Tot TV Watch

I just heard about a new Sesame Street Official Website called SesameStreet.org. It is a great website for fans and parents/caregivers of fans of Sesame Street. The site is full of things to do and information about Sesame Street.

One of the best features of the site is Play Safe mode, which is easily activated from the top of game and playlist pages. Once clicked they can only do things on the games or playlist part of the site and cannot navigate to anywhere else on the web. It is deactivated by holding down Alt+ P+S. This sounds like a great thing to allow you to let preschoolers play without having to keep such a close eye on the computer screen while they play. Unfortunately, this only currently works for Windows users using Internet Explorer. I hope they it make Mac (I grew up on Macs and still only use them) compatible soon, especially if they do it for Firefox.

One main section of the site is the Games section. This area has about 400 flash mini games and 90 full games. That is a lot of play time if you like Sesame Street. Yes, they are often educational along with being fun just like the show, so you do not have to feel too guilty letting the kids play them regularly.

Another main area is Videos. This section has many Sesame Street segment videos that you can watch anytime. You can look for them by subject, theme, character, and songs. There is even a Classic Clips section.

The Playlist section brings together games and videos to create interactive preschool education units. There are several different units that have video clips and games that work together to teach the unit’s theme.

One last interesting feature of this site is My Street, which is a customizable page. This page lets you create your own Sesame Street home page adding your favorite videos and games from the site. Note that you do have to register to do this.

• Drake Vs. Josh Weekend

  Whether you’re a fan of Drake or Josh, you’ll want to tune in this weekend for a new movie and marathon.

• Toon Zone - “Smurfs” is Officially Coming to DVD

  I’m going to be very tempted to buy this one!

• Toon Zone - 3 Versions of “Ben 10″ Animated Movie, Plot of Live Action Movie

  My nephew is completely obsessed with Ben 10 right now. I’m sure he’ll be excited to hear this news!

• Duff and Cannon To Host Teen Choice Awards - Jessica Alba, Megan Fox and Miley Cyrus will drop by for visits - Zap2it

  FOX’s Teen Choice Awards airs Sunday, August 26th. Will you be watching?

• The Disney Blog: Disney to buy Club Penguin, Tween Social Networking Site/MMORG

  Disney buys Club Penguin to ensure its online future.

• Mattel Recalling Lead-Tainted Toys - News & Analysis

  This may not be directly TV related, but the Mattel recall includes many Dora, Diego, and Sesame Street toys. We have several on the list, so make sure and check through your toy bins. It is only for toys purchased from May 1, 2007 and on.

• Nickelodeon Puts the Funk in Preschool with Yo Gabba Gabba!: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

  Watch out! It’s taking over! I can’t deny it any longer. The show is kinda catchy.

• The Muppet Newsflash: Sesame Street Counts Down to Christmas

  We’ll definitely be setting the TiVo for this one!

• Disney to cut smoking in family films - Yahoo! News

  Not a bad idea if you ask me. Kids do learn by example after all.

• Nickelodeon’s First Original Broadband Series, Nick Cannon’s Star Camp, To Debut Sunday, July 22, On TurboNick: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

  Want your kids to learn how to be stars? Tune in for Cannon’s Star Camp.

• Nickelodeon’s New iCarly Comedy Series Breaks Ground as First Scripted Show to Entwine Kid-Created Content, Premiering Saturday, September 8 With Back-to-Back Episodes, 8-9 P.M. (ET/PT): Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

  iCarly is about to start up. Are you going to watch?

• “Car Talkâ€? Coming to Television : Huxtabled on Offsprung.com

  This is not something I ever expected to see!

• Carrey to star in ‘Carol’ - Los Angeles Times
  He seems perfect for Scrooge, don’t you think? I’ll definitely have to check that one out.
• Toon Zone - “DinoSapien” Needs Some Frog DNA
  Did anybody see the premiere episodes? I’m curious about this one. Not quite for the tots, but the older kids would probably get a kick out of it.
• Animation Insider - ‘Re-Animated’ Returns In Another Form
  Cartoon Network ventures into live-action.
• Looks Like Someone Found Sid & Marty Krofft’s Old Stash : Huxtabled on Offsprung.com
  Yo Gabba Gabba kind of freaks me out. Do kids really need to see things like that? And seriously, that “party in my tummy” song drives me batty!
• Playbill News: “Hairspray” Star Efron Will Be “Footloose” in Film Remake
  Zac Efron sure is getting around these days.
• Toon Zone - One-Month Free Preview of Discovery Kids Canada
  Who doesn’t like getting something for free?

• Animation Insider - Nickelodeon International Acquires ‘Angus&Cheryl’
  Angus & Cheryl make their first ever major broadcast deal with Nickelodeon International.
• Movie Reviews: ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’
  Has Harry lost the magic? IMDB seems to think so.
• Toon Zone - Sing Ho! For the Friendship Edition DVD of a Pooh Bear
  A great review of the new Winnie the Pooh DVD release
• Cyrus sidesteps Clarkson to lead albums chart - Yahoo! News
  NIckelodeon’s Hannah Montana hits the top of the charts
• Before the Transformers movie there were the Transformers cartoons — VIDEO - TV Squad
  Take a ride down memory lane with TV Squad as they remember the Transformers of the old days
• The Disney Blog: High School Musical stage tour dates announced
  Want to check out the High School Musical tour? Check out the list of tour dates!

• Variety.com - Doheny mad for ‘Scientist’
  This sounds interesting!
• Rah Rah Rah for She-Ra’s Second Boxset!
  Do you guys remember She-Ra? She seriously kicked some butt when I was a kid. Who needs He-Man when you have She-Ra?
• Group Complains About ‘Transformers’ Ads: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
  If you turn a cartoon into a movie, chances are kids are going to watch it-no matter how it is marketed. However, marketing a PG-13 movie during cartoons aimed at young children just doesn’t seem like the best strategy.
• It’s Nickelodeon’s Summer Of Slime! More Than 4,000 Slimings with 1200 Gallons of Slime to Take Place During Nick’s 18-Wheel Slime Across America: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
  Nickelodeon is starting up the second half of the Slime Across America Tour. Are you ready for some slime?
• New Transformers series coming to Cartoon Network - TV Squad
  TV Squad has the scoop on the new Transformers animated series.
• What’s Really Happening With “Ed, Edd and Eddy”
  Toon Zone clears up the confusion surrounding Ed, Edd, and Eddy

Are you looking for a way to celebrate the Fourth of July with your little munchkins?  How about throwing a Blue’s Clues Independence Day party?  Nick Jr.’s web site has lots of ideas, including printable invitations and activities that you can enjoy with your kids.  That Stars and Stripes cake sure does look tasty!  Go on, check it out.  Then invite your family or the whole neighborhood over to celebrate with you and Blue.

You can also tune in to Noggin beginning July 2nd at 1:00 p.m. to celebrate the holiday with all of the Blue’s Room gang.

4th of July, Independence Day, Blue’s Clues, party, Nick Jr., Noggin, Blue’s Room, celebration

• Disney To Halt DVD Sequels @ IMDb.com
  Personally, I think this is a good move. Most of the direct to DVD sequels that I have seen haven’t been nearly as good as the originals.
• Apple - Trailers - WALL•E
  It doesn’t give a whole lot of details, but the trailer for WALL-E sure does look intriguing.
• It’s “The Spectacular Spider-Man” to the Rescue - Toon Zone
  Kids’ WB has announced the official title for the new animated Spider-man show.
• The five Sesame Street monsters that used to scare me - VIDEOS - TV Squad
  Anna Johns over at TV Squad discusses the scary monsters at Sesame Street. I don’t remember them seeming scary to me, but I guess they might have been for others. Check out the embedded videos for some great old school Sesame Street clips.
• Nickelodeon’s Nicktropolis Reaches Almost 4 Million Unique Registered Users in Just Four Months: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
  Before long even the toddlers will be living in a virtual world. I guess at least those 4 million kids aren’t out on the streets.
• Animation Insider - ‘Scam of the Century’ Videogame Coming Soon
  Ed, Edd, and Eddy are coming to the Nintendo DS later this year.
• The Muppet Newsflash: Sesame Workshop Rolls Out Abby Cadabby Merchandise
  The kids may not know who she is yet, but Abby Cadabby merchandise will hit the shelves soon. I think she’s pretty cute. What do you think?

• Underdog - Trailer
  A new take on an old classic. Underdog looks a little cheesy, but entertaining for the kiddos.
• Muppet Show season two coming August 7 - TV Squad
  24 more Muppet Show episodes available on DVD August 7th.
• ‘Mr. Wizard’s’ Don Herbert Dies - Taught science on TV for more than four decades - Zap2it
  So long Mr. Wizard. You fascinated many kids with your knowledge and fun experiments.
• Nickelodeon to Partner With Sony Music
• The N’s The New Teen On Campus With The Premiere Of The Best Years
  New College-based drama premieres on the N June 29th. As much as I try to resist getting pulled in by Degrassi, it still happens. I’m guessing this one will be the same.
• “Winnie the Pooh: The Friendship Edition DVD” Bouncing to DVD on June 19
  More Winnie the Pooh headed to DVD!

• MTV Movie News | ‘High School Musical’ Stars Dish On Sequel’s Showstoppers, Love Triangles
  Because we can never hear enough about High School Musical
• Neopets Is Coming To Nickelodeon: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
  Nickelodeon will start airing Neopets mini-shows between regular features on June 23rd.
• A toddler’s guide to online videos
  YouTube is a great resource for videos, but not everything you find there is appropriate for the kids. Even some videos named after kids’ shows are full of adult content. Gnik.com is compiling a collection of kid-friendly videos found on the web.
• Animation Insider - ‘Charlie and Lola’ Volume Four on Sale
  Episodes from the second season on DVD
• Are You Ready for the Summer? : Huxtabled on Offsprung.com
  Suggested DVD’s to keep the kids entertained this summer
• The Muppet Newsflash: What’s the Word on the Street?
  Sesame Street focuses on Literacy for the new season.
• The Muppet Newsflash: Fraggle Rock: Third Season DVD Details
  I love Fraggle Rock! Now if I could just get someone to buy me the DVD’s…
• Toon Zone - Three To Make Ready: Thundercats, Ho!
  Old school cartoons hit the big screen in live-action format.

I’m feeling a bit under the weather today. Thanks to the wonderful sinus headache that I’ve been sporting all day, looking at a computer screen and trying to type is about one step away from torture.  Instead of sitting here trying to make my head explode, I’ll encourage you to stop by and check out the list of Retro TV on DVD that The Lovely Mrs. Davis has compiled and is sharing with her own kids.  She has some great titles on there, including some that I would love to add to my own dvd collection.

tv on dvd, retro tv, lovely Mrs. Davis

• There’ll Be a ‘Shrek 4′ and ‘5,’ But That’s All
  Shrek the Third may not be making as big of a splash as predicted, but there are already plans for a 4th and 5th installment.
• Marriott International is Getting Slimed! And That’s a Good Thing!: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
  Marriott is teaming up with Nickelodeon to build some new kid-friendly resorts. I’m just wondering how much it is going to cost for a night’s stay.
• Harry Potter park coming to Orlando - Yahoo! News
  This sounds like fun! It almost makes me wish I lived a little closer to Orlando.
• Nickelodeon Lets Teachers Talk Back on a New Episode of Nick News With Linda Ellerbee Premiering Sunday, June 17 At 8:30 P.M. (Et/Pt): Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
  Nick News gives teachers a chance to share their side of the story and possibly gain a little respect from students who think they are so misunderstood.
• TV watchdog in Poland lets up on Tinky Winky - TV Squad
  It appears that Ewa Sowinska was not directly responsible for the comment about homosexuality on Teletubbies, but it all still seems a little ridiculous to me.
• New “Star Wars” Animated Series
  My nephew will be so excited about this!

The Imagination Movers, an upbeat children’s musical group, can now be seen on Playhouse Disney and on Playhouse Disney Online.  Five new Movers music videos began airing in April, and a Playhouse Disney TV show is currently in development.  The Movers - Rich Collins, Scott Durbin, Dave Poche, and Scott “Smitty” Smith - describe their music as Alt Rock for kids and hope to teach kids about the importance of exercising both the body and the brain. They use creative problem-solving skills to address challenges that kids face in everyday life.

I’m thinking the Imagination Movers could give The Wiggles and The Doodlebops a run for their money. Check out the video below and let me know what you think.

Imagination Movers, Playhouse Disney, Wiggles, Doodlebops

• Animated Penguin Causes Controversy in South Florida
  A woman in South Florida is stirred up about the PBS Sprout Penguin
• “Chill Out, Scooby-Doo!”
  ToonZone reports on a new direct to video Scooby Doo movie
• Cartoon Network Reaches Out
  Cartoon Network’s new anti-obesity campaign encourages kids to get active and adopt healthy habits
• Nickelodeon TV Movie Shredderman Rules! To Premiere Saturday, June 9
  Devon Werkheiser (Ned’s Declassified) branches out to star in the new Nick TV movie
• Nickelodeon TV Movie Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide to Field Trips, Permission Slips, Signs and Weasels Premieres Friday, June 8, 8-9 p.m.
  Comedy, romance, what more could you want? I might have to sit down and watch this one!
• TV Land Rules the Road With Memorial Day Roadtrips
  If you don’t have other plans for Memorial Day, sit down and catch up on some of these classics.
• Kid Nation: The Revolution Will Be Televised
  Amy Davis discusses Kid Nation. It sure sounds like an interesting concept.

I thought I would try something new today on the blog. Since I don’t have the time to write about every little tidbit of Tot TV news I find (and since other people have already written it better than I could anyway), I have decided to do a weekly links roundup. My goal is to make this a regular Friday feature. I would love some feedback on this, so after you are done checking out the links below please leave a comment and let me know if you like it or not and why.

• The Muppet Newsflash: Full “Muppet Show: Season Two” Details!
  The Muppet Newsflash tells all about the Muppet Show Season Two DVD
• Rockstar Mommy: Insanity By Way Of Linnie Tuck & Ming-Ming
  Warning: Explicit Language! An entertaining look at the struggle between Moms and those really annoying shows our kids love.
• Toon Zone - “Peter Pan” Platinum Edition: We’re Off to Never, Never Land!
  Toon Zone discusses the new Peter Pan Platinum Edition DVD
• The Muppet Newsflash: Sesame Place Opens for 2007 Season
  Sesame Place opens for 2007 with new activities and attractions.
• Animation Insider - New ‘Avatar’ & ‘El Tigre’ Games from Nick & THQ, Inc.
  If your kids are into playing video games, they’ll definitely want to check these out.
• The Disney Blog: Little Ones Travel Time
  If you are planning a family vacation this year, you might want to check this out first!
• Toon Zone - “Ben 10″ Video Game Coming This Fall
  I know some kids that will be very excited about this game!