Following on from yesterday's fake mouldy sandwiches, here's another example of clever food-related problem solving - the Seat Saver.

These are made of soft, flexible, cast and painted vinyl but look so much like the real thing that, if you need to zip off for a wee in the middle of the show, your seat will still be unoccupied when you return.  

They come in a range of sizes from burst mustard sachets and spilled nailpolish bottles right up to major coffee or milkshake spillage. And, quite apart from their utility for seat saving, they're pretty good for practical jokes too.

I came across these in the USA and I've not seen them on sale in the UK yet. But it can surely only be a matter of time ...

Several companies produce these things. Here's one: http://www.displayfakefoods.com/store/pc/Fake-Spills-c42.htm 

Here's another: http://www.fakefoodonline.com/gag_seat_savers.html

And the delightfully named Fee Fi Faux Foods produce a range too, although their wares are aimed at film and TV sets or dressing a house for sale: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Fee-Fi-Faux-Food/Dunkin-Donuts-/_i.html?_fsub=947885011