Oh, I know how you’re feeling. I do. “School just started again!” you’re lamenting. “It can’t possibly be time for Halloween mania already!” But alas, I am here to tell you that no matter how busy your days nor how perplexed you are over how this happened, October is almost here. And that means Halloween is coming.

(Do I even need to tell you that you need to be getting on the stick about buying costumes? Here, go have a look at this year’s stock at Ty’s before all the other slacker parents remember they need costumes. I’m partial to the Miss Spider costumes but my rotten children want something scary. Hmph.)

Anyway, the Halloween programming over at Nickelodeon has been announced, and there’s something for everyone, starting in just a couple of weeks. There’s iCarly and Naked Brothers Band and other TEENick offerings, and plenty of Nick Jr. options for the little ones (Wonder Pets, Backyardigans, Blues Clues, Max and Ruby, to name just a few) and everything in-between. Of particular interest (aside from the programming schedule):

Nickelodeon’s kids’ websites, Nick.com and Nicktropolis, will also dress up in costume to complement “Shocktober.” Throughout the month of October, Nick’s virtual world, Nicktropolis (http://www.nicktropolis.com), will transform its Downtown into a haunted destination featuring a Haunted House, Dracula’s Lair and The Mummy’s Tomb. Kids can visit a pumpkin patch and pick one to put in their personalized rooms, or play a brand new online multiplayer game as team werewolf or vampire, with a goal of persuading the other species to join their team.

Beginning Saturday, October 13, Nick.com will introduce a scream-themed mini-site — http://www.nick.com/shocktober — featuring scary games and videos for Halloween. Kids can log on and participate in the “Scare-acter Transformer” online kids’ game where they can transform their favorite Nicktoon character into a “Scare-acter” with scary parts or swapping body parts with other Nicktoon characters. The “scare-acters” can then be submitted online into the “Shocktober Halloween Parade,” and Nickelodeon will randomly pick some to display on the bottom of the screen during the on-air Halloween Day marathon on Wednesday, October 31.

So there’ll be plenty to do, next month, and only some of it will involve pumpkin guts. I know you’re relieved.

(At right: A screen capture from the upcoming Disney movie Enchanted. The Prince is telling Giselle that he’s found a soda that is refreshing and full of vitamins! She is, of course, understandably thrilled.)

Oh, we knew it was coming. The giant marketing machine behind licensed property conglomerates has been shying away from the appearance of promoting unhealthy foods to our kids, which is—I would argue—as it should be. However, maybe you (like me) didn’t think it all the way through, to wonder with what, exactly, these advertising venues would be replaced. Because if Disney decides to ditch the Happy Meals, folks, did you really think they’d just stop advertising? Of course not. There has to be a newer, more acceptable path. Right?

Check out the latest over at Jim Hill Media, where Hill asks whether Enchanted’s marketing plan will make a difference:

Starting the middle of next month, Walt Disney Pictures will be teaming with Nutrisodas®, a carbonated nutrient-enchanced beverage, to help raise awareness of this Kevin Lima film. These drinks — which feature natural fruit flavors as well as a meaningful level of vitamins & minerals — contain absolutely no sugar or caffeine.

Not only that, but Mickey has also gotten in bed with The Little Gym folks. You know? That international chain that uses gymnastics to help kids develop motor skills? Now through October 19th, any child who signs up for fall classes will automatically receive two free passes to “Enchanted.” Plus anyone who takes part in a free trial class will then be entered in The Little Gym Family Getaway Enchanted Sweepstakes. Which features a grand prize where a family of four will be flown out to Hollywood to attend the world premiere of this new Walt Disney Pictures release.

This is the new face of marketing, where you only see (and hopefully, associate) a movie with healthy things. Will it pay off?

Mickey is hoping that “Enchanted” will be the very first feel-good movie that actually encourages people to start adopting more health-concious habits.

So what do you folks think? Should the Walt Disney Company be commended for trying to associate “Enchanted” ’s release with healthier food choices & physical activity? Or is this just an empty gesture by a well-meaning executive that will ultimately have little or no real impact on the movie-going public?

I’m no industry expert, but I can say with confidence that I have never picked which movie to see based upon who I found staring back at me on my soda can. Maybe that’s just me, though.

I firmly believe in opposing—yet complementary—forces in the universe. Light and dark. Yin and yang. Good and evil. (No, this is not where I light incense and start chanting. Just stay with me, here.)

It may surprise you to learn that your humble Toy Box Mommy daily engages in a struggle between two forces within herself. (It also may surprise you to learn that I am apparently now referring to myself in the third person.) Yes, my friends, it’s true; while some people have a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other, I have a Luddite on one shoulder and a techno-geek on the other. (I always did insist on being different.) I love technology and I hate technology. And I don’t think I’m alone in this.

So it is with a mixture of intrigue and trepidation that I let you know that Ty’s Toy Box has partnered with mPoria and now has a mobile storefront:

“mPoria has tremendous market expertise and a proven, cost-effective and easy-to-use solution,” said Jim Simpson, VP Logistics, Technology and CRM, TysToyBox, LLC. “We deployed our mobile shopping site in less than 24 hours. Now customers looking for the latest licensed brands and products can find us via our www.tystoybox.com on-line store or, with the help of their cell phones, anytime, anywhere at www.tystoybox.mobi.”

The Luddite on my shoulder is scoffing that now I’ve seen it all, and isn’t it bad enough that we’re all attached to our cell phones 24/7? What about the simpler lives we all used to lead? And why don’t you kids get off my lawn?

The techno-geek in me ran for my cell phone to test it out. Yep, it works great—the navigation is simple and the product photos are there, too. How great is this? I don’t even need my computer handy to place an order!

I once started to add up all the time I’ve spent in my life sitting in the carpool pick-up lane, or at sports practice, or at piano lessons… and then I had to stop, because it was entirely too depressing. And how many of us have been sitting somewhere waiting for our children while we mentally tick through all the things we need to do? Stop at the dry cleaners, pick up groceries, find a present for that birthday party the kids have on Saturday, etc. If I can take care of one of those tasks from my phone while I’m sitting there not doing anything else, so much the better.

Sorry, Luddite on my shoulder. I think I have to give this one a thumbs-up. (But I’d be happy to go outside and tell those neighbor kids to get off the lawn, if that’ll make you feel better.)

Have you ever wondered how theme parks pick which rides to build, which characters to capitalize upon, which properties to highlight?

Yeah, me neither. I’m more of a “which rides go the fastest and where can I get a funnel cake?” kind of gal, myself, when it comes to theme parks. I’m a simple girl of simple means. Or maybe I’m just simple.

Anyway, Disney has long reigned supreme when it comes to a family destination where the children can feel like they’ve died on gone to Saturday cartoon heaven, and the parents don’t end the day wishing they’d never had kid. It’s a conglomerate that’s taken on a life of its own, due largely in part to their success with a huge age demographic. Disney has something for everyone, or so they say. And they were arguably the first to craft this sort of vacation experience for families.

Now, of course, there are other theme parks. Competition has sprung up in both Orlando and Anaheim, and still Disney has never seemed to feel the squeeze. In fact, some would say that competition is a good thing all around; it can raise the bar for all involved.

All of this is to say, I find it very interesting that the Disney Blog is addressing whether or not Disney has an answer to Harry Potter. Islands of Adventure will have a world of wizardry based upon the most popular series of our time, and Disney will have…? Well, the outlook is interesting:

One question is will Harry Potter cause more Disney destined guests to move into the IOA column. It probably will change the vacation patterns of some, most likely those who don’t stay on Disney property anyway. I think Harry Potter is more likely to draw new guests to Orlando that otherwise wouldn’t have made the trip. Those 100 million plus kids who’ve read the series and now desperately want a chance to live the story. They’re going to want to visit IOA first, maybe spend two days there. On a five night vacation that only leaves 2-3 days for Disney.

But the funny thing is, that will be new business (for both resorts). Both resorts will really have to put on the shine to turn these guests into repeat visitors. That is why Disney needs something with a big fan following that is tangential to the Harry Potter craze. That is probably why Disney is courting George Lucas, trying to repair the bridges that were burnt in the Eisner administration. Star Wars/Indiana Jones is the perfect counter to Harry Potter.

I decided to test this theory.

“Hey kids!” I said, “who would you rather go meet Harry Potter or Indiana Jones?”

They blinked at me. Finally my daughter said, “Who?”

Then they asked when they could meet Harry. Things sort of went downhill from there. (Me and my big mouth.)

If you’re the sort of person who finds this stuff interesting, go check out the entire article. Even just as a parent considering a theme park visit, it’s quite something to have a peek into this process. I’ll be very curious to see what happens once IOA finishes their Harry Potter destination (slated for completion in late 2009).

Season 3 of Avatar: The Last Airbender kicked off last Friday night, and the fan boards are buzzing. It was a long summer to wait for new episodes, after all… even if Aang hadn’t woken up with a headful of hair.

(Sorry. I’m still having trouble getting over that. Just look at him! It’s freaky!)

Anyway, if you managed to mis it, you can watch The Awakening in its entirety online over at TurboNick. (This is the part where we all give a cheer for Nickelodeon for putting the episode online, because that was a very cool thing to do.) And you will want to watch the episode before reading any of the online buzz about it, because I’ve been unable to find any discussion that doesn’t contain a whole lot of spoilers.

Over at ToonZone, reviewer Ed Liu says the season is off to a rough start:

At best, a new viewer attempting to enter the Avatar world with this episode will be slightly lost. Even the fans who have been rabidly anticipating the new season since the surprising events that ended the last one will feel a mixture of excitement and disappointment with the premiere. The excitement comes from the prospect of seeing the story to its end and the tantalizing hints at what might be coming next, but the disappointment will be because this episode feels like an extended setup for the rest of the season. It’s a half-hour that goes by all too quickly and with too little movement to be truly satisfying on its own merits.

(C’mon, Ed, tell us what you really think.)

This assessment feels like a bit of a letdown if you read last week’s USA Today article about how Avatar is Nickelodeon’s next big thing:

“This is a franchise on the rise,” says Scott Klein, senior global brand manager. “We’d love to be putting out games all the way through the feature film release.”

Now, the network is developing branded rides at Paramount and Universal theme parks and a roller coaster ride at Minneapolis’ Mall of America, which will have the first Nickelodeon theme park next year.

“The movies will kick the business into high gear,” Zarghami says. “That will send people back to the network for more in the animated series. The movies will be released on home video and go into another movie. And hopefully, when I’m replaced 10 years from now, somebody will be making Avatar 10.”

I believe that, too. Even if only because my son’s only reaction to last week’s premiere episode was a satisfied sigh and “When’s the next one on?”

I suppose after yesterday—and sitting around talking about a movie not due out until mid-2009—a nice little discussion about hot holiday toys should seem positively timely. I mean, hey, Christmas is right around the corner, right?

(Let’s just pretend that it wasn’t 90 degrees here today….)

Anyway, it’s about time for the people in the know to start talking about what’s hot this year, and what people will be scrambling to get for their little darlings when it’s time for holiday gift-giving. The verdict? Power Rangers, Pokemon, Transformers… and a new take on the old Rubik’s Cube, say experts.

“I don’t see any one huge thing coming along that’s going to take all the attention like T.M.X (Elmo) did last year,” said independent toy industry consultant Christopher Byrne.

“Whenever there’s not one big hit, it’s really good for classic toys across the board and that means people have to — heaven help us — pay attention to what their kids really want.”

(You can always count on our friend The Toy Guy to come through with the money quote. Nice work, Chris!)

I myself have never understood the “one big hit” phenomenon, so I’m relieved to hear that this year may be free of any form of Elmo-mania. Or insert-item-here-mania. Reading that things may be calmer and more varied this year almost alleviated my annoyance over the dire importance of discussing this in September.

The piece goes on to discuss why Pokemon is so hot right now (though it does manage to leave out the most pivotal reason, which is that my son is on a mission to own every piece of Pokemon paraphernalia available in the free world), as well as other recent trends in toy development.

Towards the end of the piece there’s a cursory discussion of recent toy recalls and what impact they may have on consumer buying behavior, moving forward. No discussion is devoted to whether any of this will prompt parents to, I don’t know, buy less or even start emphasizing non-toy or homemade gifts. (I guess that would just be going too far.)

Hey, at least they didn’t end it with “Only X more shopping days!” That would’ve made me want to hit someone with a Tickle-Me Elmo.

I’m a planner by nature, so I’m perfectly happy to talk about next week or next month or even next year, most of the time. Planning ahead is good! Knowing what’s happening is important! Yes! But having it be front-page news when a movie not due out until 2009 changes its anticipated release date does confuse me a little. Then again, I’m not a large animation studio.

(I… think it would be uncomfortable if I was a large animation studio. And probably that I would need to cut back on snacks if that were the case.)

Regardless, this is big news, it seems:

DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. , together with Paramount Pictures Corporation, a unit of Viacom Inc. , announced today that Monsters vs. Aliens, DreamWorks Animation’s first-ever film produced in stereoscopic 3-D technology, will be released into theatres on March 27, 2009. The film had been previously slated for its domestic release on May 15, 2009.

The release date has been adjusted by less than two months, and I found this story headlining in three different news locations. (After three, I stopped looking. Third time’s the charm, and all that.)

“I believe that next generation 3-D will make our CG films even more special and unique,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer of DreamWorks Animation. “We are thrilled to have Monster vs. Aliens as the first opportunity for audiences to enjoy this exciting new movie experience. Moving to a March release date, which has proven to be a great slot for family films, allows us to roll out our first 3-D project on the maximum amount of screens as the year’s first big event film to hit the market in this new format.”

This is the sort of “money quote” that I hate. I mean—and no disrespect to Mr. Katzenberg is meant, here—what’s he going to say? “I believe that this movie will be formulaic and boring!” Of course he believes this will be even more special and unique. Why would they do it, otherwise? And suggesting that March is more family-friendly than May…? Because… why, exactly?

It turns out that the real reasoning behind the shift is pretty transparent:

DreamWorks Animation is moving the 2009 release date for its 3-D feature “Monsters vs. Aliens” to March 27 from May 15, in order to avoid a showdown with James Cameron’s “Avatar,” studio CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said Wednesday.

The big-budget, effects-heavy opus “Avatar,” Cameron’s first feature since “Titanic,” is due to arrive on May 22 via 20th Century Fox.

Had “Monsters” stuck to its proposed May release, “I saw more and more problems splitting the market for 3-D right at the time when it will be becoming the most exciting thing in movie-going,” Katzenberg said at the Goldman Sachs media conference in New York.

Will we have an announcement from 20th Century Fox next week that Avatar has moved up its release date? Maybe for the next year and a half we can have dueling movie release dates! It’s like playing chicken, except with CGI films!

No? Oh, okay. (Besides, I’m still waiting to find out if the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender film has to change its name because of the Cameron film. Anyone?)

(Pictured to the side there: Graham Phillips as Ben Tennyson, courtesy of Wikipedia.)

We’ve been talking about it for months. My son has been talking about it for years, or at least it’s really starting to feel that way. But yesterday Cartoon Network finally gave the big victory sign out to the masses: Production on the Ben 10 live action movie has been completed. This, of course, yields a whole new summary of Race Against Time complete with actor profiles:

Graham Phillips (EVAN ALMIGHTY) stars as Ben Tennyson, a normal 10-year-old boy who is able to transform himself into a variety of super aliens like the powerful Heatblast or the beastly Wildmutt. Lee Majors (THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN) also stars as Grandpa Max, who uses his past experiences with the paranormal to guide and protect his grandchildren, Ben and Gwen, through their many adventures in fighting evil.

Haley Ramm (X-MEN 3) is Gwen, Ben’s level-headed 10-year-old cousin and Ben’s much needed voice of reason because despite his ability to change physically, Ben is still a kid at heart and has a little trouble figuring out how to act like a superhero when the pressure is really on. Christien Anholt (RELIC HUNTER) plays Eon of Chronia, Ben’s nemesis in the movie. Eon was the first alien ever captured by Max’s secret organization, “The Plumbers.” The now-escaped Eon is trying to locate the doomsday device that was taken and hidden when he was captured. The device is capable of opening a gateway to Earth, signaling the start of an alien invasion that would mark the end of humankind.

That sounds… well, bad. I mean, an alien invasion that marks the end of humankind seems like it could really put a crimp in your day.

The trailer is floating around YouTube, and I have to admit, it looks pretty slick. Check it out:

The movie won’t be going live until November, though. You could probably find something for your little Ben 10 fan to tide him over until then, but be prepared.

There are some toy matters on which I have very little or no opinion. For whatever reason, various toys leave me unmoved. I don’t dislike them, I just don’t really care about them one way or another.

Then there are the toys I just cannot stand. Invariably, these are the same toys my children want. Or, more properly I should probably say these are the toys my children waaaaaaaaaant. That makes for really fun conversations. Like the one about how Santa has to get through me before he’s allowed to leave stuff under the tree. That sort of stuff. Woo, it’s fun being the mommy! Not!

I just don’t know that I can adequately express to you the joy I feel deep down in my heart over the the Play Along Club dolls here in the brand new Play Along Club Store. Just look at them. Hmmm, they seem familiar, somehow. Why, they look like… little girls. What a novel concept!

I just love this bit from a recent press release:

“With the recent increase of dolls on the market that are too sophisticated and inappropriately marketed to young girls, there is a need for an engaging doll experience that supports the positive values that parents want,” said Susan Evans, VP of Marketing, Play Along. “The Play Along Club reminds kids that it is okay to be who you are and not grow up too fast.”

Can I get an amen? Maybe a hallelujah? How about just “It’s about time!”

They go on to describe the line this way:

[T]he Play Along Club doll line represents the ideal childhood for a young girl: a time in life when problems are solved with chocolate-chip cookies and hopscotch is serious business! Each character –– Sophie Kate, Olivia Reese and Zoe Madison –– is curious and bright and has her own distinct personality.

Hopscotch, you say? Not who has the coolest iPod? I think I’m in love.

My daughter’s previous doll options include: fashion-centric teen/women dolls which I will not allow her to have; soft rag dolls which she deems either too babyish or which are, again, fashion-centric and not endorsed by The Meanest Mom In The World (that would be me); or educational doll/book combinations where the books are good and the clothes for the dolls are appropriate, but the dolls themselves cost an arm and a leg. (Go ahead, ask me if she has one of those dolls.)

But now there’s the Play Along Club; great books to go along with dolls who are little girls just like your little girl. And the price ($19.99 each) makes a lot more sense than some other dolls which I shall not name because my mother always told me that if I didn’t have anything nice to say I should stop talking.

The Play Along Club site is under construction but will soon have fun activities for fans to go check out. I feel confident guaranteeing you that none of the stories or activities will involve boyfriends, pierced navels, or lipstick.

Welcome to Ty’s, Play Along Club. This mom is very, very happy to see you here.

That’s right, there’s more musical children’s entertainment hitting the airwaves and coming to roost here at Ty’s, and this time it’s a tale of parents creating something for their kids that soon became a home-grown success story. The story of Greenestuff, Inc. is about as warm and fuzzy as it gets:

Here comes success for [Michigan] production company Greenestuff Inc., producers of the award-winning children’s program, ‘My Bedbugs’. In recent months, Greenestuff Inc. signed deals with Trinity Broadcasting(5/07), Sky Angel(3/07), and LATV(6/07), which brings ‘My Bedbugs’ to over 100 million homes throughout the United States and Canada.

The show made its debut in 2004 on Detroit’s own WTVS. Since that time ‘My Bedbugs’ has been picked up by hundreds of television stations across the nation.

Another milestone came in May of 2007 when the show inked a deal with TVN, the largest independent Video-on-Demand provider, making ‘My Bedbugs’ available to cable networks such as AT&T, Comcast, Cox, WOW, and TEVO. Still a Detroit favorite, the show ranked #2 for viewed/downloaded VOD children’s programs. My Bedbugs is the brainchild of Alex Greene and Carol Sweeney, a husband and wife team from Macomb, MI, who have created fun ways to make some of the grueling tasks of parenting, such as bedtime, an adventure for their three children.

I don’t know that I would term bedtime “grueling,” myself, but then again, I don’t have three kids. Heh.

So what’s it all about? You can check out the Bedbugs at their very own site (there are activities as well as show information there) (be sure to check the character profiles—J. Edgar is… a vacuum!), or keep reading from above:

Toofy, Woozy, and Gooby, are the stars of ‘My Bedbugs’ and modeled after the couple’s own children, even bearing the same nicknames. The live-action trio has fun-filled adventures which entertain and teach essential life skills to young children. Greenestuff has produced 26 30-minute ‘My Bedbugs’ episodes, each focusing on childhood lessons such as healthy eating habits, being patient, sharing, loosing a tooth, cultural diversity, and much more.

The Greenestuff team has much to be proud of. Their beloved children’s show has won several prestigious awards, including the National Parenting Seal of Approval, the iParenting Media Award, the Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award, the Dove Family Foundation Seal of Approval, along with 13 Emmys and 12 Tellys. As the show has gained popularity the demand for My Bedbugs merchandise has grown.

The demand for merchandise has grown, you say? Why, looky here — it’s the brand spankin’ new My Bedbugs Store here at Ty’s Toy Box! If your kids dig the music, check out the Bedbug Party CD—it’s got 30 songs, though surely your kids will have a favorite which they insist on listening to over and over and over again. (At least this way you’ll have plenty of alternatives to offer up in desperation….)

I don’t know about you, but I’m sort of a sucker (get it, sucker?) for a vacuum cleaner named J. Edgar. I’m just saying. Welcome to Ty’s, My Bedbugs!