Did you know that April 2nd is World Autism Day? It is! There are over 67 million people worldwide are affected by autism. This year Autism Speaks (the world’s largest autism science and advocacy organization) has teamed up with a beloved children’s pal to spread the word.
Introducing the first official “SpokesWubb” for World Autism Day, none other than Wubbzy:
You may have already seen this PSA on television, but what you probably don’t know is that the folks behind Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! donated their time and resources absolutely free of charge because of their desire to help spread the word for a worthy cause. I think that’s pretty amazing.
Did you know that The Very Hungry Caterpillar was written in 1969? It seems hard to believe that he’s been hungry for 40 years, but it’s true! Eric Carle’s fabulous children’s books have been around for a looooong time.
I love this brief interview with Carle about the evolution of this tale:
(Seriously, don’t you just want to hug him and squeeze him and put him in your pocket? I love Eric Carle.)
How will you celebrate this auspicious occasion? Check out the official anniversary events posted to Carle’s website, or submit your own. And don’t forget to visit the World of Eric Carle Store right here at Ty’s Toy Box, too.
(Also, just feel free to randomly insert, “But he was still hungry!” into conversations. That’s how I plan to celebrate.)
As parents, we’re always looking for toys we can feel good about, so it’s with an extra burst of pride that Ty’s Toy Box is thrilled to introduce our brand new Idbids Store. Haven’t met the Idbids, yet? Here’s their blurb:
In the land of green, little is the new big. Meet the Idbids — Scout, Lola and Waverly. Likable (make that lovable) characters (make that friends) here to find little partners (make that children) who discover the big (make that important) part they can play in keeping our Earth happy, healthy and green — one iddy biddy step at a time. Visit our store to find green products and eco friendly toys.
Each Idbid is a snuggly friend made from 100% organic (not to mention, snuggly!) Egyptian cotton. And each one comes with both a book and a field guide to help your child start taking those iddy biddy steps towards protecting our planet. They’re not just made in an eco-friendly way, they’re helping the next generation make eco-consciousness a way of life.
Each Idbid kit now also comes with a code which can be redeemed with The Nature Conservancy to make a real difference—participate in your choice of campaigns to help preserve our planet. (Read all about this exciting new feature of the Idbids here on the Iddy Biddy Blog!)
So let’s recap: Each Idbids kit gets you a huggable friend, a Field Guide, a carry pack, a story book, a code redeemable with The Nature Conservancy, and a certificate to recognize the owner once the steps in the Field Guide have been completed; plus, each package is made from recycled and eco-friendly materials. If this isn’t a toy you can feel awesome about, I don’t know what is.
Welcome to Ty’s Toy Box, Idbids! We’re looking forward to taking those iddy biddy steps that make a biggy big difference!
Visit the Idbids Store to purchase your Idbids Starter Kit now!
Do you think that author Norman Bridwell realized—when Clifford the Big Red Dog was first published in 1963—that in 2009 Clifford would still be an international sensation? It’s not surprising, really; who could resist a giant dog who was once the runt of his litter, but outgrew his family’s house thanks to the love of his special human?
Nowadays Clifford enjoys celebrity through Bridwell’s books as well as the popular PBS cartoon. And now Clifford has joined us here at Ty’s Toy Box, in the Clifford the Big Red Dog Store. Come on it and find all of your favorite Clifford characters and all of the Clifford goodies your kids want.
Also make sure you check out the new Scholastic BE BIG campaign, where kids are encouraged to follow Clifford’s big ideas about making the world a better place to enact changes in their own communities. Not sure how to participate? Don’t worry—the site gives step-by-step suggestions on ways to get involved.
Now where else are you going to find a big red dog who does all of that? Nowhere, that’s where.
Welcome to Ty’s Toy Box, Clifford! We’re awfully glad to have you here!
One of the very first shows my kids really loved—once they were past the mindless toddler joy at anything bright and/or musical—was Arthur. He’s just a regular kid, in a regular school, with regular problems. If you overlook the whole thing where he’s an anteater without an anteater nose (really, I never quite understood that part of it…), he’s pretty much Everykid. He’s utterly relatable.
So I’m completely loving this: From February 1st to March 31st, your child (aged 6-12) can go visit the Arthur / All Kids Can Character Search site and submit their ideas for a new character to join the cast of Arthur. Isn’t that awesome? Check it out:
Calling all ARTHUR fans! Do you have an idea for a new friend for Arthur, D.W. or Buster? Well, here’s your chance to create a character for Elwood City. ARTHUR, the award-winning PBS KIDS GO! television series, and CVS Caremark All Kids Can, a program dedicated to making life easier for kids with disabilities, are teaming up to announce the “ARTHUR/All Kids Can Character Search”!
Beginning February 1, 2009, the “ARTHUR/All Kids Can Character Search” invites children ages 6-12 to send in their ideas for a new character for Arthur. And not just any character–one who can show that having a unique ability, character trait, or disability might make life a little bit different, but not any less fun. Kids can mail in their entries, with a drawing of their character and a description of what makes them special, starting February 1, 2009. The child with the selected idea, along with their character, will be featured in a live-action segment on the ARTHUR show. In addition, he or she will receive a visit from ARTHUR creator and author Marc Brown at the child’s school, local library, or PBS member station.
I love this. How better to help kids learn about inclusion than to let them be a part of this process? Arthur continues to delight me. So get your kids to put on their thinking caps, and good luck!
When I was a kid, Tom and Jerry was one of my favorite cartoons. I don’t know why. I mean, I’d love to tell you that it was because it was quality entertainment, but I suspect it was because I enjoyed watching the little guy get to win for a change. The fact that the little guy often won with the help of a large mallet was even better, of course. (Yes, my other favorite cartoon was the perpetual battle between Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner.)
Still, despite my affinity for the cat-and-mouse duo, I find this recent movie news a little… perplexing:
Warner Bros. is turning to Tom and Jerry to create its own “Alvin and the Chipmunks”-like family franchise.
Plans are to bring the constantly warring cat and mouse to life as CG characters that run around in live-action settings.
Studio-based Dan Lin, currently producing the upcoming “Sherlock Holmes” and exec producer on “Terminator: Salvation,” will adapt the classic Hanna-Barbera property as an origin story that reveals how Tom and Jerry first meet and form their rivalry before getting lost in Chicago and reluctantly working together during an arduous journey home.
First of all, getting lost in Chicago and working together to get home…? And second… didn’t the Chipmunks movie kind of bomb? But hey, what do I know….
I don’t know about you, but I spent most of yesterday glued to CNN, taking in Obamarama. (Oh… is that… not the official name for it? It seems like it ought to be.) Anyway, this phenomenon of Obama’s pop-culture popularity is something to behold, regardless of what you think of the man’s politics.
And so today I thought I’d point you at a great article about super-heroes who’ve ascended to the presidency.
Though he’s already met the Savage Dragon and Spider-Man, and will be playing a role in both Youngblood and Marvel’s Thunderbolts series, Obama is no superhero president.
While he may joke about being rocketed to earth from Krypton as a child, comic book readers know that there have been times when real super-heroes have been inaugurated as President. Often times these stories are used as springboards to explore larger topics, but more often than not, are funhouse mirrors on our own world.
It’s a must-read for any comics fan, not to mention that I’d had no idea that Obama had already been inserted into several comics, already. Fun!
Regardless of your political leanings, I think it’s impossible not to feel the excitement as we get ready for the Presidential Inauguration happening tomorrow. It’s a historic time in our country’s history, and kids have been fired up about this election in a way we’ve never seen before.
Nickelodeon, in another first, will feature coverage of the historic presidential inauguration starting Monday, Jan. 19, at 4 p.m. ET/PT. KPP Election Connection Team correspondents — Lily Collins, JJ and Pick Boy — will report on the political celebration from Washington, D.C. in a series of pre-taped interstitials highlighting the historic Inauguration Day and the celebrations leading up to it.
Additionally, on Inauguration Day — Tuesday, Jan. 20 — at 8 p.m., vignettes featuring footage of the President-Elect’s Oath of Office, will air on Nickelodeon, The N and Nicktoons Networks. Interstitials will continue to air on Nickelodeon through Jan. 31 and will highlight the parade down Pennsylvania Avenue; President-Elect Obama’s arrival at the White House; his inauguration speech; and more.
What a savvy move by Nick, both to keep kids interested in the world around them and to ride the current political wave. This is smart children’s programming at its finest.
I think he doesn’t look a day over 8, myself, but 2009 marks the 10-year anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants, and Nickelodeon has plans to celebrate all year long.
I suppose the “biggest” news is the new and improved Official SpongeBob site, which includes links to things like the backstage blog and various other goodies. But frankly, one item from the press release really grabbed me:
Also to mark the anniversary, Nickelodeon has commissioned the first full-length original TV documentary which will chronicle the beloved character’s evolution to international pop culture icon status. The documentary will be telecast across MTV Networks’ various TV platforms to commemorate the anniversary of the series’ first episode. Over the last 10 years, the porous brainchild of creator Steve Hillenburg has grown from a single Saturday morning kids’ show to a certified pop culture maverick that has inspired nothing less than fun and frenzy around the world. Soaking up everything from clothing to controversy, the show has inspired people to deeply identify with the characters, to adorn themselves with SpongeBob tattoos, to use SpongeBob products to save lives and even, occasionally, to vandalize and politicize the character; but most of all, to kick back, laugh and relax.
It’ll be all “SpongeBob: Behind the Pineapple” or something. I’m sure of it. And I can’t wait.
We already know that there’s little more exciting to a parent than when a treasured show from our youth has come back to enthrall the kids of today. If it gets a face-lift in the process—causing our children to declare it worthy, rather than asking if this is really what we used to watch “in the olden days”—so much the better.
And so I’m more than a little excited that a brand new version of The Electric Company is about to premiere on PBS KIDS GO!
Check it out:
Sure, it’s different than the original. But the same funky vibe I remember is definitely there (albeit modernized), and the goal remains the same: Promotion of literacy in a way that gets kids engaged. What’s not to like about that?
The Electric Company will officially run on PBS KIDS GO! on Fridays, beginning on January 23rd, 2009, but you can catch the special 2-hour sneak peek marathon a week from today on Monday, January 19th, 2009. I wanted to give you a heads up so that you can set the recording device of your choosing, or so that you can watch it with your kids. (And maybe walk around the house saying things like, “C! At! CAT! S! At! SAT!”)
Did you know that April 2nd is World Autism Day? It is! There are over 67 million people worldwide are affected by autism. This year Autism Speaks (the world’s largest autism science and advocacy organization) has teamed up with a beloved children’s pal to spread the word.
Did you know that 
As parents, we’re always looking for toys we can feel good about, so it’s with an extra burst of pride that Ty’s Toy Box is thrilled to introduce our brand new 
Do you think that author Norman Bridwell realized—when Clifford the Big Red Dog was first published in 1963—that in 2009 Clifford would still be an international sensation? It’s not surprising, really; who could resist a giant dog who was once the runt of his litter, but outgrew his family’s house thanks to the love of his special human?
One of the very first shows my kids really loved—once they were past the mindless toddler joy at anything bright and/or musical—was 
When I was a kid, Tom and Jerry was one of my favorite cartoons. I don’t know why. I mean, I’d love to tell you that it was because it was quality entertainment, but I suspect it was because I enjoyed watching the little guy get to win for a change. The fact that the little guy often won with the help of a large mallet was even better, of course. (Yes, my other favorite cartoon was the perpetual battle between Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner.)
Regardless of your political leanings, I think it’s impossible not to feel the excitement as we get ready for the Presidential Inauguration happening tomorrow. It’s a historic time in our country’s history, and kids have been fired up about this election in a way we’ve never seen before.
I think he doesn’t look a day over 8, myself, but 2009 marks the 10-year anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants, and Nickelodeon 
It’s baaaa-aaaaack!