The Frienduino is an Arduino clone you can make for a friend once you have any kind of Arduino and some soldering skill. The board is easy to make (single sided) and easy to solder (only through hole components). It has everything to get started yet it is cheap and simple because it saves on stuff the novice doesn't need (separate power supply and 3.3V regulator).

IMHO, what made the Arduino so popular is its USB connectivity. This lowers the entry barrier to near zero. No messing around with programmers, no legacy serial port required. Alas, most of the many many Arduino clones out there lack this key feature. I guess the reason for this is that, until now, all USB to serial adapters were not available as a through hole component, thus discouraging the novice to build a "true to the spirit" clone on their own.