Looking for the perfect nostalgic stocking stuffer? Two words: Adult Play-Doh. Even better, the new six-packs are scented with your favorite memories from the ’90s!
Drumroll please for the six unique dohs. Yellow is “VHS Rental n’ Chill” and it’s buttered popcorn scent. Pink is “Dial Up Delight” and strawberry scented. Orange is “Mall Food Court” and supposedly smells like mystery meat? Blue is “Eau de Boy Band” and is aptly pine cologne scented. Gold is “Pump Up the Jamz” and has a sneaker scent. Finally, sparkly black is “Flannel Fresh” with a floral scent.
As if you could resist this throwback! Whether you’re buying it as a gift or for yourself, you can snag the “Grown Up Scents ’90s Edition” Play-Doh multipack on Amazon now. At only $12, it’s an easy way to relive the best decade ever!
The Queen of Country is ready to spread a little extra holiday cheer! Thanks to Williams Sonoma, you can buy a Dolly Parton advent calendar and make your festivities extra legendary.
For starters, the calendar design is frame-worthy and you might be hesitant to punch it in. But Dolly’s favorite candies are inside, including Red Poles, a chewy strawberry gummy straws filled with sweet crème and Sour Santas, red-and-white sour cherry Santa gummies. You’ll find nine total different treats to make the month extra sweet!
The Dolly Parton advent calendar is available exclusively at Williams-Sonoma for $40. Better add it to the cart soon because this one’s definitely got the sell out factor. Have a Holly Dolly December!
Impress and awe your little ones (and your Instagram followers) with larger-than-life art murals around San Diego. From the most southwesterly point in the Continental United States to an art gallery visible only by bicycle, you are sure to take epic photos and make lasting memories. Now before the summer ends, scroll down to find your next art appreciation adventure.
Go on your very own treasure hunt. It's a simple a walk on the pier in Imperial Beach and at the end of the pier behind the restaurant, you will find this mind-blowing mural. It marks the most southwesterly point in the continental United States, down to its coordinates. After snapping some insta-worthy photos, enjoy ocean views with the highly-rated fish-n-chips from the Tin Fish.
As part of the 2020 #JoyOfBeingOutside Billboard Competition, this mural can be found at the Children's Discovery Museum in Escondido. After checking out the mural, let your kids discover, experiment, imagine and explore inside. It is now open to all visitors, no reservations are necessary.
320 North Broadway Escondido, Ca Online: sdcdm.org
Sleeping Tigers Mural
Awaken the tiger in you and pose with the sleepy rainbow tigers on the corner of Carlsbad Blvd. and Lincoln St as you walk the Village in Carlsbad. Then, stop in for a coffee treat at Sleeping Tiger Coffees and a strawberry treat for your littles at the Strawberry Shack next door. The Strawberry Shack has every strawberry dessert imaginable and possibly the best strawberry ice cream ever!
Nothing's better than a coffee break that fuels you and entertains your littles. With this cute play on words, you can find these buzzing bees behind Better Buzz coffee shop in Encinitas. Afterward make sure to visit the playground at Moonlight State Beach, only half a mile away from the mural!
If your little one is a big athlete, then this mural of baseball star Fernando Tatis Jr. is sure to make him cheer. Make sure and get your selfie with one of three Padres murals painted this year around San Diego. This one can be found on the wall of Appletree market in Ocean Beach. Snap photos, grab snacks and make it a beach day!
4976 Newport Ave. San Diego, Ca
Artlexia Mural
Just like the shop, this mural is colorful and inspiring. After stopping to strike a pose, you and your little artist will have a great time browsing at the charming Artlexia that's filled with Mexican gifts and art. Don't be surprised if your budding creative wants to find a blank canvas to paint on the way home.
North Park 3803 Ray St. San Diego, Ca Online: artelexia.com
Birch Aquarium Whale Mural
Nikki Walsh
Catch a cute pic of your kiddo admiring the under the sea whale mural at the Birch Aquarium. Then head inside for a fun-filled afternoon. Plus, you'll find plenty of additional Instagram worthy shots at this sea side treasure trove. Read our guide to Birch Aquarium here to make the most of your visit!
2300 Expedition Way La Jolla, Ca 858-534-3474 Online: aquarium.ucsd.edu
Looking for an activity-filled day with an extra dose of art? Grab your bikes and head to Bayshore Bikeway near Bay Blvd. in Chula Vista for an outdoor art gallery featuring 11 Artists. The total route consists of 24 miles so make sure to park near the gallery in case little legs tire out. Chula Vista Bayfront Park is a good starting point with restrooms and a playground about one mile north of the gallery.
Take a walk at The Headquarters at Seaport Village and discover this beautiful mural to take your next family photo at! Then enjoy all that this shopping, dining and entertainment hub has to offer.
Did you drift off to sleep clutching your strawberry-scented Strawberry Shortcake doll? Then you’ll be elated to find out that your fave fruit-infused girl is back!
Strawberry Shortcake is returning in an all-new animated series, Berry in the Big City. Debuting on WildBrain Spark’s Strawberry Shortcake YouTube and YouTube Kids channels on Sat. Sept. 18, young viewers will be introduced to Ms. Shortcake and her new found pals as she navigates Big Apple City.
photo: Courtesy of WildBrain Spark
The first two episodes start Strawberry Shortcake’s journey to Big Apple City, where she’s hoping to get her big break in baking. With her cat Custard in tow, Strawberry also finds new friends in Orange Blossom, Lime Chiffon, Lemon Meringue and Blueberry Muffin. Together, the friends run their food trucks and fun adventures with plenty of singing along the way.
Berry in the Big City will consist of 40 four-minute adventures for kids ages 3 to 6 (though we admit, it was just as entertaining for us parents who loved the OG version!). After the launch, new episodes will drop every week through June 2022.
And fear not, a second 40-episode season is already planned, in addition to 44-minute Strawberry Shortcake family specials! Berry in the Big City also features 10 original songs that will be released next year as animated lyric videos for kids to sing along and enjoy on WildBrain Spark’s official Strawberry Shortcake channel.
You asked and Hershey’s answered: Vampire Kisses are back! The red, strawberry-flavored creme center and bat-wrapped treat makes this this must-have candy for Halloween.
Vampire Hershey’s Kisses are made with milk chocolate and are joined by other spooky sweets. You’ll be able to grab Reese’s Franken-Cups, KIT KAT Witch’s Brew and Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Crème Fangs.
But back to the Vampire Kisses: they’ll be available for a limited time in a 9 oz. bag at retailers nationwide for about $3.59.
Remember Creme Savers? The creamy swirled hard candy that you secretly loved to find in your grandparents’ treat dish? After a 10 year hiatus, two of the most popular flavors are back!
Back in the day, you could find this candy in multiple flavors, including tropical and dessert swirled blends. And Grandma’s house wasn’t the only place to enjoy it, since you could purchase whole bags or rolls at the store, as well as spinoffs like flavored yogurt and JELLO. Now you’ll be able to buy two of the top flavors once more: Strawberry & Creme and Orange & Creme.
Each piece is individually wrapped, as all proper hard candy should be. One taste of those fruit and creme swirls will likely bring on the nostalgia, big time. And like many good treats of the early 21st century, they’re sugar free.
Iconic Candy teamed up with Mars Wrigley to reformulate the original flavors and bring back Creme Savers. You can find them at Big Lots stores in 47 states starting in mid-September. No word on if we can look forward to other flavors…yet.
It’s a graveyard smash! A monstrous party is coming to your breakfast bowl, courtesy of General Mills. Monster Mash cereal is limited-edition and features pieces from the five Monster Cereals: Count Chocula, Boo Berry, Franken Berry, Frute Brute and Yummy Mummy,
It’s the first time you can find all of these cereals combined and it’s in honor of the 50th anniversary of Count Chocula and Franken Berry, the first two monster products. At the time, the two cereals were the only chocolate and strawberry flavored cereals on the market. The pieces transformed to ghosts in 1985 and the marshmallows have evolved over the years, but the delicious taste has never changed.
To celebrate the cereal release, the five monsters also remade the classic “Monster Mash” song for your listening pleasure. You can also watch Mocumentary, the Monster Mash Documentary, which includes a surprise appearance from Travis Barker. Both are available online now!
Keep an eye out at major retailers to scoop a box (or six) of this special new product. The artwork alone makes it a must-have for cereal collectors!
This summer, Portland showed us how hot it can get! And while we seem to have made it through the record-breaking temps, our city is certainly staying warm. There’s no better way to stay cool than with a sweet scoop of ice cream. These awesome shops serve up some of the best ice cream, gelato, froyo, and sorbet in the city. You’ll want to try them all before the temps start to drop again.
Sugarpine Drive-In:There's nothing sweeter than getting your soft serve cone from a retro drive-through after a day on the Sandy River. Located in Troutdale, Sugarpine serves up great lunches, but it's the cones that'll make you beg for more. Go for the Larch Mountain, a chocolate and vanilla swirl topped with crumbled brown butter blondies, blueberry lavender sauce, and homemade pine nut honeycomb crunch. Also, they serve froze (frozen rose) popsicles.
1208 East Historical Columbia River Hwy. Troutdale, OR Online: sugarpinedrivein.com
Fifty Licks: Fifty Licks started as a food cart then swiftly moved into the spotlight at their two locations (both currently open for takeout). Quality ingredients mixed into a custard base means flavors like Hood Strawberry or Toasted Milk shine through. The vegan options are coconut-based and will not disappoint anyone, like the turmeric-yellow Golden Milk or the Mango Sticky Rice.
Salt and Straw: Portland’s ice cream craze basically kicked off with this shop and their curious flavors--you can find their shops flung far in LA, San Francisco, Miami, Seattle, and even Disneyland (yep). Closer to home, it’s still massively popular. The one good thing about 2020 is that you can now skip those heinous lines by ordering online ahead of time for pickup (or delivery!). They keep a list of favorites like strawberry and balsamic, olive oil, and sea salt and caramel, but their monthly rotating flavors are surprisingly unique, but crazy good— like goat cheese marionberry habanero.
Pinolo Gelato: Founded by a native Italian, Pinolo Gelato lets ice cream’s European cousin shine. Gelato is mostly made without eggs--because it has less fat and is also served slightly warmer than ice cream, it’s argued to be more flavorful. Take a Roman holiday with classic flavors like chocolate, stracciatella or pistachio, or enjoy the seasonal rotation like almond fig. They also serve Cafe Umbria espresso.
Ruby Jewel: Delicious ice cream, sandwiched between two thick cookies. It’s the dessert for when you can’t decide if you want ice cream or baked goods, and nobody in Portland does it like Ruby Jewel. Try the Double Chocolate and Peanut Butter, or the Lemon and Honey Lavender, or test out a new flavor! The four store locations are town are open for business this summer, and perfect for your warm-weather breaks.
Cloud City Ice Cream: This gem in the Woodstock neighborhood of Southeast Portland has been impressing kids of all ages since 2011, using natural and local ingredients to serve up a prolific menu of dairy and non-dairy scoops, sundaes, and shakes. They’ve simplified their menu to the classics (like Golddigger with chocolate ice cream and peanut butter ripple, or the honey lavender), and are offering scoops and pints to go. As it says on their door, everything is made with equal parts love and magic.
Eb and Bean: The froyo from Eb and Bean has taken the city by storm the last few years. The swirling cones of goodness come in fantastic flavors (dairy or non-dairy, without artificial sweeteners, flavors, preservatives, or corn syrup). It’s then topped with seasonal, all-natural goodies, many from local Oregon companies. They have three locations around town, making it the perfect spot for families wherever they may live.
The bad news: fall isn’t here yet. The good news: Nestle Toll House is giving us one more reason to look forward to the upcoming season! Get ready for some fantastic new cookie dough flavors launching for a limited time in August, including everyone’s fave, Pumpkin Spice.
Yup, Pumpkin Spice! Nestle’s getting in on the craze with the release of a new dough that’s pumpkin-spice flavored and mixed with white chocolate morsels. We can’t think of anything better to pair with a latte or cider for the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. Plus you’ll be able to buy a new assortment that features white morsels, mini coffee biscuits and pumpkin-spice flavored chunks!
If you can’t handle any more Pumpkin Spice, you’ll be happy to hear Nestle has a few more tricks up its sleeves. PB&J Cookie Dough riffs off the sandwich classic, with peanut butter cookie dough and strawberry-flavored pieces. Cinnamon Roll Cookie Dough is sugar cookie dough laced with cinnamon and cream cheese pieces. And Trick or Treats Dough is a fudge dough topped with festive Halloween sprinkles!
The new doughs will be available at retailers nationwide starting in August and retail for around $2.99. At that price, you’d better believe we’ll be trying them all!
Krispy Kreme is turning 84! To celebrate the donut maker, the company is offering a special day for one day only.
On Fri., Jul. 16, head to your local Krispy Kreme and you can snag a dozen BirthYAY donuts for just $1 when you purchase any dozen. The BirthYAY collection is an assortment of Original Glazed donuts with a special strawberry iced sprinkle donut.
photo: Krispy Kreme
This special deal is available in stores and online with promocode BIRTHYAY. Want to share all your donut deets? Don’t forget to use #KrispyKreme and tag@krispykreme on social media.
