Tag Archives: disney

Disney Playmation Wearable Tech Toys

Are Disney’s Playmation Wearable Tech Toys Arriving In Time For Summer Break Fun?

Kids are out of school in many areas of the country and parents are becoming increasingly worried that their child’s summer is going to be full of couch-sitting, video game playing, snack eating, laziness.  Maybe that’s just me.  It’s a good thing I came up with a list of 24 things Madelyn can do while I’m working yesterday!  I’ll show you the list in another post.  🙂

Disney recently announced a groundbreaking system of toys and wearables that use smart technology to inspire kids to run around and use their imaginations.  Sounds unreal, doesn’t it?   I guess the future is happening, now!  Who would have thought that our kids could use technology AND their imaginations.. in one foul swoop?  Thank you Disney and  Hasbro!

Disney Playmation Wearable Tech Toys

Playmation is the next step in the evolution of play, where digital gets physical and imagination becomes real. The groundbreaking system of toys and wearables uses smart technology to inspire kids to run around and use their imaginations, as they become the hero or heroine of stories from across The Walt Disney Company. Playmation Marvel’s Avengers is the first of a series of systems in development, including Star Wars and Frozen. In Playmation Marvel’s Avengers, strap the high-tech Repulsor Gear onto your arm and join the Avengers in their fight to save Earth! As an Avenger recruit, your on-board intelligence JARVIS will guide you from your Gear as you accept missions from the Avengers and battle in exotic locations around the universe to save our planet—all from the comfort of your own home.

Watch the trailer to see Playmation in action!

As you can see in the video above, the new line of toys, in partnership with Hasbro, are a cross between computers and costumes.  Iron Man gloves and Hulk fists based on Disney’s Marvel superhero brand are two of the first examples shown.

Playmation uses technology regularly used by kids; smart toys, wearables, wireless technology, motion sensors, and more—to create a unique experience in which toys interact not only with the kids who play with them, but with each other. Along with the system’s companion app, the toys in Playmation reinvent “old school” play for the digital generation—allowing kids to become part of the story in real life.

Playmation is not a video game.   Disney touts Playmation as an entirely new category of play.  Users will go through familiar gameplay experiences of leveling up, earning points and completing missions.   Disney says there is a companion app, but Playmation is not meant to be played in front of a screen.  Instead, the user becomes part of the story in real life–running around and using their imagination to complete missions and go on exciting adventures.

Internet access may be required to download companion apps for some Playmation toys, but will not be required for gameplay.   Playmation toys create their own inter-connected network to communicate and interact with each other without requiring an Internet or WiFi network or connection, so you can play anywhere.

HOW DO YOU GET PLAYMATION?

The Playmation Marvel’s Avengers “Starter Pack” will include 1 piece of Avenger “Gear” (Repulsor), 2 Power Activators and 2 “Smart Figures” – a Super Hero (Captain America) and Villain (Iron Skull). Additional items will be sold separately. You can use the AvengersNet app to register your Gear, get updates, see progress, customize your Gear, and even get additional missions for all new play. Check Disney Playmation soon for more information on product details, retail availability, and how to pre-order!

Playmation will bring more of your kids favorite stories to life soon.  Playmation Star Wars is currently slated for release in 2016, and a Disney Frozen system is currently in development.

Playmation is described as being best for children 6+.

Playmation Marvel’s Avengers will be available at Disney Stores, disneystore.com and mass retailers nationwide (US and Canada) this October. Check Disney Playmation for more information on retail availability and how to pre-order!

‘It’s a Small World’ 50th Anniversary! Watch People Around The World Sing, Create a Doll, & Record Yourself Singing!

It's a Small World 50th Anniversary

What’s your favorite ride at Disney World? Chances are It’s A Small World is at the top of your list. It’s #1 on my list.

The  vibrant colors and beautiful scenery riders see during their journey through It’s A Small World stick with you.

The repetition of the song is just what a small child needs to engrain something in their memory forever and the ‘It’s a Small World’ ride does just that.   What’s so great is that the song is sung is so many different languages.  I still feel so happy on that ride and hope my kids will feel the same when they are my age. The song really plants and possibly ingrains in a child’s mind that our world really is a small one and that is something to appreciate.

Go to SmallWorld50.com today to be part of the song’s 50th anniversary by participating in a life Google Hangout with Richard Sherman, who co-authored the song with his brother in the 1950’s.

 

On SmallWorld50.com you can

  • Create your own It’s a Small World doll in a matter of seconds and Disney will donate $1 to UNICEF for every doll created, up to $100,000!
  • Record yourself singing It’s A Small World!  Get your kids in on the action too!
  • Watch Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd, and Jenny McCarthy sing It’s A Small World on The View!

Here is the doll I created

Screen Shot 2014-04-10 at 9.35.10 AM

 

Do you have memories of riding It’s a Small World as a child?

Moleskine Mickey Mouse Notebook

Moleskine Mickey Mouse NotebookIt’s hard to believe but Spring Break is coming up in less than 3 months and school will be out in about 5 months. With school breaks comes vacation and many, many families travel to Disney World and Disney Land during school breaks each year.

When planning your trip to Disney, keep track of your Disney to-do list in a limited edition Mickey Mouse notebook from Moleskine!  Available in 3.5×5 inches and 5×8.25 inches, these notebooks are the perfect size for carrying in your handbag, diaper bag, or backpack during your Disney vacation.

Here are a few ideas on ways to use your Mickey Mouse notebook:

  • Most importantly, write your Disney packing list
  • Make a list of what each of your children are most looking forward to doing at Disney (use these stick notes to clearly mark each child’s list page)
  • Write down everyone’s dining preferences
  • Write down all important addresses (hotel) and phone number you’ll need during your trip
  • After your trip, stick a few photos of your Disney trip inside the notebook

Keep the notebook in a safe place after your trip to Disney and pull it out every few years or add it to next time you visit.  I guarantee it will be fun to take a look at every so often.

Moleskine, a classic in its own right, meets Disney’s best-loved character, Mickey Mouse. A favorite of all ages, the famed mouse is right at home on a Moleskine notebook, depicted playing and creating with reading and writing tools. Decorated inside and out with Mickey’s iconic image, this notebook includes a drawing guide so you can create your own Mickey Mouse. Black cover with themed debossing; themed flyleaves; inner pocket in black fabric, same color for elastic closure; bookmark ribbon.

If jotting down notes about your upcoming trip to Disney isn’t enough, use the included Mickey Mouse drawing guide to create your own art!

Moleskine Limited Edition Mickey Mouse notebook

Spooky Tunes: A Disney Halloween, an Exclusive Playlist on Rdio

Disney Halloween Songs Playlist on Rdio

We’re heading to the pumpkin patch when the kids get home from school today and what better way to get them in the mood.. the Halloween mood, than by listening to spooky music?

Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Tigger are among your favorite characters who make A Disney Halloween come alive.  Inside this exclusive playlist on Rdio, you’ll find nearly an hour of highlights from classic spooky collections such as Disney Villains: Simply Sinister Songs and composer Danny Elfman from The Nightmare Before Christmas (which celebrates its 20th anniversary this month), plus archival scary sounds and more.

Make way for the Heffalumps and Woozles, too!

Press play and enjoy one of Disney’s favorite holidays of the year: Halloween!

Your Guide to Disney’s MagicBand and MagicBand Accessories

Disney MagicBandPhoto source

Walt Disney World’s newest innovation in technology is the MagicBand, a device that can be used throughout Walt Disney World and select Disney Resorts.  This colorful wristband can be used as a park pass to access the Disney theme parks and as a room key to unlock the door at a Disney Resort hotel room.  Kids can even enjoy the resort swimming pools and Disney water parks with their waterproof MagicBand. In addition, the MagicBand can be used to pay for food and merchandise.  As an added bonus, guests using the MagicBand can pre-select certain FastPass attractions before they even set foot into one of the four theme parks!

To make the bands even more fun to use, guests will be able to customize their individual wristband with their name and a color selection. This exciting new system is currently in a testing stage and it is expected to debut to the general public later this year as part of Disney’s MyMagic+ system.

The convenience of the MagicBand will make Disney vacations much easier! Parents no longer have to worry about carrying a Disney Resort room key, a separate park pass or ticket, and cash for food and merchandise. Once all of the vacation choices have been pre-selected using the ‘My Disney Experience’ section of the Walt Disney World website, the choices are automatically tied to the MagicBand. At that point, the band can be shipped directly to a family’s residence prior to their trip or picked up at the Disney Resort.

MagicBand and  FastPass+

One of the unique features of the MagicBand is the ability to select FastPass+ attractions prior to the trip. The FastPass+ attractions include popular theme park attractions currently on the FastPass system, as well as additional attractions, parade viewing areas, preferred access to character greetings and more! Since several FastPass+ attractions can be selected in advance, parents no longer have to worry about FastPass tickets for certain attractions running out during the day of their family’s visit.

MagicBand Customization Accessories

Accessories for MagicBands are being sold at Disney resorts where testing is ongoing such as the Fantasia Gift Shop in the Contemporary Resort in Orlando, Florida.  Accessories include MagicBandits, MagicSliders and CoverBands.

  • CoverBands, $15.95 for a 3-pack or $6.95 for a single pack at the time of this writing, are a fabric covering that slides onto the MagicBand giving kids even more customization opportunities.
  • MagicBandits are available in a 3-pack for $6.95 and 4-pack for $8.95.  Characters including the Muppets, Phineas and Ferb and TinkerBell are just two choices park goers will have when choosing their MagicBandits.
  • MagicSliders, $12.95 each, are small single characters that slide onto the MagicBand, to surround the Mickey Mouse face which is also the RFID (the part that provides the technology).

All three accessories can be used at the same time!

MagicBand Details

  • MagicBand colors available will include: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Purple Pink, Orange, and Gray.
  • MagicBands will be shipped to the guest within 30 to 10 days of arrival or to the resort if reservation is made within 10 days of arrival.
  • The band is waterproof but will not float.
  • The MagicBand is not known to ever need a battery replacement at this time.

Children and adults alike will appreciate the convenience and fun of this wonderful new technology. In fact, the Disney MagicBand is sure to be a magical experience for all members of the family!

Learn more about MagicBand from Disney here.

Get answers to frequently asked questions about the Disney MagicBand here.

Prices are valid as of the time of this writing and are not guaranteed.

Have you been able to try a MagicBand on a recent Disney trip?  Share your experience with us in the comments below!


 

a77ae8fc2e451f918a261c5f7ae972531ff07e85bda517b42e