Let me ask you a very simple question. I know—we all know—that you love your kids and want to get them the things they love. Of course. And naturally you’d like to save a little money in the process, too. But just let me ask you something:

Is there some reason you’d rather head out on the busiest shopping day of the year at o’dark thirty just so that you can fight the crowds and the traffic, vs. staying in and ordering cool stuff online from the comfort of your own home (and possibly while still in your jammies)?

That’s right.

For the first time, Ty’s Toy Box is making their Black Friday specials known a few days in advance so that you can plan your day accordingly. (I recommend a cup of coffee while you finish your shopping online, followed by something like a cinnamon roll as a reward for having gotten it all done early and under budget.) Read through; bookmark what you need; and then get ready to rock on Friday, November 23rd, 2007.

Read on for the full list of Ty’s Toy Box Black Friday specials: (more…)

It was announced last month that Disney will be releasing The Frog Princess in 2009. If you haven’t been paying attention to this sort of thing, you may be thinking, “Oh, another Disney princess. Ho hum.” But this was notable news because for the first time in Disney history, the film will feature an African-American princess.

You’ve sort of got to love a company that can make an announcement about something that’s going to happen two years out and still manage to spark a controversy. I mean, that does take a certain measure of talent.

And at first blush, you’d think this would be something to celebrate, period. It’s about time, no? Save for Jasmine, Pocahontas and Mulan, Disney princesses have given us a sea of whiteness in a multi-colored world, and a black heroine is long past due.

But the course of true movie popularity never did run smooth, even for a giant like Disney. A recent article about the film points out what is (already!) being perceived as shortcomings about the upcoming picture:

Disney unveiled Maddy at its annual shareholders’ meeting in March, even summoning Randy Newman’s Dirty Dozen Brass Band for a performance. […]

Information about “The Frog Princess,” including a list of characters put forth in a voice-actor casting call, quickly spread across the Internet.

It appears that the prince in the story is not black, which has raised dissatisfaction. There are also people criticizing the creation of yet another cartoon princess whose story, they contend, undermines a modern message of individual empowerment.

Hey, I love the Disney princesses as much as the next mom (which is to say… I have a daughter who idolized them for many years), but here’s a little secret in case you haven’t noticed: The princesses aren’t exactly one-woman islands. No matter how much of a feminist spin Disney tries to put on these stories, in the end there’s always a prince. (Even for Mulan, which bugged me more than any of the others.) My point is, I think the time to complain to Disney about the ubiquitousness of the prince in these stories is long past. We all know there’s going to be a prince involved. Remind your daughters that they don’t need a man to be complete, and move on.

The fact that the princess is black and the prince is not, however, is another matter entirely. While I’m all for relationships that are blind to skin color—even in an animated film—wouldn’t you think that when Disney finally features a black princess they might allow for a black prince, as well?

Did Disney miss the boat on this one, do you think?

Have you heard? Disney is busy making The Little Mermaid into a musical. A few years ago I probably would’ve rolled my eyes at this—how could they possibly make that into a stage production?—but I am now older and wiser and have come to believe that Disney knows what it’s doing, whether on the big screen or the big stage. Ahem.

Once you stop and take it all in, it makes such perfect sense I almost wonder what took them so long. Little girls everywhere are still clamoring for all things Disney Princess. Here’s a way to please both the kids and the parents, and if other Disney stage extravaganzas have taught us anything, it’s that audiences will eat this stuff up with a spoon.

I’m torn, because on the one hand I have to maintain just a smidge of righteous indignation over the typical Disney heroine treatment; the story has been vastly changed from the original, and the girl can’t be happy until she lands a man. It’s hard for me to see past that, as prevalent as it is in Disney folklore. On the other hand, when I’m able to set that aside? I have to confess that The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney movies. The music is great (and will lend itself well to a stage production), the characters are lovable (even Ariel, poor man-seeking girl that she is), and what’s not to dig about a villain who’s part octopus?

If your interest is piqued, keep your eye on the Broadway production’s blog for news and updates (hat tip: Animated News). I was particularly intrigued by this post on different puppetry styles employed in various Disney stage productions (The Lion King and Finding Nemo are both discussed). The creativity and sheer amount of manpower that goes into these productions astounds me!