Humor: Oh, You Kid: I Got Your “Prisoner” Right Here…

Posted on November 30, 2013 by geelw

So, I’m walking about the other day and I pass some kids coming from school and overhear one of them saying to his friends that his mom is punishing him for some offense or another by taking away his gaming and online time at home. As I’m grinning while just ahead of them, I hear the kid say he doesn’t know why he’s being treated “like a prisoner” and IMMEDIATELY this intro came to mind. Oh, you kid… you don’t even KNOW what it’s like at all. AT ALL. Although, I’d laugh like a loon if he walked in the door to his home and a Rover was waiting to chase him right to his room away from the TV and computer. Those damn things always scared the heck out of me as a kid when I was watching the show every week and not knowing what in the world was going on, but not being able to look away.

And be glad I didn’t think of the opening theme and titles to HBO’s super NSFW show, OZ. Although, that might be more fitting under the most incorrect of circumstances. Stay in school, boys and girls… stay in school…

Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein Trailer: Kids Deserve A Better Monster Flick, I Say…

Posted on September 24, 2013 by geelw

“It’s alive… it’s aliiiive!!”

I almost lost it earlier because I saw this in my inbox and thought it was a live-action and CG flick like those other modern films featuring The Chipmunks. Fortunately, it’s only a cartoon, but that doesn’t forgive Universal Studios for this one completely. Look, Frankenstein’s monster has been through animated hell enough already, so you’re not winning any friends among us crankier fans of your classic creations, people. Oh well, I guess it’s “better” than another Scooby Doo rehash (“Zoinks!”) or worse, some indie director trying to make a modern take on the classic book that misses the mark or cheap scares, core effects and a few nude scenes. *Yawn*… Well, this one’s another one I won’t be seeing unless it creeps up on cable and I happen to flip by as it’s beginning. Unless… this is actually an OLDER film and I got suckered by Universal into running it, as their YouTube channel has been running a LOT of trailers for a number of movies from their library recently… if so, oops!

Wise Alec & Wise Alec Junior: “Smart” Can’t Quite Compete With Wise

Posted on April 25, 2013 by geelw

No, I’m not slapping around the eggheads some too often disrespect out there for knowing so much, folks. We all kind of need those stupidly smart people who know more than we do, as left unchecked, we’d all be quite dead and still trying to sue someone who didn’t fix that badly-made or never repaired bridge that fell on our heads or can of beans that was a wee bit too spoiled when it was put on that rickety shop shelf. Thankfully, Canada still likes us, as Griddly Games’ Wise Alec and Wise Alec Junior will get brains knitting away with their mix of “Oooh, I HAD it!” trivia and random acts of oddball activities you’ll be tasked with completing. Hey, it’s better than camping out in front of the TV sucking in awful cable news for an evening…

What’s cool about both games are you’re getting a ton of fun at home that some schools won’t let kids have these days. Hey, someone might yell a bit too loudly when they get something right or get overly-excited enough after a win that the on-site security will need to pack them up and put them in a broom closet until you drive down to bail them out. Hmmm… I do recall that sort of giddy behavior USED to be called HAVING FUN back in the day (before the age of Ritalin and other kiddie meds)…

Toy Fair 2013: Flip2BFit and Bakari Will Put A Forever Spring In Your Step…

Posted on March 20, 2013 by geelw

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flip2bfit Even though I know a few folks who’ve lost weight using WiiFit, Let’s Dance, Zumba or other video games, the fact is, these aren’t for everyone. In general, not enough people in the US exercise and eat right period, video game consoles aren’t in every home for any number of good reasons and some people need a bit more motivation than taking the relatively expensive way out of buying more devices that they probably won’t use once they’re unpacked. That said, adding some sort of play to one’s exercise routine is a great thing and that’s where Heather Parisi and her all ages fitness games Flip2BFit and Bakari come in. Sometimes, a good old fashioned board or card game is the way to go for anyone looking to shape up with kids they don’t want glued to the TV or a device when they should be concentrating on a few important things like diet and exercise…

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Toy Fair 2013: Insanimals Are Here! Get Your Money (and Your Crazy) Ready…

Posted on March 3, 2013 by geelw

Sometimes the best things in life come out of (and often come out) a little crazy idea taken from concept to creation, and I’d say Maryland-based brainchild and designer Chris Sciannella’s “crazy” idea is more likely than not going to make someone a millionaire at some point. Insanimals, the cool line of wild-eyed (but completely lovable) plush toys, made me laugh for a few reasons when I strolled up to the booth at this year’s Toy Fair, all of them good. For one, how can you not automatically get a grin going when seeing a chihuahua, cow, monkey or zebra (all with BIG hypnotic plastic eyeballs) staring back at you? I felt like picking them all up and shaking them gently to see if they’d snap out of it, but that bad idea of mine would just turn them back into “Normanimals” and you can get those anywhere from the local florist to the world’s biggest toy store. Insanimals are special because they’re completely bonkers and don’t try to hide it one bit…

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The Croods: Prehistoric Party Hands-On: The New “Modern Stone Age Family” Board Game

Posted on February 19, 2013 by geelw

With Dreamworks’ new family friendly animated film The Croods heading for a March 22, 2013 release in theaters, D3Publisher of America is getting a fun little tie in game out exclusively to all four current Nintendo platforms. The Croods: Prehistoric Party isn’t at all the platformer you’d expect to drop into stores as a quickie cash in product, but a fun board game in the vein of the Mario Party franchise that packs in mini-games galore for one to four players. D3P rolled into NYC last week with a Wii U build and I got a nice bit of playtime with it as well as a look at the movie trailer (below the jump for your viewing pleasure if you’ve yet to see it). Torus Games has whipped up a cool-looking easy to hop into game that should get anyone who liked the film cracking up in front of the TV and bringing a few friends or family members along for the ride…

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Toy Fair 2013: Zeenie Dollz – Or: Earth (Saving) Girls Are Easy (To Like)…

Posted on February 15, 2013 by geelw

With all the big toy-themed sites covering almost nothing but the big, hot new products from Toy Fair, there are literally thousands of toys that get little to no love on the show floor from the press. Since I don’t get many invites to the major events (thanks to PR people and companies themselves that want big sites with bigger hits to drive fans into stores on launch days or pre-ordering their products like mad), I tend to dip around the show floor after my big deal appointments looking for quirky and interesting stuff you won’t see latched to a hype train. I’ll be covering a bunch of cool toys for just about everyone in a few columns here, so I may as well start with the last letter of the alphabet and work my way around randomly. Say hello to Zeenie Dollz!