It’s almost time for the Olympics! To celebrate, Hello Kitty just dropped a Team USA line featuring collectibles, apparel and accessories. Including the cutest kid’s hat we’ve seen in a minute!
You’ll find the girl’s collection ready to buy at Target: a Team USA windbreaker jacket, joggers, t-shirts and much more. We particularly love the Olympic Team x Hello Kitty visor with cat ears and the Team USA backpack clip! Best of all, prices are low, starting at $8.99.
The men in your life can check out Urban Outfitters for apparel, including a Hello Kitty spin on skateboarding, which will debut at the Olympic Games this year. And Sanrio.com and select Sanrio stores carry women’s apparel and fun collectible items, like pins and mini figures.
Parent company Sanrio Inc. is partnering with U.S. Olympic medalist Allyson Felix for the Team USA collaboration. Hello Kitty and Felix will serve as “Global Ambassadors for Inclusivity” to connect friends around the world during the Games in Tokyo. Get excited for the action with this cheerful new line!
Does your little one live for the daily visit from the postal worker? Now they can live out their mail dreams thanks to a special collaboration!
Kid Trax and the USPS have paired up to bring to special toys that bring the creative play and showcase local postal workers. Starting Jul. 13 you can order an interactive, ride-on USPS Mail Delivery Truck and USPS Post Office Tent that will make your kiddos feel like they’re the real deal.
The USPS Mail Delivery Truck Ride-On Toy is everything your little could want to deliver mail in style. It has a real mail slot, opening rear door, working headlights, horn, foot pedal acceleration and an FM radio/MP3 player input. Raise your hand if it’s fancier than your first car!
It comes with a mailbox, three plastic envelopes and a rechargeable battery and retails for $229.
And you can’t have a delivery truck without a post office! The USPS Post Office Tent has a roll-up front door, window, rear dock loading door, mail drop off slot, and a drive-up or walk-up delivery window. Parents will love that the play tent is easy to assemble and comes with a carrying case. It retails for $44 and is worth every penny!
We’ve all been in this nightmare parenting scenario: the favorite stuffed animal goes MIA and a meltdown is imminent. But what if there’s a way to save hours of tears and searching? GUND is partnering with Chipolo, a Bluetooth tracking device and you’ll get a free tracker when you make any purchase over $50 online!
Once that package comes, attach the Chipolo Plus tracker (retail value $25) to your new GUND purchase or old favorite and connect it to the Chipolo app. The next time Caticorn disappears, hit the tracker in the app and listen for the tone. Your search just got much simpler! The app can also send “out of range” alerts if you leave the house, school, or the store without your kid’s stuffed bestie.
“GUND is synonymous with quality, our plush is designed to last a lifetime – unless you lose it,” said Laura Henderson, Spin Master’s EVP of Marketing and mother to a two-year-old, classic GUND Snuffles lover. “We receive hundreds of emails from parents who are desperately trying to track down a lost plush and have seen social media posts go viral with celebrities even pitching in to help in search efforts. Our collaboration with Chipolo offers an easy solution that makes parents’ lives just a little bit easier.”
You’ll have plenty of plush options to choose from online, including dinosaurs, PAW Patrol characters and the classic teddy bears. The promotion starts today and runs while supplies last, plus orders over $50 conveniently ship free. Save the day and your sanity!
A new Disney princess collaboration is coming exclusively to Target and it celebrates the spirit of four of the most iconic characters! The Disney Princess x POPSUGAR “Happily Ever Home” collection will have 35 pieces with Moana, Belle, Tiana and Ariel lines and it’s hitting stores on May 30.
In the four distinct princess categories you’ll find pieces ranging from $9.99 to $79.99. So what can you expect in the new lineup?
Moana’s line is “make the journey epic” with tropical patterned, beachy products. Belle’s “dares to be different” with royal blue and white color schemes and bookish items. Tiana “makes a dream real” in purple and sage and includes a chenille throw. Ariel’s line is “exploring new worlds” with seafoam green and light blue hues plus seashell details. You’ll also be able to buy a beauty fridge with five sheets of removable stickers featuring themes from all four of the Disney princesses.
“Aligning with various princess personalities through these home items will bring joy this summer for our Gen Z audience and for even some of the more mature (or just young millennial) Disney fans who believe in the power of Princesses,” said Lisa Sugar, Founder and President of POPSUGAR.
The collection is targeted at young adults and Gen Z—and Disney fans, of course. You can view it live now online at Target and start making your list of must-haves. After all, who couldn’t use a little princess home inspo?
Sad news: Eric Carle has passed away. He’s the author and illustrator behind scores of colorful, beloved children’s books including the all-time classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
His family announced that Carle passed peacefully at age 91 on May 23, surrounded by loved ones in his summer studio in Massachusetts. In the course of his life, Carle illustrated more than 70 books for kids and churned out multiple hits in collaboration or solo: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? The Very Busy Spider and From Head to Toe. Carle’s distinctive style stands out on any shelf and more than 152 million copies of his book have been sold around the world.
The son of German immigrants, Carle graduated from a prestigious art school in Stuttgart before returning to the U.S. to work as a graphic designer for The New York Times, then an art director for an advertising agency. He used collage technique to illustrate, with layers of hand-painted papers. Many of his books have nature themes and give children the chance to learn about the world around them.
On his website the family wrote: “In the light of the moon, holding on to a good star, a painter of rainbows is now traveling across the night sky.”
You can visit the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts, a museum founded by Carle and his second wife, Barbara. Carle is survived by his sister and two adult children.
—Sarah Shebek
Featured image: Image credit Manas K / Shutterstock.com
Sesame Street wants to help with efforts for Americans to return to a state of normal. In a new partnership, Sesame Workshop, the Ad Council, COVID Collaborative and CDC are coming together to create a series of public service announcements and resources to educate adults about the COVID-19 vaccines.
The PSA’s spotlight how the new vaccines are available and their power to bring about “sunny days.” They feature the Muppets, Elmo and Elmo’s dad Louie and are available in English and Spanish.
photo: Courtesy of Sesame Street Workshop
Each PSA was created in collaboration with the CDC and directs viewers to visit GetVaccineAnswers.org to access all updates related to the vaccines. Sesame Workshop is also dropping even more bilingual resources that answer questions and help explain why adults are getting vaccinated. These resource can be found at SesameWorkshop.org/caring.
Viewers can head to YouTube to check out the new spots that include:
I’ll Be Seeing U: The Sesame Street gang reflect on activities that families miss and want to return to.
Healthy Family with Elmo and Louie: Elmo’s Dad Louie is vaccinated and explains how he can get back to doing things he has missed, like seeing family and friends
“Getting back to the activities children and families love starts with grownups getting vaccinated. Together with the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative, and with help from the Sesame Street Muppets, we can harness the power of Sesame Workshop and the reach of the Ad Council to help adults understand why it’s important to get vaccinated, where to learn more, and how to build hope for sunnier days ahead,” said Samantha Maltin, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Sesame Workshop.
What do you get when you combine Sesame Street and The Wiggles? Tons of fun!
Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit organization that backs Sesame Street, and The Wiggles have partnered up for a two-music video collaboration that honors the 80 years of children’s entertainment between the two shows. The first of the two videos is already available, so keep scrolling!
The “ABCs of Moving You” with Sesame Street and The Wiggles is an updated version of the Usher-sung song on Sesame Street. The second video will drop in June and will be a brand new version of the Wiggle hit, “Fruit Salad.”
“Collaborating with Sesame Street feels so natural and makes so much sense,” says Anthony Field, Blue Wiggle and founding member of The Wiggles. “We share the same desire to consistently make music that entertains and educates. It was particularly fun performing together on this Sesame Street classic.”
It takes all kinds of parents to make a family, and foster parents play an essential role for kids who most need love and protection. That’s why this year for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, RITZ has launched a new campaign called “Foster Welcome” to celebrate foster moms and dads and all the work they do to create welcoming families.
As part of the campaign, RITZ has released a new video highlighting the emotional experience of bringing a new foster child into your home, created in collaboration with The Martin Agency and the National Foster Parent Association. Grab some tissues because we’ve got it ready for you to watch now.
“Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are the perfect occasions to celebrate all the foster parents who might not get the recognition they deserve during this time of year,” says Santiago Gomez Bernal, Associate Marketing Director at RITZ. “Through our collaborative with the National Foster Parent Association, we’ve learned there is much more to be done to help and support the incredible work these parents do every day. We hope to elevate their inspiring stories and raise awareness around how meaningful it is to be a foster mom or dad, from large families to single parents to same sex parents, they are truly the ultimate welcomers, and we are honored to share their stories.”
You can visit TasteofWelcome.com to learn how to donate to the National Foster Parent Association, find volunteer opportunities and discover if becoming a foster parent might be in your future. For a bit of fun on Instagram, search #FosterWelcome into the sticker search bar and find stickers that RITZ has created for foster parents sharing family photos. It’s the perfect way to help celebrate families of all kinds.
Healthy food is fun! The hit kid’s show Waffles + Mochi uses a colorful universe and quirky characters to illustrate this concept for skeptical young eaters. Now there’s another way to immerse yourself in their world, thanks to a collaboration between Walmart, Partnership for a Healthier America and Higher Ground Productions.
The Hidden World of Waffles + Mochi launched online today and features 20 different activities centered around 10 different ingredients from the series. You’ll find interactive recipes, games and video clips from the show. Better yet, as you complete activities, you’ll unlock donations from Walmart to the Partnership for a Healthier America’s Pass the Love campaign to help feed food-insecure families across the country.
“I’ve long said that supporting parents and helping our kids build healthy habits isn’t just a job for nonprofits or governments – the private sector has a critical role to play as well. That’s why I am proud to see Walmart continuing to lead the way with The Hidden World of Waffles + Mochi, a wonderful food adventure that not only educates families on how to make quick and easy meals at home, but also teaches kids that they can give back to their community at any age,” said Former First Lady and PHA Honorary Chair, Michelle Obama.
Ready to dive in? Visit the new site on any device and choose an ingredient, ranging from tomatoes to eggs. The activities will help your family put a fresh twist on food you regularly eat, or help your picky child try something new.
Once kids master an ingredient, they receive a badge, just like on the show. That badge unlocks a donation and through May 31, Walmart has committed to donating up to $1 million to the campaign to help feed families in need. Pay it forward while you play together!
What would happen if Cards Against Humanity and your parenting life met, teamed up and decided to created a brand-new game? Now you don’t have to imagine that what if’s!
Little Spoon recently announced the upcoming release of Is This Normal: The Game—and this is a can’t-miss for moms and dads in need of some giggly fun. The online parenting platform that launched three years ago is giving mamas and papas the chance to talk about the realities of their everyday lives in a totally supportive and unfiltered way.
photo courtesy of Little Spoon
Co-written by comedian Simon Holland, Is This Normal: The Game includes memes and images from some of the best-known influencers. The game also features IRL scenarios from real things the Little Spoon community members have faced as parents.
Holland said of the game, in a press release, “This was a no brainer collaboration with Little Spoon for me—my humor is rooted in all these insane realities parenting puts you through, and this game brings to light all of those never-prepared-for-this experiences we deal with and laugh about every day.”
Is This Normal: The Game ($24.99) goes on sale Thursday, Apr. 29. You can sign up for the waitlist at Little Spoon right here!
