposing frogs. That seems like a breeding ground for infectious bacteria to me. Now, I'm not a biologist, but Clifford Warwick—one of the experts who viewed footage of our Wild Creations investigation—is, and here's what he had to say about the bacterial potential of Frog-O-Spheres:

Want to help prevent the spread of potentially lethal diseases? Take a minute to urge Brookstone to stop selling Frog-O-Spheres immediately.

Written by Logan Scherer

Victory Update: Following a national PETA campaign against Brookstone's sale of Frog-O-Spheres —tiny plastic boxes containing two African dwarf frogs—the retailer has discontinued the sale of these little frog prisons in its stores. Learn more about this victory for frogs.

Last month, a PETA investigator worked undercover inside Wild Creations—the supplier of frogs for Brookstone's Frog-O-Spheres—and documented unsanitary living conditions, rampant starvation, and gross mishandling of thousands of frogs. Frogs were left to languish in stagnant water that was murky with feces and molted skin. They were so desperate for food (our investigator worked there for weeks before anyone was seen feeding the animals) that they were chewing on each other's legs, causing wounds, infections, and, eventually, loss of limbs. Live frogs were left on the floor to die or—mistaken for dead—tossed aside, including into the trash, by employees who had received no training.

We showed the disturbing footage to world-renowned experts in biology and herpetology, and their message was clear: Distribution of Frog-O-Spheres must stop forever. Clifford Warwick, a fellow at the Institute of Biology and one of the world's leading authorities on herpetology, said, "The advice given by the 'technical' staff [of Wild Creations] about this product is less than amateuristic. It is blatantly false, and dangerous and will lead to the suffering and death of many animals, and possibly also lead to human disease and death. … [S]ales staff and workers … are being guided by superiors whose 'knowledge' is more dubious (and frankly dangerous) than even common sense would dictate."

Tom Langton, who runs the frog conservation organization Froglife, reacted by saying, "The housing indicates gross negligence and effective intent to cause suffering and death of frogs and is in fact a breeding factory for pathogens. Such pathogens could spread beyond the immediate factory and into the external environment creating new criminal offences."

You might not be a biologist or even know what a herpetologist is, but what do you think about PETA's latest investigation?

Written by Logan Scherer

wildaboutbritain.co / CC

Victory Update: Following a national PETA campaign against Brookstone's sale of Frog-O-Spheres —tiny plastic boxes containing two African dwarf frogs—the retailer has discontinued the sale of these little frog prisons in its stores. Learn more about this victory for frogs.

Your calls and e-mails truly make a difference. Case in point: Snails who were the designated "janitors" of Brookstone's plastic boxes of filth, aka "Frog-O-Sheres," have been retired. We've just received word from an insider at Brookstone that snails will no longer be included in any Frog-O-Sphere shipments. Because of your hard work, countless snails will be spared life in the tiny, toxic tanks.

(Let's pause briefly for your pat on the back/cartwheel/victory lap around the office.)

OK. That's good work, and this victory is a step in the right direction for Brookstone, but we still need your help to free the frogs from these miserable, inadequate tanks. The company recently appointed a new CEO, Ronald Boire, so your voice is more important than ever. Please send a short, polite letter to him and ask that the company stop selling all live animals. Even if you've written to Brookstone before, write again to the new top dog.

Won't you help frogs live "hoppily ever after"? (My apologies, folks. I couldn't resist that one.)

Written by Karin Bennett

twincities.decider / CC

Victory Update: Following a national PETA campaign against Brookstone's sale of Frog-O-Spheres —tiny plastic boxes containing two African dwarf frogs—the retailer has discontinued the sale of these little frog prisons in its stores. Learn more about this victory for frogs.

Pretenders frontwoman and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chrissie Hynde never has a frog in her throat when it comes to speaking up for animals. So when she heard about Brookstone's sale of cruel Frog-O-Spheres, she immediately fired off a letter to Brookstone CEO Philip Roizin.

In her letter, Hynde writes, "Foot massagers and grill equipment can live quite happily in boxes; animals cannot. Brookstone should rely on sales of innovative and cruelty-free gadgets instead of profiting from animal suffering."

I hear you loud and clear, Chrissie—and hopefully Brookstone will too.

Do you want your voice heard? While we can't help you become a famous rock and roll star, we can help you raise your voice for animals! Use our form to send an e-mail to Brookstone urging the company to pull Frog-O-Spheres off of its shelves immediately.

Written by Liz Graffeo

P.S. On second thought, maybe we can help you with the rock star part.