Strollerderby : disney

Crush of the Week: Imagination Movers

editors — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

As feedback to our 10 Most Crushworthy Children's Show Hosts, a Babble reader nominated this yummy foursome. We agree. Made up of Rich, Scott, Dave, and Smitty, these dudes look sexy even in cowboy hats, goggles, and strange blue auto-mechanic jumpsuits. Mmm. They're music to our ears and our eyes.

And for that, they are our Crush of the Week --Andrea Zimmerman

Photo: PBS

Morning News - Susan Boyle Comes in Second

Brett Singer — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:00:00 GMT

So you know that Susan Boyle person? Scottish woman, has a really big singing voice, knocked people's socks off on "Britain's Got Talent", which is sort of like "American Idol" but with weirder acts, like a guy who dances like Michael Jackson while dressed as Darth Vader? (No, really. That's true.) Anyway, everyone thought Susan would win contest. (My money was on Darth Jackson. Which is why I don't gamble.) But she came in second. First place went to a dance troupe called "Diversity." Maybe in England hip-hop dancing is still hip. Or people just got bored with Susan Boyle. Or maybe it was something else. Anyway, she lost, but like Clay Aiken before her, I bet we'll hear from her at some point. Sometimes second place isn't so bad. (Ask Ruben Studdard. Although he does have a new album out, so maybe he'll stage a comeback. Wow, I think I don't care about this topic. Moving on.)

Well, I'm not moving on quite yet. Apparently Susan Boyle needed a team of psychistrists to get ready for the big TV finale. I have to admit that if her story is true -- never performed anywhere but her church, shot to worldwide fame in a matter of hours, on a TV show watched by millions -- then I can't blame her for being nervous. And maybe I'm wrong but to me, it's impressive that she got as far as she did. Not because she isn't talented. But she was completely unknown a few weeks ago. Now she's very very "known." Sounds like a victory to me.

Now on to science news. Everybody has a cell phone these days, and your plants want in on the fun. Yes. That's right. Your plants. The Discovery Channel has a story about a chip that would allow plants to "call" for water when they were, like, thirsty. "The farmer would just need their regular cell phone service, and the plant would send a text message when it needed water." Neat. Although I'm not sure why you can't just water the things on some sort of regular basis. Then again, I've never owned a plant that didn't die within a month. So maybe I'm not the right person to ask about this.

This headline form the Wall Street Journal is both completely sensational, but also accurate. Here you go: Lawmakers Bill Taxpayers For TVs, Cameras, Lexus. It's accurate. I hate reading stuff like this. Some of the item, like a digital camera, I can see as being needed for a lawmakers' job. But a Lexus? Times are tough, drive a crummier car.

Republicans, Let's Play Grown-Up
Sticking with the Journal, one of their columnists says that the GOP should "play grown-up" with regard to Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court. Political commentator Ellis Henican says that if Republicans keep attacking Sotomayer, "they might well achieve a rare double fiasco for the Once-Grand Party - pursuing a doomed campaign against a highly qualified Supreme Court nominee and guaranteeing that Latinos will vote Democratic for the next 30 years." I guess we'll have to see how this one plays out.

Cuba's gonna talk to us! Wow!

A group of scientists in Houston, Texas are working on a cancer vaccine. I will now make the understatement of the year -- hey, that'd be cool.

Finally, "Up" ruled the box office this weekend by taking in almost $70 million. "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" came in second place, and has already broken the $100 million mark. "Star Trek" broke $200 million. There were some other movies in the top ten that I don't care much about. A few words about "Up" and their box office total: the number is somewhat artificially inflated because of the $3 per ticket surcharge for 3D (or "RealD" as they call it these days). Not every theater is showing "Up" in 3D, but a lot are, and that makes the total dollar figure larger. It also means that in Manhattan it costs $55 to take two adults and two kids to see the movie. Which, for the record, I thought was really good. But I could do without the extra cost.

Image: Wikipedia

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Disney Pixar's UP - Quickie Movie Review

Brett Singer — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:51:00 GMT

I don't want to spoil anyone's fun, so I'm not going to get into too many details. Let me say that there's a lot more to the film than what you saw in the trailer. And if you, like me, are bummed out after the first few minutes, just wait. Trust me.

This is probably the best kid flick I've seen since I had children. It's also one of the better films I've seen in recent years. Admittedly, I don't get out to the movies much. But I doubt any of the Oscar-nominated films this past year were this much fun.

Seriously, "Up" has great action sequences, a good story, moments that tug at the heartstrings -- and by far the cleverest talking animals you will ever see. I don't mean that they say funny things, although they do. I mean that the usage of said animals is a million miles ahead of anything you've seen before.

I'm going to go a little over the top and say that I think "Up" will get a nomination for Best Picture and also Best Screenplay. Yes, it will probably be nominated for Best Animated Feature, and like every other Pixar movie, it wil win. But it's better than that, and I think it will be recognized as such. So you heard it here first -- "Up" for Best Picture.

I don't want to build it up (no pun intended) too much. But it's really good. Go see it and don't let your kids talk too much.

Image: Amazon

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Disney Princesses Get Nasty

JeanneSager — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:01:00 GMT

There's no major love lost between me and the Disney princesses, but I've never outright hated them. After all, my kid likes that Belle reads just as much as she thinks that yellow gown is the cat's meow.

Still, I never expected to get all mama bear on behalf of someone messing with princesskind.

Maybe it's just that the following images would scare the bejesus out of half the four-year-olds I know (yes, the other four-year-olds would think they're wicked - in a GOOD way).

Artist Jeffrey Thomas is likewise wicked - wicked talented and wicked funny (check out his blog). But he has created a series of "twisted princesses" that gave me the heebie jeebies!

Check out the Lion King's sweet pride and joy:

Twisted Princess: Nala by ~jeftoon01 on deviant ART

I'd be heading off to hang with the farting warthog if that was my girlfriend too.

Or how about Ariel looking like Ursula crawled up her tail:

Twisted Princess: Ariel by ~jeftoon01 on deviant ART

Swim Flounder, as fast as that chubby little fin can carry you!

Whoever said you couldn't mess with a good thing? Check out the rest over at Deviant Art.

Finish Line - Blame Daycare

Brett Singer — Sat, 23 May 2009 02:00:00 GMT

Holiday weekend -- whoo-hoo! But before you start grilling, here's a sampling of what happened here on the 'Derby this week.

Guess what? Not can we blame bad behavior on the mother, we can also blame it on day care! Madeline told us all about it in They Say: Moms, It's Still Your Fault. Well, Yours and Daycare.
Jeanne gave us a head-scratcher with Class Rings for Your Pre-Schooler? Heck, we don't even do trophies for my fantasy football league. And that's, like, important.
Shannon told us about a phenomenon that I wouldn't have predicted -- Economy Down, Adoptions Up.
Sunny told us 5 Ways Jon and Kate Are Not Like Us. I'd like to add a sixth -- we're not INSANE.
Amy told us that The Voice of Mickey Mouse is Silenced. Wayne Allwine died at age 62; he was only the third person to ever provide a voice for the world's most famous rodent.
And Shannon and I discussed adoption, gay marriage, and why legalizing gay marriage won't help same-sex couples with some of their adoption issues in this week's Babble Talk Radio.

Happy Memorial Day!

The Voice of Mickey Mouse is Silenced

Amy Kuras — Thu, 21 May 2009 18:01:00 GMT

Rest in peace, Mickey Mouse. No, the little animated Disney icon isn’t being killed off – but Wayne Allwine, the man who gave him his voice for the last 32 years, died Monday of complications from diabetes. He was 62.

He was only the third person to voice Mickey, the other two being Walt Disney himself and Jimmy McDonald, who was Allwine’s mentor and chose him to continue the tradition.

He can be heard on “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” daily on Disney Channel, along with his wife, Russi Taylor, who is the voice of Minnie. Yes, Mickey and Minnie were married in real life, for 20 years. Pretty much anything Mickey since 1977 had Allwine’s voice behind it, including the theme parks, movies, and TV shows.

According to the Associated Press, “Roy E. Disney, director emeritus for The Walt Disney Co., said Allwine did more than give Mickey a voice. He "gave him a heart and soul as well."

"He did an incredible job of bringing emotion, humor and appeal to the character, and superbly carried on the tradition originated by my Uncle Walt, and later by sound-effects wizard Jimmy Macdonald."

Allwine is also survived by five children from a previous marriage: Erin, Alison, Peter, Christopher and Joshua.

The Wiggles Leave Disney for Sprout

SunnyChanel — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:30:00 GMT

The Wiggles will be packing up their bags. The wildly popular Australian quartet , that are considered to be the No.1 preschool entertainment act in the world (just not in my house), will be moving to the Sprout Network from Disney. Starting August 24th, The Wiggles will join the roster over at SproutTV and will be aired ad nauseam.

Sprout will be playing episodes from all six of the past seasons each and every day. They will also have episodes available via on demand systems and online. So if you are trying to live a Wiggle free world, they will be much harder to avoid - you’ve been warned. If your kid watches Sprout, there will no way to avoid them.

Does your kid watch The Wiggles?

"Classic" Cartoons... Or Just Old?

KeriF — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:30:00 GMT

When I was a kid, Tom and Jerry was my favorite cartoon, even though I never knew which one was Tom and which one was Jerry. I had a Tom and Jerry blanket and watched them faithfully every day after school.

Now, 30 years later, my kids' favorite cartoon is... Tom and Jerry (though they seem to be able to keep track of who's who). My sister had a DVD and it only took one showing for the kids to get hooked. Watching it now, I can't really see why--the animation is simple, the characters flat and one-dimensional (both literally and figuratively). There's no singing, no clever witticisms aimed at the parents, and frankly, only one storyline--cat chases mouse, mouse exacts revenge--repeated endlessly.

But maybe that's why they like it so much. They--my kids and nieces and nephews, ages 2 through 10--all laugh hysterically at even the lamest of sight gags. After all, they're kids, they're not looking for sophistication. And as much as I enjoy the cleverness of Shrek or the profundity of Wall-E, all my kids really want is to be entertained.

My kids also love The Three Little Pigs, the original Disney short from 1933. That one has singing (you remember, "Who's afraid of the big, bad, wolf, the big, bad wolf, the big, bad wolf...") but the animation is still pretty basic, especially compared to the digital animation the kids are used to from modern movies. They watch it on YouTube on my sister's Iphone, which isn't really optimal viewing (they don't care). But now they can watch the pigs on DVD; it's included in Disney's new Animation Collection of "classic" cartoons.

The quality isn't much better than what you get on YouTube--some of the cartoons are more than 70 years old, after all--but it is nice to have them all together and not have eight kids trying to watch a video on an Iphone.

There are about a gazillion shorts included in the collection, all in the same style as the iconic Three Little Pigs. The stories hold up surprisingly well and there's something almost sweet about their innocence. I suppose that's why Disney released this collection now; in tough economic days, don't we all yearn for a simpler time?

What kind of cartoons do your kids like? Do they favor the disturbingly realistic rats of Ratatouille or the basic line-drawn Jerry? Which do you prefer?

Crush of the Week: Johnny from Johnny and the Sprites

editors — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Anyone who saw his obscenity-laden, multi-puppet performance in the show Avenue Q surely fell in love with John Tartaglia (including the producers at Disney, who eagerly gave John his own kids’ show). John's character on the show has a great smile, sings, dances, is kind to woodland creatures — the total package. Plus he lives all alone in that big enchanted treehouse. Wouldn't it be cozier with two?

And for that, he is our Crush of the Week --Gwynne Watkins

Photo: Scott Wolf's MouseClubhouse

Hannah Montana's Gone Fruity

JeanneSager — Sun, 03 May 2009 16:16:00 GMT

I'm all for a brand using its sway with kids for good, but do we really need Hannah Montana bananas?

What about Mickey Mouse apples? High School Musical avocados?

Disney has gotten healthy to face the childhood obesity crisis head on, cutting ties with McDonald's (you'll notice there are no Disneyfied happy meals on your summer road trip this year) and slapping giant mouse ears on good, wholesome fare.

So, is it working? According to a look by the Washington Post, yes. When supermarket chain Winn-Dixie linked its bagged apples to High School Musical, sales spiked by forty-seven percent. The Disney Garden line is now appearing in eighteen of the top twenty mass and grocery retailers in the states, and sales grew seventy percent from 2007 to 2008.

I can admit I've fallen victim. My daughter needed a grab and go snack, and she saw Mickey apple slices on the shelves. She asked because they were Mickey. I bought because they were apples. With the same characters in a different aisle on sugar-packed "fruit" snacks, the real thing worked for me. We've also been known to pick up Princess soup because she begged for princesses, and my first introduction to Hannah Montana came in the supermarket when my daughter started shrieking about the pop star on her yogurt. Again, yogurt, much better than potato chips! Trust me - their branding is working on my impressionable three-year-old.

But I'm not sure how I feel about Disney selling health food to my kid. Is it better than peddling the junk? Sure. But does it have to be either or? I shy away from Sesame Street's organic pasta and breastfast offerings too, because as much as we all love Cookie Monster, he's not making me feel better about a processed box of waffles. And I'm not ready for the forecasted Mickey whole wheat chicken nuggets to replace the homemade version I make and freeze in my own kitchen.

Frankly, I'd prefer my kid make her food choices based on things like "amount of whole grains included" or "no trans-fats." I'd like to think she'd pick up an apple because we live in New York and have raised her on some of the nation's best apples, not because there's a cartoon character stamped on the flesh. Ditto avocados. They're fantastically flavorful and you can't have guacamole (yum) withouth them - so do we really need Zac Efron's mug to get them in my cart and on her plate?

Disney is such a powerful brand, I'm happy to see it inching back from the heart attack on a plate foodstuffs its traditionally backed. For parents who have had to measure just buying a requested item over the tantrum in the middle of the supermarket, it's definitely good news. Trust me, been there, heard the screeching. But I can't help wishing food would just go back to being food, no Hannah Montana, no Elmo, no Mickey. It's why I've fought the organic branding too.

Because in fifteen years, she won't be picking food because it has her favorite superhero printed on the front of the bag. She'll just have to go with her gut, and I'd like to think it's one filled with healthy choices.

Image: Washington Post

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Teaching the Chinese to Speak Disney

Shannon LC Cate — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:30:00 GMT

The growing English school business in China has a new player: Disney. Disney-owned schools that aim to teach English to Chinese children are opening throughout China. Oddly, Disney is going overboard to refute the obvious: that the schools will propagate Disney brand awareness among millions of children in a formerly closed marketplace.

The Wall Street Journal quotes Disney chairman Andy Mooney as insisting that "We never saw this as an effort to teach the Disney brand and Disney characters. We set out to teach Chinese kids English."

And yet, as the article also points out, the "schools" not only use a Disney-filled curriculum, but feature "stores" that "sell" (via "magic tokens" earned by children for good behavior) Disney products to children that are otherwise unavailable in tightly media-restricted China. And apparently, when it comes to language learning, children are introduced to very little English, in fact, as few as four new words per week (you know, like, "mermaid," "fairy godmother," "lightyear" and "beast").

It seems pretty obvious to me that Disney is trying to sneak into the Chinese media world through a back door and the corporation doth protest altogether too much that this is not the case.

However you feel about Disney or media in China, for that matter, it seems a shame that kids whose parents are paying for English lessons are perhaps getting princess lessons instead.

image: Disney, via www.online.wsj.com

UPDATE: Jamie Foxx Apologizes To Miley Cyrus

Brett Singer — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 03:30:00 GMT

Jamie Foxx issued a mea culpa on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. EOnline.com reports that Foxx responded with a "Yeah" when Jay Leno asked him "Did you say something inappropriate?" Here's the rest of it from EOnline:

"I so apologize to [Cyrus], and this is sincere...I am a comedian, and you guys know that whatever I say, I don't mean any of it. And sometimes, as comedians, as we do, we go a little bit too far. I have a radio show...We're really the black Howard Stern. We go at everybody. There was a situation with Miley Cyrus, and I just want to say, I apologize for what I said. I didn't mean it maliciously. You know I'm a comedian."

Then, looking at the camera, "Miley, I apologize, so I'll call you. I got a daughter too, so I completely understand."

So there you go. Good enough? I think so. Do you agree?

Original post follows below.

*-*-*-*-*

So, like, hey now.

A little background. Jamie Foxx has a channel on SiriusXM Satellite Radio where he does a show called The Foxxhole. He said some... things about Miley Cyrus (aka Miley Ray Cyrus Hannah Montana Stewart Lipschutz). Someone called in and mentioned Miley's little dustup with Radiohead (she wanted to meet them, they said no, she got pissy and yakked about it on some radio show). The Oscar-winning Mr. Foxx then went off a bit. Here's the audio, which is not safe for work. At all. Seriously. You have been warned.

So yeah. He said it. There are a few other people in the mix, and I'm not sure who said what. I'm fairly certain it was Jamie Foxx who said that Miley should make a "sex tape", and then a female voice added "with your dad." "White bitch" was in there. Also something about doing heroin "like Britney" (I must have missed that headline about Brit nodding out), as well as a suggestion that Miley catch VD from a bicycle seat. (I didn't think that was possible, but hey, what do I know?)

A few things to say here. First, Foxx said this on his radio show this past Sunday. It appears to only be coming out now. That doesn't diminish it, but it does mean that not a lot of people heard the comments. Second, he was trying to be funny. That doesn't excuse the comments at all, of course. But in theory performers get more latitude when it comes to humor.

As for what was said: it was completely inappropriate and in incredibly poor taste. I'm not a fan of Miley's; I think her music is horrible, and the message of her entire persona seems to be that fame is a goal worth trying for, which is something I don't agree with. (That's the short version of a longer thought that I'll share one of these days.) In my opinion you can make fun of anything and talk about whatever you want. But when its an underage person, boy or girl, and you start saying "white bitch" and suggest that she make a sex tape with her dad, that seems unnecessary. He has the right to say it. But why would he? (A commenter at LATimes.com says that the Foxx clip is somewhat out of context, but, like the Rodney King video, I'm not sure that context matters in this case. Maybe it does, but I doubt it.)

There's also plenty to make fun of when it comes to Miley. The Radiohead thing. The fact that she sleeps in her parents bed sometimes, despite being sixteen years old. Her music. Her TV show. Lots of material to work with before you go to "white bitch" who should do heroin and make a sex tape.

What do you think? Should underage famous people be off-limits, at least in some ways? Or did Miley deserve it?

Source: EOnline

Image: Amazon

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Four Creepiest Animals Turned Adorable Kids Characters

JeanneSager — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:05:00 GMT

Just the thought of the scene when the rats converge in the kitchen in Disney's Ratatouille gives me the willies. They're (shudder) rats. Uggggh.

Becoming a parent, I quickly learned, was setting myself up for dozens of movies/tv shows featuring the world's creepiest animals thrown onto a screen in the attempts to make kids think they're just as cute and cuddly as your average puppy.

Who are they trying to kid? Rats, spiders and cuddly tigers? Oh my.

Remy in Ratatouille: He can read! He can cook! Gotcha - but he's still a rat. And rats don't belong indoors, not to mention in a restaurant kitchen mixing up French delicacies. Since this comes from the folks at Disney, I can't help but ask, did they take a look in their archives? I hold the rat scene from Lady and the Tramp wholly responsible for my residual rodent revulsion.

Charlotte in Charlotte's Web: Another reader, with a talent for writing, Charlotte is the true hero of the movie and E. B. White's book that bear her name. She's still a spider! With big buggy eyes and larger-than-life chompers. And did anyone catch the tail end of the Dakota Fanning version, with the egg sack full of thousands of little spiders just waiting to scuttle off and settle in the corners? See Also: Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends.

Alvin, Simon and Theadore in Alvin and the Chipmunks: I will always remember the day a contractor left a door open at my parents house and a chipmunk snuck in. Total. . . and complete . . . pandemonium. Followed by plenty of cleaning up of little pellets of poop in my bedroom. Ewww. Another member of the rodent family, chipmunks carry disease and are best-known for storing their food in their cheeks so long they come close to bursting, followed closely by their "chirpy" chipmunk calls. Ever said, "say it, don't spray it," when your kid spoke with a full mouth? Try telling that to a chipmunk . . . or to the three singing sweethearts who hanker for hula hoops? That Dave lets these little guys live in his house and eat of his cereal bowls is giving me flashbacks. . . to poop cleaning.

Oswald: With the disarming voice of a Savage brother, how could anyone dislike the bright blue resident of Big City who tips his bowler to everyone he meets? Maybe the fact that octupi have been known to kill sharks, detach one of their eight legs to escape predators and shoot bright clouds of ink at anyone who gets in their way? Fish may be friends, not food, but the octupus is not the friendliest member of the ocean community.

Images: Disney, Flixster, Amazon, Parent Previews

Meet the Cast of The New Disney Princess Film – The Princess & The Frog

SunnyChanel — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:41:00 GMT

A new Disney princess will soon be gracing us all with her presence. And this ain’t just any old Princess, this is Disney’s first black princess. Now, regardless of heritage or skin tone, a new princess is news enough…in my house at least.

My daughter, against my own wishes, is princess crazy, and she is especially crazy about princesses of the Disney variety. So, yeah, this is tantamount to Christmas, a birthday or freshly baked cupcakes. All the characters will surely be mainstays, regardless of the quality of the film, in not only my household but maybe yours too. So without further ado, let me introduce you to the stars of this tale based in New Orleans, the Princess and the Frog cast. (via of Jezebel.com via Ain’t it Cool).

Princess Tatiana (picture above)
Historic because she’s the first black Disney princess, perfect timing with our nations first black president. And yes, Disney is already all set to market the Princess Tatiana costume to the masses.

Prince Naveen
I smell a smug prince and proud prince…he has too be right? His outfit is just way too tight. And he also happens to have a "secret."

Ray
Princess Tatiana’s sidekick is following in the footsteps of other famous Disney sidekicks like Peter Pan’s Tinkerbell, Ariel’s Flounder, and Alladin’s Abu, yup, some pretty big shoes to fill and his feet look mighty tiny.

Mama Odie
The “good” voodoo priestess. She looks like she could be part one part Yoda, one part grandma and one part Ace Bandage.

Louie
He’s a new pal of Princess Tatiana’s. He just happens to be a trumpet playing alligator. But this isn’t Disney’s first foray into New Orleans style tunage. Think back to the classic Louis Prima (a New Orleans native) and his trusty sax player Sam Butera appearing (in animated form) in The Jungle Book. Now that New Orleans styled animal played song cannot be beat. Ever.

And last but not least...
Facilier
He is, as Joss Whedon would say, the big bad. This evil voodoo dude. As Dodai over at Jezebel said “We know he is bad because he is wearing black. Also: Good guys don't show off their clavicles (see: Naveen). Plus, there's a skull on his hat.” Natch.

Are you, or your kids, looking forward to the new Disney princess movie? I haven’t even told mine about it yet to avoid months of “can we see it now? Can we? Can we?”

Click here to check out the "Official Teaser"

Via Jezebel via Aint It Cool

Interview - Disney Princesses Toy Designer

Brett Singer — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Disney Princesses are getting a makeover. But don't worry -- unlike the "tween" Dora that Nickelodeon recently introduced, these new dolls are only trying to improve on what's already there. (This is, shall we say, change we can believe in.) "The Disney Store doll design team studied the classic princess movies and fine-tuned each doll’s face design, hairstyle and dress to make them even more true to the original character," according to a Disney Store spokesperson. Plus, now each Princess has friends! We asked Senior Designer Jaime Tracht, a 9-year toy business veteran, about the new dolls:

Babble: What is different about these new princesses?
Jaime Tracht: Everything is new about the dolls. The faces, hair quality, dress designs and accessories are all new. Each dress was created to mimic the silhouette of the original films with the addition of every little girl's favorite ingredient, Glitter! We also lengthened the hair for maximum playability while keeping as true to the character as possible.

B: Which princess is the most popular?
JT: Since the release of the newly designed girls the top spot for popularity has jumped all over the place. We are seeing new favorites, which is very exciting! Our usually titleholder of top princess has been held by Cinderella for years. Since the new dolls have been introduced she has been outsold by Belle, Jasmine and Pocahontas. It’s great to see such excitement for the girls who were previously less popular.

B: Do you have a favorite?
JT: It’s impossible for me to pick. I love Ariel, Jasmine, Pocahontas and Belle but Aurora and Mulan are so pretty and Snow is so cute and colorful. It’s very hard to decide.

B: Who are the "friends" that now come with the various princesses?
JT: In every movie our princesses have magical friends or sweet little animals helping them along in their journey. They play a special part in each story so they should naturally be a part of the doll. Jasmine has her loyal tiger Rajah and Belle has her enchanted friends Mrs. Potts, Chip and Lumiere. Aurora is accompanied by her 3 magical fairy friends and you can’t imagine Ariel without her mischievous friend Flounder and the musically gifted Sebastian. Each princess comes with these types of friends to complete their stories.

B: What are some of the details you added to the new dolls?
JT: They all capture the true essence of each individual character down to the most minute details. We did a constant comparison to the films throughout the entire process of design with special attention to the faces and dresses. Each character has such specific and identifiable characteristics, whether it be the swirl in the center of Aurora’s bangs, Jasmine’s larger more upturned eyes or the perfect pale yellow of Belles dress, we got it.

The dolls are now available at Disney Stores nationwide. Visit DisneyShopping.com to find a location near you.

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Disney, Nickelodeon At War Behind the Scenes

Amy Kuras — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:01:00 GMT

It’s unpopular to say so, but I honestly don’t know how parents got anything done before the advent of not one, but two, little-kid oriented channels on cable TV (not to mention to glory that is PBS). Before I had kids, they were not going to watch TV at all. Then, well, there was the unfortunate confluence of a big deadline with a sick babysitter and yeah, out came the Elmo and it’s been a slippery slope ever since.

What we may not realize, though, is there is a cutthroat business behind those cuddly animated characters and exuberant singing movers. Disney Channel and Nickelodeon have been in a pitched battle for years, stealing executives, ideas, and inspiration from each other and battling it out for the eyeballs of our kids.

This NYT article outlines some of that fierce rivalry, although the shows they mention skew a little older than the Babble dynamic for the most part (I am sorry, but a five year old should not be watching High School Musical or Hanah Montana –and seriously, George Lopez outperformed almost anything else? Really?). But a little look at the cutthroat competition is really interesting., not to mention how they try to keep tweens and teens interested in the channels once they graduate from Dora and Mickey.

Disney Takes Over the Egg Carton

SunnyChanel — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 02:05:00 GMT

The marketing maniacs at Disney are totally screwing with my weekly food shopping. I’ve been able to map my shopping trips, when the kid is in tow, to avoid most of the cartoon branded goods that are on the shelves, right at eye level, for kids to lust after. The cookie and cereal aisles are forbidden, as is the ice cream section and of course the “free Brach’s candy bins” that are always taunting little hands to go dip in and grab a hand full of gummy worms, carob covered raisins or the dreaded teeth destroyers, the hard caramels.

Now I have to be careful around the egg filled end cap, the mad branders at Disney have taken something a pure and simple as a chicken’s egg and made it into a branding opportunity. Each of the twelve eggs in the Mickey decorated box is stamped with a tiny stamp promoting one of their brands. The crew at Jezebel spied a commercial for eggs “during the 4th hour of Today” and it shows the eggs being cooked up into a perfectly fried pair of Mickey ears (see below). So not only will your children think that Disney can brand anything and everything, but that when you fry an egg it’ll end up looking just like the beauties in the commercial. Good luck with that.

Via; Jezebel

Doing Homework On Lincoln's Desk

Brett Singer — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:00:00 GMT

There are many important questions our new President must face. But one of them is not in dispute – which First Daughter will get Lincoln's desk.

That would be Malia, who cheekily called dibs on the 16th President's writing surface back in November (after her dad won, of course). She told Poppa Obama that she wanted to sit there when she had a paper to write for school, "because I'm thinking that will inspire big thoughts."

Lest you think this plan was forgotten in the Inaugural hoopla, the New York Times confirmed it in a front-page article on January 20th:

Where in the White House is Malia likely to gather her thoughts when she has a tough school assignment? (At Lincoln’s desk where he penned the Gettysburg Address.)

No word on where Sasha will sit and gather her thoughts. Me, I did it at the kitchen table. Come to think of it, I still do sometimes.

Source: NY Times, ABC

Image Source

Sasha and Malia Get Bored

Third Printing For Obama/Spider-man Comic Book

The Obama Kids First Day Of School

Obama Says His Kids Are Cooler Than He Is

VIDEO-Obama Kids Say DC Schools Are Wimpy

Parents Ripped Off On Inauguration Trip?

VIDEO-Obama Bet Daughter She Will Freak When She Meets Nick Jonas

Brett Singer — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 20:00:00 GMT

I'm going to say it again. Are you ready? Are you sitting down? I hope so. Here we go:

President Obama seems like a good dad.

I know. Earth-shaking stuff, that. I'm not sure why I'm so fascinated by our new President's fatherly behavior, but I am. One reason is that there seem to be many examples of said behavior available for public consumption.

Here's the latest one: Malia said that she would be calm and collected when meeting her crush, Nick Jonas. So Dad bet his daughter five dollars that she would not, in fact, be so calm and cool. Talking about the girls meeting their fave music act, the Prez says:

"That's big! Don't tell them at all. Particularly because I've got a bet with Malia because she's been talking about when she sees her Jonas Brother favorite ... what's his name? Nick ... when she sees Nick, she's going to be all sophisticated. And I said, 'Malia, I will bet you $5 that you will stammer and not have anything to say when you see Nick.' So she's all, 'No, no, I'm sure I'll say I'm a really big fan...' you know Malia, acting all sophisticated... 'and I really enjoy his music'. I said, you won't say that!...So we've got a $5 bet…I won't really take her money."

Here's video of the President telling someone this story:

So what's the big deal? First, it seems like he has a nice relationship with his daughters. A little friendly teasing goes a long way. Second, he knows who the Jonas Brothers are, but he doesn't know too much about them. Not knowing which one she has a crush on is a good thing in my opinion. So he's involved enough in his daughter's interests, but not TOO involved. Third, he's comfortable saying that he made a "bet" with her without worrying that someone will think he's promoting gambling. To me, that speak to a certain confidence that some politicians lack. Granted, this video was released well after the election was won but I imagine that there are a lot of pols who would never allow something this candid to be aired.

So much for that normal life thing, though. Most girls don't get to meet their rock star crushes in person.

No word on whether he knows the difference between Gryffindor and Slytherin. If not, I'm sure Sasha and Malia will clue him in.

Source: HuffPo

Read more:

Sasha and Malia See Hogwarts with Harry

Sasha and Malia Beanie Baby Dolls

Video and Pics: Lego Inauguration

Sasha and Malia Get Bored

Obama Wants Kids To Have a Normal Life – Good Luck With That

Third Printing For Obama/Spider-man Comic Book

Obama Says His Kids Are Cooler Than He Is

The Obama Kids First Day Of School

VIDEO-Obama Kids Say DC Schools Are Wimpy

Malia & Sasha Obama Sporting Some Recessionista Style

RIP Wondertime

Amy Kuras — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:01:00 GMT

Yet another casualty of the recession – word came late last week that Disney was suspending publication of Wondertime magazine.

This was unhappy news to me. I’d always liked Wondertime, in part because it was so, well, not Disneylike. Unlike the other parenting mags out there which seem to push a really standard, plasticized, product-driven view of perfect parenting (not to mention all those ads, aka why it’s no mystery that some have shown up unbidden in my mailbox during both pregnancies and the infancies of both my kids), Wondertime published good writing and was beautifully laid out with nice photography. Basically, it was similar to Brain, Child with a huge budget and lots of advertisers to please.

Like all parenting mags, of course, it presented a vision of unattainable perfection none of us could hope to achieve, which is one of the reasons I think half the people I know are depressed. If you can’t afford the charming character-filled home at which you entertain your wide and attractive circle of close friends, don’t drive the Volvo or push the $800 stroller, magazines can reinforce that feeling of being the last kid picked in gym.

According to Ad Age, the website will go dark too, although Disney plans to move some Wondertime blogs and community areas to other sites such as FamilyFun.com and iParenting.com. Interestingly, its ad pages expanded 20 percent in 2008, which was a terrible time for ad-page sales. Average paid and verified circulation was just below 400,000 copies in the first half of last year according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Disney Bails on Narnia

Brett Singer — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:00:00 GMT

You won't be hearing the Chronic-WHAT?-cles of Narnia at the Mouse House any more.

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting (clunky sentence, sorry) that Disney has decided not to pick up the option to get involved with "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader", the third film in the series. The reasons are "budgetary and logistical", which sounds to me like code for, "the other films didn't make enough money and producing them was annoying, so why should do it again?" "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe", the first film in the series, grossed $745 million worldwide, whereas "Prince Caspian" took in "just $419 million," according to the Reporter. That still sounds like a lot of cabbage to me, but it's a big drop-off, and may not be enough to make risking more cash on a third film worthwhile.

Although I enjoyed the books when I was younger, and my son is starting to read them now, we haven't seen either movie yet. They didn't have that "must-see" effect on my kids that the Harry Potter films or "Iron Man" had. In fact, my son has expressed more interest in seeing a DVD-only release, "The Next Avengers", then he has in "Lion" or "Caspian."

Interestingly, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" was scheduled for a May 2010 release, so talent was attached, plans were made, people had eaten a cheesecake and taken a nap, etc. (Random reference for you on Christmas Eve – don't say I never gave you anything.) Walden Media, which owns the rights to the C.S. Lewis stories, will shop around to try and find another partner for "Treader", but these flicks don't come cheap -- $180 million for "Lion", $200 million for "Caspian". With shrinking profits and a crummy economy, it will be interesting to see if another studio jumps in for "Treader."

Source: Hollywood Reporter via Reuters

Image: Amazon

Are these toys sold out?

Working Parents Smackdown Part 2 – Dads With Jobs vs Moms With Jobs

Is Miley Cyrus' First Photo Shoot Creepy?

Name Guru Picks Eight Worst Celeb Kid Names of 2008 (Part 2)

Movie Review – "Delgo"

Miss Piggy Wants a Bailout For Christmas

Brett Singer — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:30:00 GMT

I'm going to backtrack now on something I said earlier. I was bemoaning (OK, fine, I was whining) that Disney, who now own the Muppets, were going to ruin what I feel are great characters, thereby destroying the possibility that future generations will derive pleasure from Kermit and Company.

Are you sitting down?

I may have been wrong.

Various Muppets appeared on The Today Show this morning to promote their new holiday special, 'A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa' (airing on NBC tonight at 8pm EST; Newsday gives it an A). (No, I don't mean to imply that Tom Cruise, who also was on this morning, is a Muppet. Although that would explain a lot.) The best part, in my opinion, was Miss Piggy, who as far as I know is still being played by the great Frank Oz.

It's not even that what she said was so hysterically funny. But the way that the hosts just sit and chat with her as if she were something other than felt never gets old to me.

Anyway, here are two clips from Miss Piggy's recent appearance, plus one from earlier this year where the Muppets took over the show and Miss Piggy tied up 'Law & Order' star Christopher Meloni with crime scene tape. Good times, good times.

Miss Piggy Wants a Bailout

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Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Miss Piggy on Today Show

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Older: Muppets Take Over Today Show

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Muppets Take Over the Today Show and Miss Piggy Ties Up Christopher Meloni

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Hopefully these frequent Muppet appearances will get my kids interested in the characters once they outgrow Sesame Street. I grew up loving The Muppet Show, and enjoyed the same shows on DVD with my first son. (The second one doesn't seem interested yet.) With such a multitude of viewing choices out there, reminding us about the Muppets can't be a bad thing.

So there you go! I may have been wrong about Disney and their treatment of the Muppet property. Happy holidays, everyone.

(NOTE: Thank you to the commenter below who points out that the embeds of these videos aren't working. Go to MSNBC.com to find them.)

Source: MSNBC

Image: NYTimes

Babble Podcast for December 15, 2008

Half Price Toys at Target

Name Guru Picks Eight Worst Celeb Kid Names of 2008 (Part 2)

Movie Review – "Delgo"

Is Miley Cyrus' First Photo Shoot Creepy?

Brett Singer — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:15:00 GMT

Miley Ray Cyrus Hannah Montana Stewart Lipschutz's first photo shoot has surfaced. The shots were taken back in 2002, and some of them are way creepy. At least that's my opinion. You may feel differently. Let's take a look, shall we?

Some of the images are fairly tame, even for kiddie modeling shots.

Then comes the belly shirt. And the quasi-pouty face.

Actually, I can't decide if this last one is a pout or a "Why am I doing this?" expression.

I'm not a big fan of putting your kids into the entertainment industry. There are obviously cases where the kid wants to do it, and sometimes the kid wants to do it and actually has some talent. But how does a parent participate in a photo shoot where their daughter is wearing a midriff-bearing t-shirt? I feel a bit creepy just writing about this.

Here's a shot with, I think, Miley's mommy.

Not sure if this was candid or staged. I’m thinking staged. She appears to be primping Miley Ray Whatever for the next shot. Either way it's… well, I can't come up with a better word than creepy. And I'm not sure I need to.

One thing for sure – the next time Miley Ray Cyrus Hannah Montana Stewart Lipschutz and her crew complain that Annie Leibovitz or some other celebrity photog somehow tricked them into a racy photo spread, we need not take that seriously for even a second.

As little girl role models go, Miley is certainly better than Tila Tequila or Britney Spears. But would you want your daughter dressing like this? And would you take pictures of it? This isn't JonBenet Ramsey creepy, but it's close. What exactly are you going for when you dress a ten-year-old girl (the age she was in the shoot) like this?

I know I’m getting all moral majority butthead on you. But what do you think of these pics? (Links to the full gallery, which is enormous, are below if you really want to see them all.) Creepy? Not creepy? Would you let your daughter do a photo spread like this at age 10?

Source: MileyWorld via OceanUp via Buzzfeed

Mark Wahlberg Thinks Britney & Paris Make Crappy Role Models

Yet Another Generation of Young Girl Popfatuations

Babble Giveaway: Win a LeapFrog Didj + Hannah Montana Game! (Ends 12/1)

Suri Cruise: Most Powerful Child On The Planet

Name Guru Picks Eight Worst Celeb Kid Names of 2008 (Part 1)

Name Guru Picks Eight Worst Celeb Kid Names of 2008 (Part 2)

Nine-Year-Old Lothario Gets Movie Deal

They Say – Most Toys Are Toxic

Brett Singer — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:30:00 GMT

NYPIRG, which is an acronym for "New York Public Interest Research Group" and not an ancient Hebrew word meaning "bummer", tested a bunch of toys for toxic materials. And they found nothing wrong! Right?

WRONG.

A third of the 1,500 toys NYPIRG tested contained "'medium' to 'high' concentrations of toxic chemicals." Oh, but they didn't test any cool toys that you might actually want to buy. Right?

WRONG!

The Disney Fairies Fold Out Chair and Sleeping Pad had "dangerous levels of mercury and bromine," according to published reports.

Well I’m fine because I stick with more traditional wooden toys from brands like Melissa & Doug. Those are OK.

WRONG!

NYPIRG tested Melissa & Doug's Beginner Band Set, whose label declares that the toy wooden instruments "are handmade, non-toxic and exceed U.S. standards." Those Grinches at NYPIRG found "high levels of lead and arsenic." This toy, as well as the Disney Chair/Pad, were found on the shelves at a Toys R Us in Manhattan. Fun!

Now, I'm not trying to make light of this situation. But it really feels like the only way to fully avoid nasty substances to do is not buy anything. I mean, if you can't trust Melissa & Doug, who can you trust? (This may not be an issue, since, as Madeline put it, nobody's buying anything this year anyway.)

I should also state clearly that I am only reporting what NYPIRG found. I have no direct knowledge of the levels of toxins in any toy made by Disney, Melissa & Doug, Irving & Wendy, or any other manufacturer or individual, known or unknown, on planet Earth or planets yet to be discovered.

NYPIRG suggests that parents visit HealthyToys.org before they shop. Of course, that won't help if no one has tested the toy that you want to buy. But I suppose it's a start.

Still, I'll ask the parent gallery – when you shop for toys, do you think about whether or not they contain potentially harmful substances? For some reason I think most parents (and this is just off the top of my head, I haven't asked anyone other than me) are more inclined to avoid potentially nasty stuff in food or food receptacles, such as BPA-free baby bottles. Will BPA-free toys be next?

Source: Metro

Image: Amazon.com

Are You Cutting Back This Holiday Season?

Morning News: Congresswoman Slams Down the Phone on Obama ... Twice! (also some toy news)

Babble's Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide

Mini Baby Sculptures Not Edible, Selling Like Hotcakes

Make Your Own Religious Doll (maybe these are non-toxic)

Denis Leary Puts Autism Comments In Context

Autistic Girl Kicked Out Of Girl Scouts

Brain Wave Study Sheds Light On Autism

Cheetah Girls Banned From Macys Thanksgiving Parade

Brett Singer — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Fans of Disney Channel girl group The Cheetah Girls will be disappointed to learn that the trio will not be appearing at the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade this year.

The reason? Semi-nude photos of Adrienne Bailon, who plays Chanel Simmons in the band/movies about the band/TV show about the band/something or other (I don't fully understand all of the identities involved here so forgive me) that have appeared all over the Interwebs.

Particularly weird is the possibility that Adrienne had a publicist leak the pics and then claimed that her laptop had been stolen. Jonathan Jaxson, a publicist and/or blogger, claims that he was hired by Bailon to release the steamy snaps (sorry, dropped into gossip-language there for a moment) so that Bailon could "distance herself" from Disney and start developing a more "adult" image. This story doesn't appear to have been confirmed by Adrienne or her people, but that doesn't mean it isn't true.

Many news outlets are comparing this to what happened with Miley Ray Hannah Montana Stewart Cyrus Lipschitz and Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical), two more Mouse House mamacitas (ouch! Gossip talk! Stop that!) that had nude (Hudgens) or semi-nude (Cyrus) photos appear in the wild. But there are a couple of differences. First, Miley Ray Hannah Montana Stewart Cyrus Lipschitz was under 18, and some of the "controversial" photos appeared in Vanity Fair, and the ones that didn't certainly looked like they were candid cell phone snaps. Hudgens was just 18 when her nekkid self showed up on the web. Also, HSM's Hudgens (ah, I give up, gossip speak will happen on occasion) immediately apologized for the racy pics. So if it was a nefarious plot to let the entire world see what she looks like in her birthday suit, it was a well-hatched one.

Why does their ages matter? Because teenagers do dopey things sometimes. So do people in their mid-20's, but if Bailon, who is 25, actually did have someone release these pictures on purpose, she's a huge dummy.

I know this is becoming a trend, but I have mixed feelings about this story. On the one hand, who cares? On the other hand, I would have preferred not to have to explain to a 7 year old what a DUI was when Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain got pulled over a couple of months ago.

Today on the Howard Stern Show on Sirius XM Radio, Robin Quivers theorized that some of the young actresses on the Disney Channel are so desperate to be uber-famous that they'll do anything to get there. If it turns out the photo thing was a leak and not an accident, I'd say she's right.

Should Macys keep the Cheetahs out of the parade? After all, one of their members may be have contributed to the downfall of civilization by putting out pictures of herself in a bra. (Or maybe not. Like I said, I'm conflicted.) More importantly, are they as popular as the amount of news stories about them would indicate? My kids don't want a lot of Disney Channel, but Hannah Montana I know about. The Cheetah Girls, not so much. Any fans, or parents of fans, out there in Internet land want to set me straight? Or even just explain the whole dual-identity thing?

Source/Image: Fox News