You can have your (funnel) cake and drink it too, thanks to a new Frappuccino from Starbucks! It might be the flavor you never knew you wanted and it’s serving major summertime nostalgia.
The funnel cake frapp debuts today and features the flavors of strawberry and whipped cream, appropriately topped with funnel cake pieces and a dusting of powdered sugar. Unlike the traditional Strawberry Creme Frappucino, this one also blends in coffee for a caffeinated kick; and unlike the traditional funnel cake, you’re sure to have a mess-free consumption experience—just watch the whipped cream!
“We wanted to capture the joy of this time of year, and we thought about those simple pleasures that really encapsulate summer,” said Sara Bennett, senior product developer for Starbucks R&D team. “That led us to state fairs and funnel cake – just wanting to channel that sense of carefree fun.”
Get your Funnel Cake Frappuccino starting today at Starbucks locations nationwide and in Canada. It joins the company’s other summer food and beverage offerings and is sure to have you dreaming of state fairs, sans the crowds and nausea-inducing rides!
Got old toys? Mattel is here to give them a new lease on life.
The Mattel Playback program is all about recovering and reusing materials in Mattel toys and is a part of the company’s larger effort to reach 100 percent bio-based, recycled and recyclable plastic materials in all of its products and packaging by 2030. Starting out, the program will take Barbie, Matchbox and MEGA toys, with other brands becoming available for recycling in the future.
Participation is easy. First, pack up your Mattel toys that your kiddos have outgrown, then visit Mattel.com/PlayBack to print a free shipping label. Mail off to Mattel, where your box will be sorted ed by material type, processed and recycled.
If there are materials that cannot be recycled, Mattel PlayBack will convert them to energy or downcycle into other plastic products. The program is currently available in the United States and Canada, with France, Germany and the United Kingdom using a third-party partner to launch similar options.
“At Mattel, we are committed to managing the environmental impact of our products,” added Pamela Gill-Alabaster, Global Head of Sustainability, Mattel. “The Mattel PlayBack program helps parents and caregivers ensure that valuable materials stay in play, and out of landfills, with the aim to repurpose these materials as recycled content in new toys. It is one important step we’re taking to address the growing global waste challenge.
For more information on the Mattel PlayBack program, visit Mattel.com/PlayBack.
The sleep bags are sized 0-6 months and sold under the brand names Dylan & Abby, First Wish, First Wish Organic, Harry & Me, Little Red Caboose, Piper & Posie, Sam & Jo, Sam & Jo Organic, Shabby Chic and Willow Blossom. Customers may have purchased the bags at T.J. Maxx, Marshalls or Sierra.
The size of the neck opening is too large for infants 0 to 6 months, which can allow an infant’s head to slip into and be covered by the sleep bag, posing a risk of suffocation. If you have one or more of these bags in your household, check the style number to see if it’s under recall:
Dylan & Abby: CL01073
First Wish: CL00824, CL00889, CL00911
First Wish Organic: CL00981, CL00985, CL01099
Harry & Me: CL01102
Little Red Caboose: CL00756, CL00882, CL00899, CL00904, CL00905, CL00921, CL00924, CL00986, CL00987
Sam & Jo: CL00871, CL00890, CL00903, CL00906, CL00983, CL00984
Sam & Jo Organic: CL01066
Shabby Chic: CL00980
Willow Blossom: CL00909, CL00913
About 3,600 bags are under recall in the U.S. Additionally, about 33,250 were sold in Canada.
Fortunately, no incidents have yet been reported. Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled infant sleep bags and contact TJX for instructions on how to participate in the recall. They’ll receive their choice of either a full refund or a store gift card.
––Sarah Shebek
Image courtesy of Consumer Products Safety Commission
One of Peloton’s most popular pieces of workout equipment is under voluntary recall. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) made the announcement after Peloton received information the products have caused one death and multiple injury reports.
Two different models are involved: the Tread+ with model number T01 and the Tread with model number T02. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) advises that owners of either model immediately stop using the treadmills and contact Peloton for a full refund.
In the case of the Tread+, adult users, children, pets or objects can be pulled underneath the rear of the treadmill, potentially causing injury or death. A six-year-old child recently tragically died and Peloton has received 72 reports of incidents involving the unit. There are about 125,000 units under recall and the model number TR01 is printed on a black sticker located on the end cap in the front of the treadmill deck.
If you decide to keep your Tread+, move it to a room where children and pets cannot access it. In addition, Peloton is implementing software improvements to the product to automatically lock the Tread+ after each use and prevent unauthorized access by assigning a 4-digit passcode that will be required to unlock the Tread+.
Additionally, some Peloton Tread owners will be affected by another recall. The touchscreen on this treadmill can detach and fall, posing risk of injury to users. There have been reports of minor injuries in Canada and the United Kingdom. There are about 1,050 units under recall in the U.S. and 5,400 in Canada. The model number TR02 is printed on a black sticker located on the end cap in the front of the treadmill deck.
If you decide to keep a Tread under recall, Peloton is offering a free inspection and repair that will secure the touchscreen to the treadmill. The company has stopped sales and distribution of the Tread+ at this time.
—Sarah Shebek
Images courtesy of the Consumer Product Safety Commission
The Hot Wheels Legends Tour is back! Now in its fourth year, the 2021 tour will kick off with virtual events and eventually expand into in-person awesomeness.
Presented by Mobil 1, the Hot Wheel Legends Tour is open for fan submissions. This means fans will get their chance to enter their cool cars to become the next 1:64 die-cast toy model.
photo courtesy of Hot Wheels
Ted Wu, Global Head of Hot Wheels Design at Mattel, said in a press release, “Finding time to build isn’t always easy, but with many spending more time at home in the garage over the past year, we expect to see so many more passion-project submissions for the 2021 Hot Wheels Legends Tour.”
The 2021 tour will include regional winners and a Mobil 1 Fan Favorite. These cars are entered into the semi-finals—with 10 finalists chosen. Hot Wheels will reveal the champion in November at the tour’s grand finale event.
Events will span the globe, with live and virtual tour stops starting this spring in New Zealand (Apr. 15), Australia (Apr. 22) and the United States and Canada (Apr. 29). Visit the Hot Wheels Legends Tour website for more information.
IKEA recently announced the winners of the brand’s latest Soft Toy Drawing Competition. Eleven-year-old Nick from St. Louis is the first American since 2017 to win one of the top honors in this creative contest!
The SAGOSKATT collection from Swedish retailer IKEA is a limited-edition collection of soft toys made for kids, by kids. Each year children from around the world are invited to submit their designs, featuring drawings of a would-be imaginatively awesome plush.
This year’s competition brought in more than 66,000 entries—with five chosen as the top winners. Each winner will have their drawing turned into an IRL IKEA toy! One hundred percent of the proceeds from the SAGOSKATT line are donated to local children’s right to play initiatives.
Along with 11-year-old Nick (who won for his “Bird” design), the other global winners were “Sandwich friends” designed by nine-year-old Audrey from Canada, “Cat” designed by eight-year-old Liepa from Lithuania, “Fried egg” designed by seven-year-old Zosia from Poland and “Mermaid dog” designed by nine-year-old Savva from Russia.
Jorge Omar Santoyo Henaine, Product Design Developer for Children’s IKEA, IKEA of Sweden, said in a press release, “I feel very lucky and grateful to be part of the team involved in the SAGOSKATT project. The whole concept of ’for children by children to help children’ is something that makes me extremely proud.”
Santoyo Henaine continued, “The endless creativity in kids is amazing. Each year we are impressed by the amount of unique, cool and fun creations we receive. We wish we could make all of them! When selecting the winners, we consider a lot of important criteria, for instance, how unique, colorful and expressive the drawing is, if it can be transformed into a soft toy for mass production and if we can secure the safety requirements for the future toy.”
Find the SAGOSKATT toy line in stores and on IKEA’s website.
Common Sense Networks has announced a brand new project for 2021: the launch of Sensical. The free streaming platform will offer age-appropriate, short-form videos for kids 2-12 with thousands of options.
Sensical will be divided into three categories: Preschoolers (ages 2-4), Little kids (ages 5-7) and Big kids (ages 8-12), each with filters that will provide parents with peace of mind when it comes to providing content.
photo: Common Sense Media
The platform’s interface will give kids the opportunity to select from hundreds of topics, and parents have the option to select a specific age range on behalf of their children. Every frame of the videos found on Sensical have been “viewed, vetted and rated by individuals trained in child development and Sensical’s rubric” to ensure that all content meets the standards of Common Sense Media’s 15 years of research and advocacy.
Common Sense Networks CEO Eric Berger says “Sensical’s mission is to ignite kids’ passions, fuel curiosity, build bridges between children and their parents and make everyone part of the learning journey. As a free platform offering only age-appropriate fare, we remove every obstacle to accessing a comprehensive, trusted resource for entertaining short-form video from the best possible content creators. Every family can afford to add Sensical to their personal bundle and we couldn’t be more excited to create a distinctive alternative for parents and partner with them in their goal to raise good humans.”
Sensical is partnering with tons of brands and franchises to bring content to kids. Some of these include Cosmic Kids Yoga, ABC Commercial (The Wiggles), Awesome Forces (The Aquabats), Big Big Holdings LLC (It’s A Big Big World), CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution, 9 Story Distribution International (Ruby’s Studio, Zerby Derby), Sesame Workshop (Pinky Dinky Doo, Sesame Studios), Studio 100 (Maya the Bee, Small Potatoes), and more.
Parents will be able to access the Sensical Parent Zone, a dashboard tool that enables them to review and manage all viewing activity, in addition to reports on what and how long their kids watch as well as the unique social, emotional and cognitive skills they are learning from the videos they are viewing.
Sensical launches in early 2021 on an array of streaming devices, smart TVs and mobile devices (iOS and Android) as a free, branded ad-supported app and live-streaming channels on all major OTT (over the top) platforms.
You may be looking for some new family shows to enjoy with your children. Peacock just announced that they will be expanding their kids programming with DreamWorks TrollsTopia and The Mighty Ones. These new series will premiere in November.
Peacock will also be adding all-new episodes of Curious George and DreamWorks Cleopatra in Space, Madagascar: A Little Wild and Where’s Waldo. The new episodes will premiere in November and December.
TrollsTopia
TrollsTopia is the next chapter in the hair-raising adventures of the Trolls. Now that Poppy knows there are other musical Trolls scattered throughout the forest, she bottles up her endless positivity and invites delegates from every Troll tribe in the forest to live together in harmony in a grand experiment she calls TrollsTopia.
TrollsTopia premieres Thurs., Nov. 19 on Peacock.
The Mighty Ones
The Mighty Ones follows the hilarious adventures of the smallest of them: a twig, a pebble, a leaf and a strawberry who call themselves “the Mighty Ones.” These best friends live in an unkempt backyard belonging to a trio of equally unkempt humans who they mistake for gods. Despite their diminutive stature, The Mighty Ones are determined to live large and have fun in their wild world.
The Mighty Ones premieres Thursday, Nov. 9 on Peacock.
Cleopatra in Space (Peacock Original)
In the new season of DreamWorks Cleopatra in Space, after facing off against the evil Octavian, Cleo and her friends embark on a mission searching the galaxy for an ancient artifact that could help defeat Octavian once and for all.
Season two of Cleopatra in Space premieres Nov. 19 on Peacock.
Curious George (Peacock Original)
A curious little monkey named George sets out on adventures to learn about the world around him.
New episodes from season 13 of Curious George premiere Dec. 11 on Peacock.
Madagascar: A Little Wild
In season two of DreamWorks Madagascar: A Little Wild, Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria continue their big adventures in New York City. The foursome become babysitters for a new litter of tiny hedgehogs, Melman gets stuck in a firetruck, and Alex is accidentally mistaken for a large house cat. While their shenanigans may lead to sticky situations, the little pals always work together and make the best of whatever life throws their way.
Season two of Madagascar: A Little Wild premieres Dec. 11 on Peacock.
Where’s Waldo? (Peacock Original)
In the new season of DreamWorks Where’s Waldo?, Waldo, Wenda and Wizard Whitebeard are off on all new globetrotting adventures celebrating cultures around the world from Canada to Buenos Aires to New Zealand and everywhere in between! It’s an international race to the finish for these intrepid explorers as they earn their wizarding stripes by collecting magic keys before the meddling Odlulu foils their fun.
New episodes from season two of Where’s Waldo? premiere Dec. 11 on Peacock.
Are you looking for ways to give back during the holiday season? Starbucks is turning up the season spirit and offering special deals and ways to give on the Starbucks app, through Starbucks Delivers and in stores. From seasonal tumblers to gift cards there is something for everyone on your list.
Deliver-it-Forward, Nov. 16: This holiday season, “Deliver It Forward” with Starbucks Delivers and Uber Eats. Starting Nov. 16, customers who place a Starbucks order on Uber Eats will receive a code via email to share with their family and friends, gifting them $10 off their next Starbucks delivery order. Order now, a limited number of codes are available.
Deals on Drinkware, beginning Nov. 24: Pick up one of our cheerful Sparkling Hot Tumblers – available at Starbucks stores in the U.S. and Canada in an assortment of colors including pink, silver, and gold – on sale beginning Nov. 24 for $9.95 each (originally $14.95).
Perks through Starbucks Rewards, Nov. 24 to Nov. 30: This holiday season, the Starbucks app is the easiest place to find a store, order ahead and use contactless payment. Customers who download the app and become a member of Starbucks Rewards will earn 50 bonus stars, enough for a free brewed hot coffee, bakery item or hot tea, when they spend $20 from Nov. 24-27.
Cyber Monday Rewards, Nov. 30: On Cyber Monday only, Starbucks Rewards members who use the app to order ahead a handcrafted beverage (grande or larger), will be sent a free drink coupon to their account to redeem the following week (Dec. 7–13).
Buy an eGift, get an eGift, Nov. 30: Always a great gift, Starbucks Cards come in a variety of festive holiday designs. For those who won’t be exchanging gifts with their friends or loved ones in person this year, a Starbucks eGift is the perfect way to show loved ones you’re thinking of them (you can even send a gift card via messaging platforms like iMessage!). And, on Cyber Monday, customers who buy one $20 eGift will receive a $3 eGift!
Starbucks gives back on Giving Tues., Dec. 1: To continue the holiday giving, and in recognition of Giving Tuesday and World AIDS Day, The Starbucks Foundation will donate $500,000 to the Global Fund to help fight AIDS with (RED).
The next time you head out for a coffee run you can get some of your holiday shopping done. Grab a thoughtful gift from Starbucks while you are sipping on you favorite holiday beverage. From color changing cups to gift cards there is something for all the coffee lovers on your list.
Holiday Color Changing Cup ($3.00)
Starbucks new Holiday Color Changing Cup offers a festive twist to the fan-favorite drinkware, transforming from green to red when the cup contains hot liquid.
Color Changing Hot Cup Set (16.95)
Starbucks new 6-pack of Color Changing Hot Cups are detailed with candy cane prints that change colors when the cups contain hot liquid. Gift them or switch up your daily coffee routine with a different cup for nearly every day of the week!
Glitter Cold Cup Set (18.95)
Customers can also find a new 5-pack of Glitter Cold Cups available in an assortment of colors with a subtle glitter finish that gives a little shimmer to your day.
Bubble Mint Cold Cup (18.95)
Nothing complements your morning cold brew on a crisp winter morning like a minty green cold cup. Starbucks new Bubble Mint Cold Cup is available exclusively at Starbucks licensed store locations in the U.S. and Canada, including those within grocers, airports, hospitals and more.
Stripe Straw Pack ($7.95)
Looking for a stocking stuffer? Pick up Starbucks new set of two reusable straws, made for a 24-oz cup, that also conveniently comes with a cleaning brush and beautifully designed zipper pouch.
Red Cup Ornament ($7.95)
Inspired by Starbucks holiday cups, this festive ornament is the perfect gift for any Starbucks fan.
Roastery Gifts
The Starbucks Reserve Roastery holiday collection pops with vivid cherry red, crimson, and gold items, perfect for gifting. The collection includes a Reserve Silk Christmas Scarf, Ceramic Gold Mug, Matte Red Tumbler, Mercury Red Floral Tumbler, and ‘Coffee Lover’ Embroidered Pin. Available exclusively at Starbucks Reserve Roasteries in Seattle, Chicago and New York, and select items also available for delivery through Uber Eats.
Starbucks Cards
For those who won’t be exchanging gifts with their friends or loved ones in person this year, a Starbucks gift card or an eGift is a perfect way to show you’re thinking of them (with eGift, you can even send your gift via messaging platforms like iMessage). Starbucks gift cards come in a variety of festive designs and can be loaded with amounts from $5-$500.
