Curious George - New Episodes This Week!

I've been a fan of Curious George since I was little and he did naughty, politically incorrect things like smoke pipes and start fire alarms. The current incarnation of the classic character is still mischevious but he's also a little less destructive, thankfully! Curious George is starting its seventh season on PBS this week with three brand-new episodes about animals.

The premiere episode of the season, "Monkey Down Under," finds George and the Man with the Yellow Hat in Australia for an Outback adventure. George investigates giant footprints in the sand and learns about indigenous animals from local conservationist and wildlife expert Bindi Irwin, the progeny of the late Crocodile Hunter and a force for animals in her own right. George learns all about koalas, kangaroos, emus and more in this fun episode.


Curious George is a great way to engage preschoolers in learning. Check your local PBS channel listings for December 3-5th and watch these with your little ones. You won't be disappointed!

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that we received a screener DVD to facilitate this review. No compensation was provided for this post. All opinions are, as usual, entirely my own.

The Day After: We Are All Giraffes

From our friend at Chronicle Books: “Today, there are no Elephants. There are no Donkeys. We are all Giraffes!”

New York Times Bestselling illustrator Tom Lichtenheld (Duck Rabbit!, Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site) was inspired by last night’s election and the response to Hurricane Sandy to create this charming and inspirational image.

In his words, “Despite the storm, despite the money, despite the mud-slinging...this thing basically worked. So let's put the elephants and donkeys out to pasture and come up with a new mascot.” 

Whether you're sulking or gloating after last night's election results, try to shake off the old and start working together for a better future for America.

Almost Naked Animals on DVD

Any little kid will tell you, underpants are hilarious. Combine them with silly animals and unlikely situations and you have a pretty effective formula for giggle-inducing entertainment. 

Almost Naked Animals, Cartoon Network’s top-rated animated series for kids aged 6-11, features an ensemble cast of underwear-clad animals, led by Howie, the fun-loving, hospitality-challenged canine manager of the beachfront hotel, Banana Cabana. There are also poodles, octopi, sloths and narwhals in the mix. And plenty of undergarments!

Almost Naked Animals will be available on DVD for the first time on September 25th. Coinciding with the DVD release, a new line of Almost Naked Animals-branded products will be available for sale at their eponymous website, which will also feature a brand new “Online Super Game.” 

Roo and Jasper both like this Almost Naked Animals, although it appeals more to Jasper's finely tuned potty humor tastebuds. Roo might be a bit more like Howie's prissy sister Poodle than she'd care to admit… and I like the theme song more than I'd like to admit. 

Keep up with the Banana Cabana crew on Twitter and Facebook.

In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I received the items pictured to facilitate this review. No compensation has been provided. As usual, all opinions are my own.

Frankenweenie Monstrous Sweepstakes

Oh, I am so excited for Frankenweenie. I am imagining it as Tim Burton directing a Castle Films version of Pet Sematary. The Vampire Cat is adorable! I mean, spooky. Very spooky!

If you love Halloween and Disney (and, seriously, who doesn't?), you'll want to enter the Frankenweenie Monstrous Sweepstakes. You could win a trip for four to experience the spookiest time of the year at Disneyland Resort, including The Art of Frankenweenie exhibit at the newly expanded Disney California Adventure theme park. For a limited time, Disney guests will be treated to a special 4D extended preview of the film at the Muppets Vision 3D Theater before Frankenweenie comes to theaters in 3D October 5th!
Enter online at www.disney.com/frankenweeniesweeps or text EDGAR to DISNEY (347639) to enter for a chance to win. *Msg and data rates may apply. If you’re under 18, get your parents’ permission first.*
Embarrassingly, I have never even been to DCA. I spent my summers in Orange County until I was about 15 and went to Disneyland pretty frequently but my kids have only been to Disney World. Bad mommy. You should enter but I hope we win! 

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition was released this week, marking the first time that this classic film (the first full-length animated film ever produced, all the way back in 1937!) will be available on high-definition Blu-ray with 7.1 Surround Sound and special games and features.



If you're like me and haven't upgraded your entertainment systems yet, you'll be pleased to know that this special edition includes not only a Blu-ray disc but also a DVD so you can still enjoy the enhanced picture and sound quality of the all-new digital restoration– even if you're a slow adopter of new technology… if you already own the movie on DVD or VHS, you can upgrade to the new Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition with a $10 off coupon through October 20th: click here for details.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition also includes bonus features like an all-new music video by Tiffany Thornton and a sneak peek of the highly anticipated upcoming Disney release The Princess and The Frog.

We watched the DVD disc from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition tonight and both kids enjoyed it, even if Jasper thought there could have been WAY more robots. He did like all of the woodland creatures a lot and the magic mirror. Roo is at the age where she likes to point out that way more gory stuff happens in the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale but also visibly swooned when Prince Charming kisses Snow White back to life at the end. Seriously, she grabbed the remote and made us watch it two more times. Kindergartners are such romantics!



The Disney Blu-ray Upgrade Program is making it possible for you to keep your family's favorite movies up-to-date as technology advances:



Thanks to One2One Network for providing me with a complimentary copy of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition to watch and review. I was not compensated for this review but will be eligible to win a gift card or collectible Snow White memorabilia for writing it. Just so you know.

Robot Love

Jasper is obsessed with robots. Seriously obsessed. He and Roo are both gigantic fans of My Life as a Teenage Robot, so I thought I would try to see if it's available on DVD. Apparently not (although the first season is available on iTunes), but there is a dizzying amount of fan art online dedicated to XJ9, aka Jenny Wakeman. Or "Bobot Grrrl," as Jasper likes to refer to her.

It's a couple of years before I imagine he'll be hanging pin-ups on his walls (thank goodness) but this cartoon by XJKenny cracked me up because it features his two loves: Jenny from MLaaTR and Bumblebee from the Transformers Animated series.



Obviously it doesn't take much to amuse me these days.

Wow! Wow!

I've written here before about Jasper's Wubbzy obsession, so when Mom Central asked me to review the new Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! DVD, A Little Help from My Friends, there was no hesitation.


Jasper and Roo both love Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! so I wasn't surprised that as soon as I opened the mailing envelope with the DVD they wanted to watch it. Jasper actually snatched it, saying "dis, dis!" excitedly and running to the TV. Roo contented herself with the sticker sheet inside ( The one of Wubbzy in his tighty whities made her snicker for a looooong time.) and Jasper took his front row seat for some bouncing and singing. A Little Help from My Friends features eight episodes– that's two solid hours of Wubbzy and pals! Two hours that I ceased to be missed. I washed dishes, folded laundry and started dinner without interruption! And today, Jasper was having teething issues and was a clutchy mess, but once I let him snuggle in on the couch with me and turned on the DVD, he was totally engrossed and even belly laughed several times. Wubbzy is mommy's new best friend.

For more of the little bouncy yellow guy with the bendy tail, check out Wubbzy.com. You'll find TV listings, videos, games, downloadable coloring pages and more. You can also check out the Wubblog, a behind-the-scenes blog. The fan art is awesome. A Little Help from My Friends is available now on DVD.