Imagine owning a television set that looks and feels like a baseball, a cello or even the horse-drawn coach that whisked Cinderella to the ball.
Hannspree Inc., a Taiwan-based TV maker, is preparing to offer such designs as it launches US operations this summer.
"We want to tie our sets into a person's individuality and personality traits," said Rick Calacci, senior vice president of marketing for Hannspree.
Among the more than 100 designs are sets that look like a golf ball. Even the TV's stand looks like a tee.
The baseball set is made of leather and features the same number of stitches found in a baseball. The cello set is made of rosewood. Other models look like apples, cows and sheep. For soccer enthusiasts, the back of one set looks like a giant black-and-white soccer ball.
Hannspree hired four design firms to help construct its flat-screen LCD sets, which will retail for $449 to $1,399. Hannspree is opening stores in Beverly Hills and San Francisco and has deal with several major retailers, which Calacci won't name.
Who will want a television that looks like a giant sheep in their living room?
"This is strictly pride of ownership," Calacci said. "It's for the people who want to be the first on the block with this product."