Mattel's Save the Bunny Easter Toy Basket Giveaway!

I would like to bring to you the best PSA out there.. or at least the best Chocolate Bunny Public Service Announcement to date. Save the chocolate bunnies!



So, now that you've giggled, lets get serious. Obesity is an epidemic in America, this year for Easter try packing your child's basket full of toys instead of chocolate. Every year, we do a bunch of spring and summer toys, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and random clothes.. with a chocolate bunny. We just can't resist.

Want to enter to win your own Mattel Toy Basket? Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win. Encourage creative, healthy, sugar-free play for your kids this Easter!

Here is a link to Mattel's Save the Bunny website: http://www.savechocolatebunnies.com/#home where you'll find more giveaways and coupons!

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Mattel Fijit Friends are Super Fun! *Review*

Recently, we were given the opportunity to ask several of our girl friends over to have a super fun girly glamor get-together to introduce them to the brand new Fijit Friends from Mattel.

Your child will find a new friend in an interactive, electronic toy that can talk, dance, and laugh along with them. This new generation children's toy not only entertains but can actually engage and interact with our kids on a whole new level. Fijit Friends have colorful and soft skin that enable lifelike movements and they can perform fun dance moves, recognize spoken emotions and react appropriately, joining in on the fun or telling a joke when you are sad. Fijit Friends come in four different color variations, each with a unique personality.

So we invited our girlfriends to come over for cupcakes, nail painting, and dress up, and with the horrible weather, were rained out. We didn't let that discourage us, so we rescheduled it for a few weekends later, and before I knew it the house was full of a bunch of 5-9 year old girls.

We were sent two adorable Fijit Friends, Sage and Willa, some great party favors, headbands and a camera to record some fun moments of our par-tay! The kids loved both of the characters, and the fact that they interacted with each of them, telling jokes that made them roar with laughter, but the part they loved the most was that it danced, just like them to their favorite beats! The mommies thought that it was super cute when the kids told their new friends, "goodnight", and the little Fijit Friend leaned over, yawned and started snoring!

The kids played with the Fijit Friends for quite awhile, and many of the moms insisted that this toy will definitely become one of the MUST HAVE toys for the 2011 holiday season... I think they're right! This toy is geared for girls about 6-9, but I will tell you the few brothers that were dragged along with their sisters confiscated the green Fijit Friend (Sage) and were caught playing in the room with it after their laughter exploded from a joke Sage shared with them. The boys thought the lights on the Fijit Friends face and belly was super cool. Most of the kids liked the silicone skin, only one thought it felt weird, but all of the feedback we got was great.

The Fijit Friends retail for approximately $49.99 each. They come in four different colors- blue, green, pink, and purple, all with different names. Although they come with batteries, but I would advise you to buy extra ones because the factory batteries died very quickly. Even now that the party is over, my little lady plays with it almost every day- and often has to hide her from her brother!!

To learn more about Fijit Friends, please visit there website here. Be sure to interact with them, read their bios and play the game while you're there!

We cannot thank our friends at Mattel and Mom Central Consulting for allowing us to participate in this awesome campaign. "I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Mattel Fijit Friends and received coupons and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

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New Sing Along with Barbie DVD Review!

Thanks to Mom Central, our family had the opportunity to review the brand new DVD from Mattel called, Sing Along With Barbie.

Packed with 14 of your favorite Barbie songs from hit Barbie movies, your little lady will love singing and dancing along. For the little girls who love to sing, this karaoke style dvd might be a little advanced, as the bigger kids can read the lyrics right off of the screen.

That didn't stop Abbigaile from twirling and swirling and singing along with the tunes, even if she didn't wasn't that familiar with the song itself. Her absolute favorite Barbie movie is "Barbie in The 12 Dancing Princesses", so of course her favorite sing-along-song is "Shine".  I grabbed my camera to take a quick clip of it for you, just because it was too cute not to share. (The clip provided on Amazon is without the lyrics.)



Since we received our DVD, Marissa was also able to review it with her daughter. Her daughter is 6 and a total Barbie freak.  From the moment it began, Barbie lyrics were being belted across the living room, accompanied by more swirling and twirling, from both of our dancing princesses.

This DVD would make a great present for an upcoming birthday, or even a non-edible Easter Basket item. Check it out Sing Along with Barbie now on Amazon, or where ever great movies are sold. To learn more about Barbie and Barbie products, please visit www.Barbie.com.


“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Mattel. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.” 

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Nickelodeon & Mattel Announces New Look for Dora!

"For nearly ten years, Dora the Explorer has had such a strong following among preschoolers, catapulting it into the number one preschool show on commercial television," says Gina Sirard, vice president of marketing for Mattel. "Girls really identify with Dora and we knew that girls would love to have their friend Dora grow up with them, and experience the new things that they were going through themselves. The brand captures girls' existing love of Dora and marries it with the fashion doll play and online experiences older girls enjoy." "We are thrilled to partner with Mattel to develop this brand extension that will enable girls to continue to learn and interact with their Latina heroine, Dora, as they grow up together."

I'm not sure how I feel about the "new" look Nickelodeon and Mattel have put together for Dora the Explorer. Carol Costello assured CNN viewers that Dora's "tweenage" look is much more conservative than the shadow profile above suggests. She assures viewers that Dora is wearing leggings under her skirt and that the new look portrays an icon growing up, not maturing sexually, and most importantly, Dora still "uses her brain" to problem solve and investigate her new mysteries.

The perks of the new Dora doll include the ability to link her to the internet so children can play in a "world" where they can dress her up, interact with her, and help solve Nancy Drew style mysteries. The new Dora moves from having adventures in the forest and jungle to the concrete jungle, and adventures in middle school. It has been told that the new Dora is geared for ages 5 and up, but somehow, I do not see my 5 year old playing with a doll that goes to middle school. I cannot help but feel the initial discontent most other bloggers have already displayed, but part of me is eager to see the new look of "tweenage" Dora. Dora's new look is scheduled to debut in fall of 2009.

Until then, what do you think of Nickelodeon & Mattel joining forces to give Dora the Explorer a new "Tweenage" look?

Do you think that the "Tweenage" Dora will grow with your children, or do you think that kids grow old of the new Dora just as quickly as the current Dora?

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