Cutting through the Red Tape

Jonah never just sits and plays. At 16 months old he is a mover and a shaker with a lot and I mean a lot of energy! In fact, I think he stole all of mine when I was pregnant with him and he keeps it on reserve because I seem to have none left these days! Anyway, I try to think of creative ways to keep him entertained in my office long enough so that I can check my emails in the morning while keeping an eye on him (thanks to a little incident with comet and a call to poison control a couple of months ago). So, this morning I found a tape dispenser laying on my desk and handed it to him! It bought me a whopping thirty minutes! I was actually able to check all of my emails and empty my junk mail folder! It's my #1 pick for a random toddler toy. Here is a list of the other items that I have attempted to use to keep him entertained and the number of minutes he spent playing with it. None of them even come close to the tape dispenser's reliability and stamina!

Office phone (unplugged) - 5 minutes (once he realized it didn't work he put it down)
My shoes - 3.2 minutes
Calculator - 4 minutes
Magazine - 6.7 minutes
Stapler - just kidding :)

Here's a question for all the moms out there. I know we've all had to find random things on the fly to give our kids to keep them entertained or calm them down so what's the strangest item you have used as a toy for your little one in a time of need?