iGeneration

How do you ignite a generation's imagination?

2012-02-28T22:10:00.000-05:00

I often wonder what kind of impact the creative work we make will have on the generation we make it for. Will they watch it? Will they play act it? Will they talk about it with their friends? Will they think about it when they get older?

For my generation (call us Generation Y or Millennials, I suppose), it's undeniable that television has had an influence on our adults lives. From PeeWee Herman's Broadway debut to Rainbow Brite pint glasses, nostalgic media is everywhere. This heavy influence was very apparent last Friday evening at the Bowery Ballroom, where Pete and Pete themselves, along with Artie, Ellen, and Mom and Dad came out to share clips and stories about the much-loved '90s series. Show creators William McRobb and Chris Viscardi opened the evening by introducing The Blowholes playing some favorite Polaris hits.

My favorite moment of the evening was hearing Will and Chris talk about creating the show. It all started as a series of promotional interstitials for Nickelodeon, showing the life of kids from the kid point of view. When developing the series, they decided to concentrate "on the backyard and the magic that happens there." They had an opportunity to define what childhood was all about. They also cited that the show had a meta-nostalgic feel to it. Their definition of childhood was based on all the things they loved and wanted from their own childhoods.

This great interview was posted days before the reunion. "Nostalgia shit for aging hipsters." That's my favorite kind!

Don't be a blowhole. Show your '90s TV love and let it inspire your work.

Brunch & Puppets

2012-02-26T20:23:00.000-05:00

It has been so fun sharing iGeneration with my good friend Tara Hewlett from As Long As It's Fancy this month. Tara's Muppet party boards were smart, colorful, and are making me think that I need to bring these boards to life sometime soon.

I continued the puppet birthday fun on my actual birthday with mi amiga, Anuja. We started our morning with brunch and then headed over to Puppet Kitchen for a puppet making workshop. I wish I could spend every Sunday eating brunch and making puppets. Puppet Kitchen, known in part for building the puppets on Johnny and the Sprites, has a beautiful, little studio in an old school kitchen. We were there to make fuzzy hand monsters. I was nervous...how would we make these things? Would I need to sew?! Eek!

There were 8 of us in the workshop, the perfect amount of people to fit in the space comfortably. Our instructor was warm, encouraging, and knowledgeable. We started with pre-cut fabric, and then our instructor glued a mouth plate on for us while sharing some information about the company and all the "chefs" that work there.

Sewing the puppet was a lot easier than I thought. The furry fabric probably helped make the stitches less noticeable.

Decorating the puppet was my favorite part. We all started with blank, furry canvases.

It was interesting to see how each participant decorated their puppet friend and brought it to life. I absolutely recommend the workshop for anyone interested in what happens before the puppet hits the hand. Though the workshop is fun, it's probably best for kids over the age of 10, due to the stitching that's involved. I recommend taking the workshop with a side of brunch! For more information, check out their website!

Guest Blogger: Rachel Yonda, animator

2012-02-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

An animator's dream: Comic Con 2011

My name is Rachel Yonda, and I am an animator. I am so excited to be doing a guest post here! I thought I might use this opportunity to explain what its like to be an animator and show some examples of how different the definition of 'animation' can be these days.

One fact people might not generally know about animation is that, like puppetry, it is acting at its core. You might be surprised to know that in our classes, we watched and analyzed just as many clips of live action footage as we did animation. Segments of Singing In The Rain taught us about beautiful character interactions, choreography, kinetics. In a sequence from a film made early in Marilyn Monroe's career, we studied the subtle transformations in her face from one emotion to another to help us understand how to convey a thinking character. Silent movies and mimes taught us body language and strong silhouettes. To animate, you need to know how to effectively convey an action, thought, or feeling in the most universal, readily understandable way possible. The communication has to be instant.

Like I said before, these days, 'animation' is a pretty loose term. Now, in addition to the traditional cel-style animation we all know thanks to Disney (plus the other familiar medium of stop motion) we also have CG, motion graphics, visual effects and compositing.

Now to show you some examples! Rudimentary and embarrassing though it may be, here's the film I made before graduating from NYU in 2007, which would fall into the 'traditional' animation category:

http://vimeo.com/6367068

Hopefully, I've come a long way since then, but I still have a soft spot for that lonely little girl and that friendly, soft-headed ghost.

The name of the game for animators these days is adaptability. No one's really animating on paper anymore, so in addition to the artistry, the term animator is now pretty much interchangeable with the term "computer geek". Flash, After Effects, Cinema 4D, Maya…you get to know these complex software programs well if you are an animator!

Animators are primarily lone wolf freelancers, we wander from project to project. I was lucky enough to get gigs on shows like Adult Swim's SUPERJAIL!, Disney's Little Einsteins, and The BBC's 3rd and Bird, but now those projects are a comparatively small part of my portfolio as I work on more and more commercial projects. Shows are great because they offer a bit of job security (for a year or two at a time- thats LONG for animators), and you get to stick with one narrative and characters that you grow to love (ATTN Children's Media people: lets make more shows! That's what we animators love to work on!). On the flip-side, freelancing keeps you on your toes, you tend to get more challenging/exciting assignments, and you can expand your horizons very quickly by hopping around from studio to studio.

What would a freelance animator typically work on if its not a show or a movie? If you've ever taken a flight on Virgin America, you may have seen this already. Here's one of my most favorite commercial projects I've ever gotten to take part in:

http://vimeo.com/22369919

This next piece here, for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, goes to show another variation on what the term 'animation' has come to define these days. It is one of my favorite motion graphics projects that I've ever gotten to work on:

http://vimeo.com/31561728

One last thing I'll mention, is an attitude in animation that I believe can extend to any of you who might be potential creators/writers/storytellers/artist - if you have a project in mind, don't wait for some network exec to buy the idea. Just do it! Seek out artists that can do what you can't, collaborate, and create a Kickstarter if you have to! Last October, my friends and I raised 5k to make a pilot of our own idea for a show called Muffin Buds, and I'm happy to say it is nearly finished, slated to wrap by the end of this month.

If you'd like to keep up to date on some of the most exciting projects in animation, be sure to check out sites like Motionographer.com. Readers here are probably well acquainted with the animation happening within the scope of children's media, but like I said, there is a lot happening out there- it's a great site for keeping up on the latest and greatest!

Thanks for reading and feel free to say hello on Twitter! @rachelyonda

Editor's note: I hope you've enjoyed Rachel's piece as much as I have. In addition to her work, Rachel is currently fundraising to secure her place on a marathon team for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. To support Rachel and her great cause, head on over to: http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/rnr12/ryonda

Songs To Inspire...

2012-02-19T20:09:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite sessions at Kidscreen was about leadership in children's media production. One of my favorite people in the business, Donna Friedman Meir, led the panel discussion and asked each panel member to share a song that inspires them to do the work they do. I was so excited by what they shared, and wanted to pass that on to you all...

Tim Brooke-Hunt, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Angela Santomero, Out of the Blue

Tom Lynch, famed media creator and writer

Maggie Maguire, Scholastic

What song inspires you? This one really helps me get through the hard moments...

Prettying Up Your Puppet Party

2012-02-15T06:20:00.000-05:00

By Tara Hewlett of As Long As It's Fancy

Now its time to dress up our party. Let's start with our table decor, to ensure that all of the goodies we baked have an equally pretty backdrop! Our centerpiece flowers get the Muppet treatment by borrowing some beakers and test tubes from Beaker and Dr. Honeydew.

vase 1, vase 2, vase 3, vase 4, vase 5

Next, let's add some fun to our chairs. All we needed were a few pieces of paper and some string. We cut a decorative edge on a large piece of card stock and attached to the chair back with ribbon. Next, we printed a film frame and a still from our favorite scene of a Muppets show. Finally, we glued this scene onto the card stock and we have dressed up the chairs for our party!

I loved some of the modern artwork I found of the Muppets. Need to let guests know at which home to stop for the party? Try blowing up some of the graphic artwork and cut into streamers for the porch!

artwork here

An accent wall in your entry will get guests in the Muppet party mood immediately. The best part about this accent wall? It's temporary! These wall decals get an extended life after the party by moving them to the playroom or bedroom.

wall decal

I used the cute Muppets alphabet to create garland. String this anywhere around the party where you feel it's not looking festive enough.

alphabet artwork

We definitely want our guests to remember how much fun they had celebrating this month, so make sure they grab a Muppets favor bag on the way out. Fill the bags with treats and decorate with some contemporary Muppet artwork and bow!

favor artwork

It's time for the finishing touch on our decor - the theater! Not sure how to put it together, check out the instructions here. Don't forget about the personalized Muppets we made during game time. This is the perfect setting to show them off. Just make sure that you set up your theater in a prominent place so that all of the guests can see the show!

theater

My First Kidscreen: A Timeline

2012-02-13T17:15:00.001-05:00

Leading up to last week's Kidscreen, I had joked that my anticipation was comparable to Brad Goretsky's before attending his very first New York Fashion Week. I was there as part of Insight Strategy Group, and could not have been more honored to represent such a reputable, fabulous team. The following is a timeline of my week...

Monday: Team Insight puts the finishing touches on all presentations and our Insight Museum, presenting real kids and their thoughts to the producers and creators present at this year's summit. We had lots of boxes to open.

We also had the pleasure of attending a "Lift Off" party at Little Airplane Productions downtown. It was great to spend some time with my co-workers and friends before starting the big week.

Tuesday: I arrived at my office early in the AM to help load in and set up our Museum. I thought it looked pretty great.

Donna Friedman-Meir, one of the Insight execs and a true leader in the field, led a great panel discussion on what it means to be a leader and a boss in the industry. More about that discussion will be posted later this week!

Wednesday: I took some time to tour the summit and found some great attractions. I am a sucker for good marketing, and love Rocket Fund's slogan "Fueling Creativity," particularly at the "refueling" stations.

I was so excited to see Monster Factory present. I have been following the plush company for some time and was thrilled to see that they were working with 9 Story Entertainment. Conference attendees got mini Monsters. I was pretty thrilled about that!

This is a booth set up by a new production. I didn't have an opportunity to learn more about the show, but I truly appreciated the set up.

Wednesday evening, I met up with a bunch of friends at the WiCM party. It was great to see how many people came out to network and hang. What a great group!

Thursday: Mostly meetings...but did I mention there were Penguins at the conference?!

Friday: The Insight team celebrated a week of hard work with a little after work fun, and I was happy to find a place on my shelf of toys for my new Monster friend, Todd.

Games for Party Animals

2012-02-07T21:58:00.000-05:00

By Tara Hewlett of As Long As It's Fancy

Miss Piggy is the ultimate fashionista. Make sure she looks her best with a game of "Miss Piggy Bank Dress Up." Start out with some plain piggy banks then grab some of Miss Piggy's favorite accessories such as pearl stickers for a necklace or earrings. Lipstick and nail polish can be used as makeup or substitute paint for the same effect. Finally, Miss Piggy loves a boa. You can secure with a bit of hot glue. Now you have the perfect spot to save up for your own fashionista accessories!

nail polish, lipstick, pearl stickers, piggy bank, boa

Gonzo has the most perfectly shaped nose for a game of ring toss! Let's hang gonzo from the ceiling, grab a few rings and see which party guest has the best aim!

gonzo puppet, rings

Animal loves to play the drums, but some of our guests might have other talents. At our music station we can make guitars, drums and tambourines. We just need some cardboard, tacks and string for our guitar. We need some embroidery hoops, bottle caps and tape for our tambourine. Finally, to make Animal's favorite instrument we need some lollipop drumsticks, a coffee can and fabric. After we're finished making and decorating our instruments we can even record our own song!

guitar, animal, tambourine, drum

Beaker wanted to join in on the musical fun as well, so he came up with a fun experiment. He filled up a few beakers (or glasses if you want to simplify) with some water and added food coloring for fun. With the water at different levels in each beaker he has created a range of different tones!

beaker

And what Muppet party or Christina party would be complete without some puppet making!? If you're feeling fancy you could head on over to FAO Schwarz before the party and have everyone make their own Muppet! Christina is on the left sporting her signature glasses and a statue of liberty outfit to represent New York. I am on the right with my red hair and cheerleading outfit from college!

whatnots

If you are a bit far from the famous toy store you can still make your own Muppet using paper bags or socks. Any of these options are fun and leave all of our guests with their very own personalized Muppet!

birds, giraffe, sock, panda

Kidscreen Must Haves

2012-02-06T09:54:00.002-05:00

With the official Kidscreen kick off only hours away, I thought it might be fun to share a few accessories that I think every Kidscreen attendee should be packing for the week...

1. Memorable business cards like these from Rifle Paper Co.

2. A sturdy and cute business card case

3. Whimsical jewelry like Cynthia Rowley's bubble blower necklace

4. Kate Spade's Pittsburgh tote...it took me almost a year to find one on eBay, and it was totally worth it

5. You'll be on your feet a lot, might as well be comfortable in style

6. Carry your iPad in kidcentric style with the Etch a Sketch iPad case

Guest Blogger: Rachel Graham

2012-02-02T22:08:00.000-05:00

Rachel Graham is a writer, researcher, and children’s mediaenthusiast hailing from Pittsburgh, PA. Trained in Dramatic Writing at NYU’sTisch School of the Arts, Rachel has written scripts for preschool televisionprograms, articles for parenting magazines and websites, posts for screenwritingand fashion blogs, and the occasional grocery list. She is also a researcher inpreschool television, working on projects for companies like Sesame Workshop,Disney, and Shalom Sesame. She gets to teach and play with kids as a tutor andsubstitute teacher. She lives in Queens and her current favorite kid’s TV showis My Babysitter’s a Vampire.

Free Play

INT. CLASSROOM –DAY

A preschool classroom, walls covered in paintings anddrawings, shelves of toys blocking off different areas to play. It’s slightlylower than ground level so the windows are up high on the wall. RACHEL, mid20s, sits at the table with ISSAC, 4. Rachel is a substitute teacher andwriter. Issac loves trouble, his best friend Ben, and music, in that order.OTHER CHILDREN and MARCY, the lead teacher, are putting away backpacks as Issacand Rachel play with lacing cards (letters that have holes to lace a stringthrough).

Rachel laces the letter “U” in a running stitch, unlaces it,laces it in a whipstitch stitch, unlaces it, laces it in a slipstitch, andunlaces it. Issac is still working on stitching the first time.

Rachel looks at the “U.” She laces the string across the “U”rather than through it.

Rachel strums on the “U” while humming.

RACHEL: Look Issac, I made a harp.

Issac grins. Marcy approaches the table.

MARCY: I never would have thought of that.

END SCENE

Confession: I am Rachel, and the scene above reallyhappened. I am a television writer, so it made sense to write the story as ascript. Making that harp was a moment of free play for me. Free play is looselydefined as a time of unstructured play, where kids can choose what they want toplay with and how to play with it. Free play has fallen somewhat out of voguein the preschool world, however, due to a push for more curriculum in preschooland especially kindergarten. Experts are concerned that a lack of free playdecreases levels of creativity in children, creativity that helps childrenbecome problem-solving, inventive adults.

I was reading an article about creativity on CNN.com and while the points it made about creativity and free play are veryinteresting, it also made me think about my own need for free play to tap intomy creative side. The nice thing about working with kids is that it gives me anexcuse to be creative and fun. While I don’t draw, make figurines withplaydough, act like a robot, or play with toys in my adult “free time,” in mychild “free play” time I do all of those things. I feel more inspired with mywriting when I do creative things in my “free play” time.

This leads to a bigger insight that’s about more than justmy writing process: I think my affinity for working with kids and writing forkids goes hand in hand, because my creative side IS still childlike. That’s notalways true for people who just work with kids (see the story above: Marcy thelead teacher didn’t come up with the creative use of the “U” because she didn’tlook at it with a creative child’s eye). It’s not true of all writers either(many of their creative sides I think comes from some level of adult insight).

I’m curious as to what other people who create media forkids think about this. Is the creative side of you more childlike? Or do youhave to work to get into the mindset of a child? Or is it a combination ofboth?

Pigging Out with Miss P and the Gang

2012-02-01T12:06:00.000-05:00

By Tara Hewlett, As Long As It's Fancy

You are going to need a lot of energy to celebrate Muppet-style, so let's take a look at some Muppet treats to get this party started!

Miss Piggy hasn't caught sight of us eating her family - pigs in a blanket, but Kermit looks a little shocked that we are going to eat one of his apple cousins! ,

miss piggy, pigs in a blanket, kermit , kermit apple

The dessert table is also full of delectable treats that resemble our favorite Muppets.

fozzie bear peanut butter cookies, rainbow cake, punch, cake pops

And the stars of the dessert table are some of the fanciest cupcakes I have ever seen. You may have to travel to England to get the originals, but that just may be a trans-Atlantic ticket that is worth the price.

cupcakes

Happy February: The ultimate Muppet birthday party

2012-01-31T10:30:00.000-05:00

It's February! To some, February means love, snow, or presidents, but not to me. February is my birthday month, and I've teamed up with my pal Tara at As Long As It's Fancy to present the best Muppet birthday party out there.

Each Wednesday this month, we'll be posting different aspects of the party so you and yours can celebrate your favorite occasion in fancy, Muppet style. First post is up tomorrow...stay tuned!

Puppets, The Beach Boys, and Hipsters

2012-01-26T23:49:00.002-05:00

Last Tuesday, I had the pleasure of seeing my very first Puppet Slam. I had heard about these pseudo-underground events from several sources and was continuously encouraged to attend. They were started by Heather Henson a few years back and happen across the country. Puppet Playlist is a very popular puppet slam event in New York. Each month, the Playlist highlights a different band/musician and encourages local puppeteers to develop new works around their music.

When I saw that January's featured band was The Beach Boys, I impulsively started putting a scene together but then began to hesitate. I knew nothing about these slams. I wanted to know what I was getting myself into first and move forward from there.

via
I eagerly attended on Tuesday night and was so happy to see a friend perform an interesting interpretation of the song I Know There's An Answer. I have to note that the entire vibe of the venue was light and supportive, something unique to small, New York theater. I was pleased as punch when local bands performed Beach Boys' covers in between each scene. My favorite was a very Portland, folksie version of Be True To Your School. If only my life could be set to modern Beach Boys' covers...sigh.

So how can we kids' media people learn from this? The Puppet Slam Network has it right. They provide a safe, fun environment for creatives to explore work within set limitations (theme and time). What if we start doing this? What if we have monthly screenings of kid shorts or pilots developed under financial, time, and maybe even talent limitations. Maybe it would force us to think outside of the box a bit more.

I'm hoping to put myself out there and submit a scene idea or song cover for the next Puppet Playlist. I hope to see you there.

Coviewing and JME @ The Joan Ganz Cooney Center

2012-01-25T23:24:00.001-05:00

Monday night I joined my favorite New York organization, Women in Children’s Media, for a panel discussion on coviewing. What is coviewing? According to Valkenburg, coviewing “refers to occasions when adults and children watch television together, sharing the viewing experience, but not engaging in any discussion about the program. Coviewing is considered a form of mediation, because it has been shown to have positive effects on children.”

I was so pleasantly surprised to see a whole cluster of smart Nickelodeon ladies, past and present, in the room. It’s funny and affirming to know that so many of us started there, working on productions like Dora, The Backyardigans, and Bubble Guppies.

The event started with a presentation by Lori Takeuchi of The Cooney Center, who opened with this fabulous video clip to exemplify how Sesame Workshop uses humor to engage both parents and children watching together.

Takeuchi worked with our field’s finest and smartest to put together a report on coviewing and learning through joint media engagement (JME), “ spontaneous and designed experiences of people using media together.” I highly recommend you check the report out on their site. Here’s the link! I downloaded the iPad friendly version and have stored it in my iBooks library (along with copies of all New York City Blueprints in the Arts) to access and refer to in any place and at any time.

Panelists then shared their thoughts on coviewing and how it has supported, challenged, and impacted their work as researchers and producers. Panelists included: Heather Tilert, Erica Brach-Ridley, Mindy Brooks, and Shelley Pasnick, and was moderated by Sarah Walendjack.

Can you recall a coviewing experience that impacted you, either as a viewer or as a media professional?

See Jane now.

2012-01-18T23:25:00.002-05:00

Have you seen Jane By Design yet? No?! Go watch it. Now!

I caught the first two episodes this past Sunday and fell in love. The series, which follows Jane Quimby as she balances high school and a full fledged fashion career, has all the elements of a perfect coming of age story: friendship, fashion, identity discovery, rich bullies, borderline poverty, lust, varsity jackets, and a sweet and compelling main character.

via
I sat there watching and thought, "Why didn't I write this show?" I had to find out the brilliant mind behind the project. I was so excited to learn that April Blair created and wrote the series. Blair is also one of the writers of Monte Carlo, another young adult fave of mine. There's no doubt that this series was influenced by John Hughes and Pretty In Pink. Blair discusses her creative process and that influence in this great piece from The Hollywood Reporter.

I find it interesting that a story so similar to Pretty In Pink, from the mid 1980's, could appeal to a generation of young Millennials. If we track adolescence across the ages, problems don't change drastically from generation to generation. We all face heartache, desire for independence, and identity crisis. So what is it about young adult dramas that can appeal to such a wide, older audience? Maybe we are attracted to these coming of age stories because we're continually growing, learning, and coming of age ourselves....whatever "of age" means.

via
Blair gets it. Yeah, this show is about fashion and boys, but it's also about powerful women doing it all, something young women (and us "of age" ladies) all aspire to.

Writer's Workshop with Elly Kramer

2012-01-18T08:59:00.001-05:00

As expected, last night's Women in Children's Media event was fantastic. The event was part of the Writer's Workshop monthly series, and featured Elly Kramer. Elly is a director of production and development for Nickelodeon Preschool. Basically, she is kick-ass.

We discussed how her department works to acquire and grow content at Nickelodeon. Perhaps my favorite quote of the night was, "Development never stops once the show gets picked up." That just goes to show that Nickelodeon is committed to providing interesting and relevant content to its viewers.

She reminded us that Nickledeon has an open submissIon policy, which is great! This means you can submit your content, music, or art, pretty much at any time. She recommended doing so at NickPitches.com. This seems to be a particularly useful resource for visual artists and musicians, who can be added to Nick's database through the site.

Check it out!

My (Ideal) Creative Space

2012-01-16T21:20:00.001-05:00

The energy of a single space can inspire and encourage development and creativity. As I’m in the midst of an apartment search, I'm considering what my ideal workspace would look like. Fingers crossed for an oversized walk-in closet!

I want the room to accommodate my office space needs and reflect my interests and industry. Children’s media is particularly challenging to reflect in design. I'd like my space to pop and mirror the excitement of learning and discovery, while maintaining calm.

1. I think the circus tent panels from Big Top Fitness would make excellent curtains!
2. 'Good Morning' finger puppet poster by Egg Press
3. 'Have Fun' finger puppet poster by Egg Press
4. 'Good Night' finger puppet poster by Egg Press
5. Colorful Mid-Century desk
6. Ideas and inspiration cork board
7. Bookcase for DVDs and child development books
8. File cabinet to hide the clutter
9. Colorful swivel chair for work and seated swing dancing
10. The Neighborhood Trolley

What does your ideal workspace look like?

Happy Birthday, King Friday XIII

2012-01-13T15:23:00.001-05:00

Earlier today, I had a strong urge I feel every now and then. It’s the urge to jump on a plane and head out to Pittsburgh: ride the buses for free with my student ID, eat pancakes at Pamela’s, see some art at The Mattress Factory or The Warhol, catch a show at City Theatre, and grab a drink at The Brillo Box. This afternoon I recalled an extra special reason to visit Pittsburgh today, it’s King Friday’s birthday! King Friday XIII celebrates his birthday on any and every Friday, the 13th.

via
Pittsburgh has always held some special magic for me. To start, it is literally Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood brought to life. Secondly, it’s a thriving post-industrial American city. It handled the recession with grace compared to the rest of the country, possibly because its main industry, steel, had already left the city in financial crisis. It’s been rebuilding with art and technology, and finding ways to reinvent and reinvest in some of its most beautiful features. Old buildings are the homes to some of the city’s finest theater and dance companies, and the rivers are used for kayaking.

I first visited Pittsburgh in the fall of 2009. I wasn’t certain if I had made the right choice, leaving New York to go to grad school in Boston. I was there to study child development and media, just like my hero Mister Rogers, but it didn’t feel right. In the midst of my rutt, I received a postcard from the Fred Rogers Company to promote a one weekend only event at WQED: the Neighborhood of Make Believe set on display in the actual studio it was filmed in. Without question, I bought a round trip ticket to Pittsburgh, something so impulsive and very out of character for me.

A few weeks later, my plane landed in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania. Perhaps the best view of Pittsburgh you can get is driving towards the city from the airport. You go into a tunnel, and when you get out, the city is glowing right in front of you, just like Mister Rogers’ trolley as it arrives in the Neighborhood of Make Believe.

I spent my first night tracking down the Fred Rogers statue with friends. We had no clear direction of where we were going, which seemed to make finding it extra special. That’s where I fell in love with the city. The rest of the weekend was spent experiencing as much of Pittsburgh as possible. Any time I mentioned why I was visiting the city (“Because I like Mister Rogers”), the person with whom I was speaking had a story about Fred that they were excited to share. It was so clear that Mister Rogers’ influence was everywhere.

I returned to Boston reinvigorated and inspired. I saw how much power children’s media had, and I realized why Mister Rogers was so successful: Fred’s show was an extension of himself, his values, and his city. He incorporated bits of himself into his creation, which made it real and compelling.

There are so many ways to honor King Friday on his special day, but I recommend you plan a trip to Pittsburgh and see the neighborhood for yourself.

Color of the Year

2012-01-10T22:14:00.000-05:00

via
Pantone, the authority on color, has released their color of the year. Tangerine Tango! Wouldn't it be fun to introduce colors to kids through dance? I’d love a tango-style song and dance routine praising the benefits of this vibrant hue.

It also reminds me of my favorite Led Zeppelin song:

How can Tangerine Tango inspire your work this year?

Cassie Meets John Tartaglia

2012-01-09T21:50:00.000-05:00

I knew that if I was going to make good on this new year’s resolution to have more puppetry experiences, I would have to make some serious commitments to it. I recalled my evening out at Puppet Palooza last October and wondered (dreamed) if it’d be possible to work with John Tartaglia. John has been a performer in a number of Broadway and children’s television productions. Most notably, he played Princeton and Rod in Avenue Q and hosted his own program, Johnny and the Sprites, on Playhouse Disney. This is a clip from one of my favorite pieces of his work:

Before arriving at his studio for my lesson, I thought about what I really wanted to learn. I thought about my Monday night puppet sessions with Sabrina and Audrey in Massachusetts. I had so much fun working with them and bringing Cassie to life, but I never felt confident in giving Cassie a voice. This became my ultimate goal for my lesson.

At 12pm sharp, John opened the door to his studio for me. His workspace is a dream! It’s filled with shelves of puppet creations and building materials, posters from his production Imaginocean, and large windows for fantastic natural light. He sat with me, and we really had an opportunity to discuss goals, tricks of the trade, and who this Cassie lady really is….seriously, we talked A LOT about Cassie. Approximately an hour into the lesson, I had an Ah-Ha moment (is it necessary to credit Oprah when this phrase is used?). By simply removing myself from a mirror when working with Cassie, I was able to let go and let the character come to life. I literally had to get myself out of my own way….or out of her way.

I was so excited to meet someone who genuinely loves what he’s doing and yearns to share his craft with others. John was incredibly supportive and thoughtful in his instruction and feedback. He provided me with some great resources to look at and ideas for practicing at home. It wasn't until I was reviewing an exercise this evening that I realized, "Oh my God. I sang the ABCs with John Tartaglia and freakin' Cassie!"

This is an unbelievable start to 2012, and it’s inspired me to continue to move forward, have fun, and trust my instincts more. Perhaps the greatest piece of advice John shared with me was to surround myself with people who are joyful and joy-makers. Sometimes that can be pretty hard to do in New York, but I'm up for the challange.

Find out more about John and his amazing work here www.JohnTartagliaPuppetry.com!

Rich Resources

2012-01-05T20:32:00.001-05:00

I met someone this week who was just, just starting out. It reminded me what it was like to learn about this amazing world and the unbelievably friendly and resourceful people that work in it. I've decided to put together a necessary list for our new industry friends. Welcome!

Listserves/News Aggregates:
Cynopsis Kids
Kidscreen

Organizations/Do-Gooders:
Women in Children’s Media
American Center for Children and Media
Center on Media and Child Health
Joan Ganz Cooney Center
Common Sense Media

Universities (key faculty):
Tufts (Julie Dobrow)
Northwestern (Ellen Wartella)
USC (Henry Jenkins)
Harvard (Joe Blatt)

Blogs:
Angela’s Clues by Angela Santomero
Planet Preschool by Josh Selig
Teething on Tech by Meryl Alper

People to follow on Twitter:
@AngelasClues
@davidkleeman
@alicewilder
@mediamacaroni
@wicmnyc
@WiCMJobs

Companies to know:
Callaway Digital Arts
Fablevision
The Fred Rogers Company
Insight Strategy Group
Kidobi
Little Airplane Productions
Nickelodeon
Out of the Blue
PBS Kids
Sesame Workshop
WGBH (Boston)
WQED (Pittsburgh)

Who and what did I miss?

New Beginning

2012-01-05T00:05:00.000-05:00

Smell that? 2012! I took a great break from blogging to collect my thoughts and really consider what I’d like to accomplish with iGeneration this year. I can’t wait to start sharing my reflections on my new year’s resolution to have more puppetry experiences, I plan to continue posting at least twice a week, and I’m looking forward to having more guest bloggers share their work here. Remember Xavier and his Fink Forest Friends? That was the most read iGeneration post of 2011!

I think Elizabeth and the Catapult say it best:

What new beginning are you excited about this year?

A New New Year's Resolution

2011-12-20T20:25:00.000-05:00

Goals, resolutions, dreams…call them what you will. To me they’re almost all the same. If I set out to do something, I know with great certainty that I will accomplish it. I’ve learned that not everyone feels the same way. Goals are sometimes completely unattainable, resolutions can be broken, and dreams, for some, remain just that. That being said, I know I haven’t been the best at coming up with an idea every day during 2011 to complete my #2011ZagsIdea resolution. I tried really hard, though! Most importantly, I learned a lot along the way. More about that here.

I’m excited to announce my New Year’s resolution…#2012ZagsIdeas. Kidding.

This year, I’ve decided to more formally cultivate my puppet passion. I’m planning to take lessons, attend building workshops, see more performances, and even develop and perform my own piece. It’s a much more flexible resolution with room for interpretation. I have no idea what it will look like four, eight, or 12 months from now.

Stay tuned for the adventure…I’ll be posting about my experiences here!

#2011ZagsIdeas

2011-12-19T23:16:00.001-05:00

The new year is fast approaching, and I can’t say I’m upset about that. 2011 was pretty insane, and I wish for more balance in the coming year. As I reflect on the past few months and think about what I’d like to change personally and professionally in 2012, the first thing that comes to mind is #2011ZagsIdeas. This is, perhaps, the craziest and most obnoxious New Year’s resolution I’ve taken on thus far. I thought that by tweeting a new idea each day, I’d be somehow be achieving a poor man’s copyright and that I’d be able to refer to them from time to time.

Awesome wall hanging via

I actually wasn't so smart about saving my tweets on Twitter. It's hard to go back and find all of them. There are definitely search engines out there that will save hashtags for you, but I was so not Twitter savvy in January 2011. If I had to do it again, I would probably post on the blog and tag them with 2011ZagsIdeas. It'd be much easier to refer to! Here's an article from Mashable about Twitter hashtags that I should have read before.

How it worked…
Inspiration is truly everywhere. Though I got a little lazy on the tweeting towards the end, each day I thought of something new through conversations with others and close observations of the world around me. #2011ZagsIdeas inspired new curriculum that I implemented into my classroom, projects that challenged me and expanded my camera and editing knowledge, and work to be completed in the future. Even the blog revamp is rooting in this year of developing inspiration. A few successfully completed Zags Ideas included:
Myrtle Video
Tree stop motion
Turn Pearl into app and get kids’ illustrations
Holiday card
Big Top Fitness screenings

Perhaps the most successful was a music box stop-motion film I made last spring. Inspired by a tinker toy, I took over 50 still images of the music box and pieced them together in iMovie. I then recorded the music box’s song in GarageBand. The film caught peoples’ eyes and inspired different members of the Tufts community to reach out to me with new ideas about using stop motion. This was a MASSIVE learning experience.

These ideas have even inspired my 2012 resolution. I'm excited to share it with you and get started. Stay tuned for that post tomorrow!

Christmas Tree Craft

2011-12-18T16:37:00.002-05:00

Inspired by a holiday window in a Tribeca kids' boutique, I decided to make a Christmas craft with my cousin Abby using a foam base and some holiday bows.

As I was gathering the materials for the craft, I thought it might be cool to experiment with stop-motion again. This time, I had Abby manning the camera. I pinned each bow onto the foam base, and Abby took the pictures. This kid has got a smart eye! She directed much of the movement, choosing which bows were placed where and deciding to have the tree turn in the middle of the film. We had so much fun reviewing the photos together. She seemed to really enjoy watching me edit in iMovie and made the final music selection, a clip from Sufjan Steven's "Put the Lights on the Tree."

We had a lot of sunlight and overhead light to support the photographs, but they have such an awkward color. I'm so eager to get a new camera and can't help but love the Canon D7. Maybe one day!

The craft was easy to make using two straight pins on each bow. Abby experimented with sticking the bows onto the foam using their sticky backs, but they didn't seem to hold well around the shape. This craft is easy and fun, and a great way to recycle holiday bows, but definitely necessitates some adult supervision.

Enjoy!

Craftsman Farms

2011-12-13T22:43:00.000-05:00

At the encouragement of a family friend, I spent last Saturday volunteering at an historic site near my home. It was Family Day at The Stickley Museum at Crafstman Farms, and I thought I’d be facilitating kid crafts and handing out hot chocolate. I had no idea I would discover a treasure settled in the woods off of a local highway. The farm and its main house were developed/built by Gus Stickley in approximately 1907. Stickley was at the forefront of the arts and crafts movement. He built furniture, published a magazine, taught others, and encouraged a simpler, more handmade life. Basically, he was Martha Stewart. The house is jam-packed with original furniture pieces and tons of family stories.

In addition to taking a fantastic home tour, I helped with the kid and family games. We had ring tosses, sack races, and tin can stilts. You might think these games are old fashioned (which they are), but the kids LOVED them. The event was co-sponsored by PBS Kids’ Club, and the Berenstain Bears were present to celebrate. I was amazed at how excited kids, both very young and into their pre-teens, were to meet the duo. Those bears have managed to stick around for a long time!

Craftsman Farms is my new go-to spot to share with visiting friends. Check it out, and try to get a tour with Laura…she’s the best!

Live Colorfully

2011-12-12T22:58:00.002-05:00

It's not often that children's media takes cues from fashion, but there's one fashion campaign that I found completely inspiring this year: Kate Spade's Year of Color. Each month, the company debuted a different color with a full line of bags, clothing, and accessories designed around it.

In addition to a fully developed fashion line, they issued an original art print and short film inspired by the color. More than any other current company, I see Kate Spade making an effort to incorporate the arts into their work. Their commissioned originals introduced me to new illustrators, graphic designers, and film makers.

Each month Kate Spade inspired me to "Live Colorfully." This is a lesson I hope to infuse into my creative work for young people. If I had a classroom, I could see myself building a curriculum around the phrase and having it up on a wall as a reminder.

This is a lesson easier said than done. Being original and colorful means taking risks, making sacrifices, and believing in yourself day in and day out. I think I learned all those things this year.

Thanks, Kate Spade!

all photos and videos via Kate Spade New York

WiCM Holiday Party

2011-12-11T20:35:00.000-05:00

My months back in New York have been a whirlwind, and I can't believe it's already December! Last week, I celebrated the holidays with some of my favorite people in the city, Women in Children's Media. This is the premiere organization for children's media professionals in New York. They sponsor pretty spectacular events throughout the year, and definitely know how to host a party. In addition to the silly putty and snacks, they had an awesome raffle of goodies. I was able to reconnect with a lot of great people and meet some new friends.

One of the fantastic new people I met is Miss Ashley Albert, a New York-based voice over artist who heads up the popular group for kids, The Jimmies. I am a big fan of her jewelry company Survival of the Hippest. Last night she was sporting a Twitter handle nameplate necklace. I can't wait to order mine! Though a #2011ZagsIdeas necklace is tempting, I'm most excited to sport @ChrissyZags.

via
There are so many exciting events and developments that WiCM will be rolling out in the new year. Stay tuned to their website and Twitter feed, and become a member if you're so inclined!

Love, Cassie & Chrissy

2011-12-05T21:34:00.002-05:00

I've been so excited to share Cassie and my holiday card this year. It's a tradition I started up in Boston, and she insisted we do it again this year.

I debated it. I don't know how I feel about being that girl that sends out Christmas cards with her puppet. When making the decision, I thought about one of my heroes, Jim Henson. He would totally send out a card with puppets on it, and, actually, he did! The Henson Company posted this fantastic blog about some of these cards and holiday party invites. A Jim Henson holiday party? Now that's my kind of bash!

Happy holidays!

Love,
Cassie and Chrissy

See you at: Voice 4 Vision Festival

2011-12-04T22:14:00.002-05:00

The Voice 4 Vision festival kicks off this week! I'll be there this weekend to support Spica Wobbe's production "I Laid An Egg."

Hope to see you there!

A Very Merry Children's Media Wish List

2011-11-30T22:03:00.000-05:00

Inspired by Design Sponge's ode to Charlie Brown which I shared last December, I've decided to compile a list of 2011's greatest gifts for children's media lovers!

1. Rainbow Brite Pint Glasses

2. Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media charm for Altruette

3. Mister Rogers Madame Alexander doll

4. Pee Wee Herman complete series plus Christmas Special

5. Miss Piggy Pook-A-Looz doll

6. Miss Piggy for MAC makeup

7. I Love My Hair tee shirt

8. Kermit sneakers by Adidas

What would you add to the list?

A Zagarino Holiday Tradition

2011-11-29T22:44:00.002-05:00

In the Zagarino house, Halloween and Christmas are tied together. Halloween night means sitting down and writing your Christmas list so that it can be put in the pumpkin. See, at our home, the pumpkin sprouts wings once the lists are in and flies to the North Pole.

It was only in college that I found out this tradition was unique to our family, a story that my father created because my sister and I feared what would happen to our beloved pumpkin following Halloween. The thought of putting it in the trash was far too painful.

Since gift lists are in the process of being written in normal homes right now, and since I'll be sharing a children's media lover's wish list tomorrow on the blog, I thought I'd post the story written in poem form, which I gave to my Dad for Christmas two years ago.

What Happens to Your Pumpkin on Halloween Night?

What happens to your pumpkin on Halloween night?
His seeds have been gutted and his face a great fright.

He musters up wings and flies away
With hopes that Santa will collect him on his sleigh.

Your pumpkin cannot be empty like your candy bowl,
Otherwise on Christmas you’ll just end up with coal.

Each child of the house must write their own list
So Santa and his elves will get the gist.

Place the list in the pumpkin for safe keeping.
He will fly away fast, while you are sleeping.

To the North Pole overnight delivered it will be,
So Christmas morning you’ll find presents underneath your tree.

The Lamest Muppet Review Ever Written or How I Started Crushing on Scooter

2011-11-28T23:00:00.003-05:00

I debated writing a review of the new Muppet movie. Why? Because everyone else did, though I didn’t read a single one. I wanted to see the movie fresh and was nervous to read anything by an “I love the Muppets so much, and this movie sucked” individual. You know who you are.

A friend’s response to a Facebook post stating disdain for the movie was spot on: “You don’t like the movie? Then you must not like smiling.” Seriously two hours of glorious, uninhibited, childlike joy. Thank you, Jason Segel!

I’ll sum up my response to the film in three points:
1. Mickey Rooney made a cameo. SOLD.
2. Is it just me, or did Scooter get hot? Sacrificing his Google job and TED talk to stage manage his friends’ variety show…and he’s managed to use an iPad with Muppet hands.
3. Man or Muppet? An age old question set to an unforgettable melody. I’m singing it now.

via Muppet Wiki

The criticism:
1. Why isn’t Disney selling ‘80s Robot yet? It’s on my Christmas list! I beg you, Disney, please buy the rights to this brilliant piece of technology from Radio Shack. You will not regret it.
2. Muppet feet freak me out. I think the only Muppets allowed to show their feet for that long are animated Muppet Babies.

So there you have it. Also…keeping my eyes out for Scooter’s awesome Member’s Only jacket. Get on that, American Apparel.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, Charlie Brown!

2011-11-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's Thanksgiving Eve, which in my group of friends means gathering around with a few adult beverages and sharing stories about what's happened since we last saw each other. This New Jersey tradition inspired a sketch for my comedy writing class at ImprovBoston last year that I'd like to share in the spirit of the season...

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, Charlie Brown!
By Christina Zagarino

SETTING: A bar on the night before Thanksgiving

Charlie Brown is sitting by himself at the bar.

CHARLIE BROWN
One more round!

LUCY
Wow…rough night, Charlie Brown?

CHARLIE BROWN
Another Thanksgiving Eve, and I’m all alone.

LUCY
Where’s the dog?

CHARLIE BROWN
Dead, Lucy! He’s been dead for ten years. You’ve always known how to cheer me up.

LUCY
(handing him a beer)
Well this one’s on me! I still accept cash tips, though.

CHARLIE BROWN
Swell. Just swell.

(Linus enters)

LINUS
Hi, Charlie Brown!

CHARLIE BROWN
(angrily) Hello.

LINUS
Turkey genocide gotcha down?

CHARLIE BROWN
What have you got to smile about? Didn’t you see my sister kissing that trash heap back there?

(a blonde girl and guy with scraggly hair turn to reveal Sally and Pig Pen making out. A spray of fog squirts out from under Pig Pen symbolizing his odor cloud)

LINUS
Sally and Pig Pen? Nah, I’m happy for them. The poor guy, I’m glad he’s found love!

LUCY
Does this mean you have found true love as well, Linus? True love as true as the love I share with my talented little gravy train?

(A very adult Shroeder begins playing a baby piano on a side of the bar)

LUCY
(screaming and blowing kisses)
That’s right, baby! I’m talking about YOU!

CHARLIE BROWN
Oh, brother.

LINUS
It just so happens, dear sister and sad friend, that I have found true love! Marcie is officially a free agent!

LUCY
(laughing uncontrollably)

CHARLIE BROWN
What?!

Peppermint Patty enters the bar furious

PEPPERMINT PATTY
You! Homewrecker!

LINUS
See ya! (Linus runs off)

PEPPERMINT PATTY
Keep running! (Peppermint Patty sits down at the bar in place of Linus)

LUCY
What can I get ya?

PEPPERMINT PATTY
A stiff one.

LUCY
Really?! (laughs uncontrollably) Okay. (Lucy goes to make Peppermint Patty’s drink)

PEPPERMINT PATTY
How ya doin’, Chuck?

CHARLIE BROWN
Not so good.

PEPPERMINT PATTY
I know how you feel. My lady’s run off with a hetero! I’m devastated, distraught. I just want punch something.

Charlie Brown moves over a seat at the bar.

PEPPERMINT PATTY
Not you, Chuck.

CHARLIE BROWN
I’ve heard that before. I gotta pee. I’ll be back.

Lucy returns with Peppermint Patty’s drink

PEPPERMINT PATTY
Wow, in all my years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so down.

LUCY
(sarcastically) Ever? Really?

PEPPERMINT PATTY
Yeah! The poor guy! We have to do something to cheer him up.

LUCY
I’ve got it! (Lucy stands up on the bar) Hey, everyone! My friend Charlie Brown has Seasonal Affective Disorder, and the holidays are really bringing him down. I think I know just the thing to make him feel better. Bring it in!

The group forms a huddle and begins whispering. They all run out of the bar.

Charlie Brown returns to an empty bar. For a few moments he just stands there looking around.

CHARLIE BROWN
Leave it to me to fall asleep at the urinal and wake up after last call.

Charlie Brown sits down and begins to finish his beer. As he drinks, his friends quietly tiptoe around him hanging a banner and bringing in awkwardly large cornecopias filled with leaves and fruit. Shroeder places an awkwardly small and sad tree on top of his baby piano. Linus rolls in an extra large pumpkin. Charlie Brown is oblivious to all the action.

LUCY
(in a loud whisper)
1, 2, 3

THE GROUP
Happy Thanksgiving Eve, Charlie Brown!

CHARLIE BROWN
(nearly seizing at the surprise and shock) Holy shit!

LUCY
You don’t like it?

CHARLIE BROWN
I mean, I like it…I’m just…chest pain…

LUCY
We love you, Charlie Brown! (hands him a beer) This one’s on the house, for real.

CHARLIE BROWN
To the true meaning of Thanksgiving Eve: beer and friends! (Charlie Brown raises a glass)

THE GROUP
(raising their glasses) To beer and friends!

Shroeder begins to play his piano. People begin dancing. A puff of fog comes off of Pig Pen as he moves to dance. Charlie Brown and Lucy toast each other and drink

END SCENE

Blogger Blitz @ City Winery

2011-11-22T07:00:00.001-05:00

Have you checked out my friend Tara's blog? She's a constant crafter and thinker of pretty things. A few weeks ago she sent me the details for Blogger Blitz in the city. I had a great time meeting so many fantastic lady bloggers in the New York area, and got some great tips on how to spiff up iGeneration.

Read all about the great night and the talented ladies who attended here.

If you give a kid a scooter...

2011-11-21T08:22:00.000-05:00

You might have heard about the protests happening in downtown New York. Some people are afraid of civil disobedience, and they should be. Just a few blocks north of Occupy Wall Street, a gang of middle to upper class children zip through the streets and take no prisoners.

I thought Razor scooters had gone to the wayside with Saved by the Bell: the New Class, but a new generation has reclaimed the movement in a big way. TriBeCa padestrians: BEWARE.

via
Scooters are the new thing. Despite my worry for safety each evening on my way home from work, I can't say I'm not impressed. We judge this generation for being lazy and overweight, and yet here's something active that they love and can be done in an urban environment. It promotes balance, focus and safety.

When we talk about investing in the future, perhaps scooters and the necessary safety equipment are some items we should consider. If you give a kid a scooter...it just might change the world.

The Muppets Take Fashion

2011-11-17T07:39:00.000-05:00

November is Muppet Month this year, I'm convinced. Thanks to the brilliant mind of Jason Segal, the emotional support of the Henson Company, and the financial support of Disney, we get our Muppets back. The best part of Disney's ownership? The merch! In addition to the Green Album, the Muppet Movie soundtrack, and the new Walter plush, the Muppets are getting serious attention in the fashion world.

This craze seemed to kick off at Fashion's Night Out, where Opening Ceremony hosted a Muppet carnival gaming booth and sold pricey Muppet Oxford shirts.

I was so excited to see my favorite swine gracing the pages of InStyle's November issue sporting couture creations by some of the fashion industry's finest.

I'm currently in the process of hunting down these new OPI Muppet-inspired nail polish colors. Rainbow Connection, you will be mine!

via alllaquedup

Lastly, I just learned about Miss Piggy for MAC. I thought it was pretty smart of them to develop three pieces to create the perfect Miss Piggy eyes. I wish MAC had used better branding for the products. I think they'd be much more likely to sell.

via Makeup and Beauty Blog

Let's not forget the Threadless tee and the Mighty Fine contest winners!

How do you get juice in a juice box?

2011-11-15T08:28:00.001-05:00

My former students continue to be points of inspiration for me and my work. Kids are naturally brilliant and imaginative individuals. The teachers at the Massachusetts school I worked at let the students drive the curriculum, allowing for the work done in the classroom to be both meaningful and playful.

While on a visit to see my former colleagues, both big and small, I came across a recent research study conducted by the Kindergarten. They wanted to know how juice got into juice boxes.

Together with their teachers, they developed a list of questions that they had about this miracle of culinary science and brainstormed group hypothesis. Individually, the students drew and dictated a hypothesis for a 4-step process of how the juice got in the boxes.

Together, during choice time,they played with colored water and empty juice boxes trying to physically figure out how to get the juice in. They created their own juice boxes at the art table. Finally, they watched this great video clip together.

The teachers told me they plan to visit a factory so the children can see the creation of packaged food products first-hand.

5% concentrate. 95% awesome.

Myrtle the Turtle

2011-11-04T12:55:00.000-04:00

Over the summer, I was obsessed with sea turtles. My inner child screamed for a chance to realize her marine biology dreams, so I took her on a trip to the New England Aquarium. Inspired by Myrtle, their aged sea turtle, I began telling stories to my students about an old sea turtle who spoke to children to try to escape aquarium life. They ate it up, and Myrtle became a regular part of our day.

I began to think that Myrtle had something special. I started dreaming up a mini web series about the character and even had my good friend Richie Rosencrans LINK create some turtle music.I edited it together with some video footage of my aquarium trip, and created a trailer To get you excited and get me motivated.

Please click through to check out the piece on Vimeo.

Puppet Palooza at The New Victory Theater

2011-10-31T13:43:00.000-04:00

To the world of theater for young audiences, The New Victory Theater Gala is second only to the Tony awards. I missed the event twice while living in Massachusetts, and I was so excited to return this year to honor the work of Cheryl Henson, arts advocate, puppeteer, and president of the Jim Henson Foundation. Cheryl has helped shepherd countless puppet projects to international audiences, and has supported many projects at The New Victory. I first met her in a puppetry Family Workshop at the New Vic several years ago. Of course I was working with my favorite puppeteer, Spica Wobbe, but who was I to share puppets with the daughter and grandchildren of Jim (freakin’)Henson?! Cheryl was kind and encouraging throughout the workshop, and it was clear then, as it was on the night of the gala, how important the artform is to her.

The evening was hosted by John Tartaglia and included performances from Arias With a Twist, directed by Basil Twist, War Horse, The Little Prince at The New Victory Theater, IBEX Puppetry, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph & Lolly, and Marty Robinson & Telly. The show opened with a procession of music and masks/puppets by Ralph Lee. Ralph is well-known for his giant puppeteers made most famous in the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. He also happens to have been my masks and puppetry instructor while studying at NYU. When Bill Irwin, who was honored last year, introduced Big Bird, I nearly fell to the floor. How much better could it get? It was an unforgettable night.

I was able to take a sneak peek at the dinner setup downstairs. Oobie eyes on the wineglasses?! Brilliant! Check more pictures out here.

The evening ended with all the performers sharing a bow on stage. Out of the corner of my eye I caught Heather Henson, who performed in the gala, marveling at Joey, the horse from War Horse. You could tell she was examining his construction, his movement. Perhaps that simple look of joy and awe in the eyes of an artist was the best part of the night. I’ve seen that same look in the eyes of children watching live and televised puppet performances. To me, that’s what art is all about.

Photograph from The New Victory Theater Facebook page

Money Makes the World Go 'Round

2011-10-28T15:24:00.000-04:00

Have you heard? Financial literacy is all the rage. Rumor has it they're building baby banks in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Okay, you caught me. Rumor doesn't have it. Financial literacy is the new star of children's media, though. There are currently three projects, to my knowledge, that are trying to teach kids the value of the dollar, as little as it may be. It's the greatest thing since the invention of the piggy bank!

The three projects are:
Cha-Ching- a series recently launched by Cartoon Network Asia, with some brain power from Dr. Alice Wilder

Secret Millionaires Club- a new animated series for The Hub starring everybody's favorite rich dude, Warren Buffet

For Me, for You, for Later, a partnership between Sesame Streeet and PNC- a new partnership between this well-known series and the bank (where you can open an "S" is for Savings account) promoting savings for and by kids, part of PNC Bank's Grow Up Great initiative

Which program do you think will be the most....profitable?

iRead: My Place

2011-10-10T21:17:00.000-04:00

Did you ever draw floor plans or maps as a kid? I loved making my home and neighborhood feel like a place where adventures could happen! My friends and I would use our maps to find pretend treasure or to create neighborhood walks. The book My Place, by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins, shares the stories of twenty-one kids over a span of 200 years. Each story shares information about the child, her family, and the neighborhood they live in as well as a map of the neighborhood. (SPOILER ALERT!) By about the third page, you realize each story takes place in the same home and each map is a variation of the neighborhood, tracking the changes from decade to decade.

The story, published in 1988, represents Australian history. My Place is a picture book but filled with a lot of text and information. I think children over 7 would enjoy reading this alone, but I could see myself reading it to kids as young as 4. I learned about it from a recent Kidscreen article. The book was turned into an Australian television program last year; each episode sharing a different child’s story, a different moment in time. They’ve renewed the show for another season, and I'm so curious to see it. You can read more about it here.

Though this is an Australian story, I think there’s something we can all relate to. Regardless of the kind of home we live in, everyone’s neighborhood has seen change and development over the past 200 years. Wouldn’t it be interesting to track the changes and the history of your own home and neighborhood?

I would have loved to use this in my Kindergarten classroom. I would have introduced the story to my students, probably reading it over a course of two days. As a class, we could create a history of our school and school neighborhood. Maybe we'd bring in the school director or parents who attended the school to interview and help us create our map and story. At home, each family could create their own map and brief history to be shared somewhere in the classroom.

My Place is out of print, but I highly recommend you purchasing a used copy here! Do you think this show would succeed in the US?

My Week At Circus Camp

2011-09-28T22:01:00.000-04:00

With all the excitement around getting ready for my new job, I forgot to share how amazing my week at AYCO (the American Youth Circus Organization conference) was. Aside from some nasty heat rash, Sarasota treated me right. I met such wonderful educators who are truly dedicated to sharing circus arts with young people. I can't even begin to explain how talented these kids are!

One of the highlights of my trip was meeting Craig from bandofjugglers.com. He's opening up a new circus studio in New Jersey with a group of wonderful people. Circus Place opens this month, and I think they're going to do some fantastic work there, particularly using circus arts as a tool for working with children with special needs. What I love most about their work is that they live my favorite ethos: art that's created for children should be created for ALL children despite varying levels of "ability."

Enjoy this video full of pictures and videos from the week!

Amazing Artist Annie

2011-09-27T22:29:00.000-04:00

How lucky am I to be working with some amazingly talented people? My desk neighbor, Miss Annie Sklaver, is a Brooklyn-based visual artist. Annie learned how to cut paper in preschool and hasn't turned back since! Her beautiful work, often 3-dimensional, is brought to life with a scissor and colored or patterned paper, and she specializes in illustrations and custom portraits. I'm particularly partial to the circus pieces.

Right now, Annie is working on writing and illustrating a book for children. I think her work is so well-suited to children’s literature and could bring a story to life in a very new, interesting way! I can’t wait to see what she comes up with and hope that we can all get a sneak peek here. I'm holding out for a pop-up book!

Her work is currently featured at Brooklyn Collective, which Joe and I checked out on Friday. We left with three of Annie’s note cards and tons of inspiration.

Spectacular Steamtown and Astounding Amtrak

2011-09-15T09:16:00.001-04:00

I have come to appreciate trains as part of my life. Joe’s love of Amtrak , inspired us to pack up the car and head out to Steamtown for the day, where the Amtrak 40th Anniversary Exhibit Train was on display.

The train is touring the United States and sharing the history of Amtrak. Each decade of the company is represented in its own passenger or baggage car. They’re filled with uniforms, timelines, dining sets, and videos.

I was most excited to learn about Amtrak’s programs for young people. Not only did I pick up this nifty conductor’s hat, I also got a kid’s train conductor handbook published by the company. It seems like Amtrak is really trying to reach out to families with young children. In addition to these cute perks, they’re offering free tickets to kids under 12 in honor of the 40th anniversary.

After doing a bit more research, I learned that Amtrak has an online destination just for kids called The Amtrak Kids Depot where they can play transportation-related games and print train coloring pages.

I can think of few things more exciting to a child than boarding, riding, and walking on a long-distance train. Using Amtrak’s resources, a child’s trip on a train could be planned out and feel like a true adventure!

All aboard!

American Girl Debuts New African American Doll

2011-09-13T06:54:00.000-04:00

I know way more than I need to about colonial American textiles, furniture, undergarments, food, and livestock. Why? Felicity. She will always remain my favorite birthday gift! I immersed myself in historical dramatic play with my Felicity doll and was the richest 8 year old in the Bronx until my next AG purchase was made. Felicity taught me to save my money for things I wanted; a lesson I’ve carried with me through adolescence and into adulthood. She still has a special place in my home.

I’m excited to announce that the company, now owned by Mattel, has recently launched a brand new doll! Cecile Rey is an African American girl from the 1850’s. You can learn more about her on the AG website here. I was very disappointed with the Huffington Post headline, “American Girl Moves Past Slavery, Introduces New African-American Doll,” however. It’s true, until Cecile’s launch, Addy Walker remained the sole African American historical doll available.

I remember when Addy was introduced. My best friend gushed. She couldn’t wait! The Civil War was her favorite period in American history. She and I consumed the books and learned much more about slavery and the war than was being taught in our third grade classrooms. Addy taught me about the atrocities of slavery. I love the character and doll for that reason. She was real to me and far more interesting than Samantha’s “poor little rich girl” routine.

As we celebrate Cecile, I think it important to acknowledge Addy and Pleasant Company for their efforts in educating young girls across America about the controversial nature of and personal stories from the Civil War. I hope Addy continues to be a mainstay doll and book series.

Welcome, Cecile! I'm excited to learn more about your story and your time period.

Changes at Chorion

2011-09-07T06:28:00.000-04:00

If you work in children's media, you know Chorion. Unfortunately, Chorion is in a lot of trouble. Below are the Cliffs Notes so you're up to speed and in the know!

The Backstory
Chorion is a UK-based media company that owns many well-known properties including Paddington Bear, Peter Rabbit, The Mr. Men, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Olivia, and The Octonauts. In 2006, the company was purchased by 3i but has continued to carry a debt of approximately $113 million.

What Happened
On August 25th, it was announced that Chorion’s chairman Lord Waheed Alli and deputy chairman William Astor resigned from the company. As soon as this news hit, I started to scheme ways to buy Paddington Bear. If I considered this, you know executives were making phone calls! Kidscreen posted a great article that you can access here.

What It Means
The properties will be sold. More about that here. Some of Chorion's properties are on television and doing well. Olivia is featured on Nickelodeon while The Octonauts is successfully airing internationally. It seems like some big names are putting their hats in the ring, which could mean a whole new slew of series, books, and merchandise.

Stay tuned and stay informed! Share your updates here...

I Love Lands

2011-08-31T15:10:00.000-04:00

I've recently been reading Kidscreen.com more frequently. I find that it expands upon some of the information shared on Cynopsis! Kids and has a more international perspective. I was so excited when I found this article. Holy Sir Topham Hatt!

Drayton Manor is a theme park in England that recently opened a dedicated Thomas and Friends section. Thomas Land! Need I repeat that? Thomas LAND! The website promises "12 wonderful themed rides, a spectacular indoor play area and a shop filled with fantastic Thomas & Friends merchandise." SCORE!

My visit would be part of a fantasy trip to other lands across Europe. From England, I would travel over to Sweden to tour Astrid Lindgren's World. This is a children's literature fan's dream! The park includes Lindgren's home and theme areas of all of the writer's characters including Pippi Longstocking! From Sweden to Finland to visit Moomin World. The Moomins are the creation of illustrator and writer Tove Jansson. Though not very popular in America, the Moomins are sweet, well-loved characters throughout Europe and Asia.

Are there lands that I'm missing? I'm wondering if smaller theme parks focusing on popular characters or authors could survive in the States. What do you think?

Branch Innovation

2011-08-29T10:08:00.000-04:00

While teaching in Massachusetts, I constantly had to remind my students that we needed to play non-violent games. This often included asking them to put down sticks or baseball bats that were guns or lightsabers. Scary fighting. Gone are the days of pirate fights and play-acting Peter Pan.

A friend recently introduced me to the thoughtful design of Naama Agassi. Agassi's website displays the work in beautiful fashion. My favorite product design is the branch holder. GENIUS!

Though pricey, this beautiful piece of plastic slips right onto a branch taking your outside games up a notch (or ten). Why stop at branches? A dowel would work too and might be a really great prop for your high school or community theater Shakespeare performances.

Had my students thought of such a clever addition to their props, I might have different ideas about redirecting their play. Maybe not. They would have definitely gotten major respect, though!

Sword fight, anyone?

Tufts Center for Engineering Education and Outreach

2011-08-17T06:52:00.000-04:00

After posting a link to my experiment with stop-motion animation, I received an email from Ethan Danahy at the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach at Tufts University. He encouraged me to try out the center's SAM Animation It seemed really interesting, and I wanted a chance to learn more about the center before officially leaving Tufts.

I had the pleasure of meeting Danahy this July. He took me on a full tour and shared information about the center's work with me. I kept thinking, "Why am I just finding this place now?" I would have loved the opportunity to work with them throughout my graduate studies. They are truly amazing!

Turns out, I did work with CEEO. They run a LEGO program called STOMP, which introduces engineering and robotics concepts to school-aged children (schools, home schools, and camps) using LEGOS. STOMP engineers visited my Kindergarten class in 2010. They loved working with the engineers and really adopted the process of designing, building, and testing their work. This program seems to be the center's most popular. The center has partnered with LEGO to develop engineering education programs.

Now onto SAM. SAM is a program that assists in stop-motion animation. It was developed at the center and used primarily to teach science and engineering concepts. It seems like the perfect STEM tool. I'm excited to experiment with it myself, just for fun. There is a version available online for free! You can read more about SAM, watch some videos, and get the program here.

Danahy gave me a tip about doing stop-motion in the future: the quality isn't necessarily your software, but your camera and your lighting. He recommended using a webcam and attaching it to a stand that the center helped design. Teachers can purchase classroom kits that allow stop-motion animation work to be part of the learning day. I think the program would be particularly interesting for New York City teachers who use the Moving Image Arts Blueprint.

CEEO's products are "research informed and classroom tested." Definitely check out the center and experiment with SAM. Feel free to post links to your SAM experiments here!

Small Gift, Big Smile

2011-08-16T10:21:00.000-04:00

I’ve got a package to send to my sister in California. Every time we see our favorite Sanrio characters, Little Twin Stars, on something cute, we snatch it up and send it to one another. I love Sanrio. As a child, I loved the cute designs, delicate details, and opague plastic wrapping on their small products. My parents liked the price point. Now, I appreciate and respect the brand for its longevity and continued success!

None of Sanrio’s characters have ever had a successful television show in the States, yet they are internationally recognized and loved. There’s no Hello Kitty Land (to my knowledge, though it would be awesome), and Sanrio sticks close to its original mission to create character-centric products for kids. Theoretically, the first Sanrio fans could be in their 60s right now! It seems as if the only other character who comes close to Hello Kitty’s popularity and recognition is a mouse.

What Sanrio does best, though, is develop partnerships. For this year alone, their 50th anniversary, the brand partnered with Doctor Martens, Vans, Target, Jelly Belly, Pullip, and Momiji.

Most recently, they’ve created a corporate partnership with Yogurtland. This promotion includes Sanrio yogurt cups, character plush, a tee shirt, key chains, and spoons. The spoons are my favorite! Lucky for me, the only Yogurtland on the east coast is in my parents’ obscure New Jersey town. How cute does my dad look with a Sanrio yogurt cup?

Thanks to my parents' taste for adventure and frozen yogurt, we've collected all four spoons! What a super cute promotion! I think we could all take a lesson from Hello Kitty and Sanrio.

Craft: Fireflies

2011-08-12T11:12:00.000-04:00

This summer, I learned an awesome, new craft from one of the other teachers. We were studying fireflies, so decided to help the students create their own fireflies out of recycled water bottles. I decided to try this out at home with my cousins.

1. Tape the very bottom of your water bottle with painter's tape or masking tape.

2. Paint the water bottle with acrylic paint, any way you'd like.

3. Once the paint has dried, create wings for your firefly. You may want to use construction paper, pipe cleaners, beads, etc. Elmer's glue should be able to hold your wings on, or an adult can help with hot glue.

4. You can use googly eyes or draw a face on your bottle cap.

5. Peal off your tape, and drop in a glow stick!

Enjoy!

Guest Blogger: Xavier Raphael Vanegas

2011-08-11T14:59:00.000-04:00

It has been a fascinating journey as I have been developing a children’s television show called
Fink Forest Friends, which received the Fred Rogers Memorial Scholarship. It seems many cable networks aren’t interested though in accolades, but two things: a fully developed show and ancillary possibilities - merchandise, video games, toys, and digital products. The brand started through its potential in the ancillary side with an eco-friendly plush toy line, now featured in a few boutiques around Los Angeles.

Now comes the bigger challenge - developing the show. Not just so that it stands out from the rest of programming on television, but how will it fare against the best kids' shows? Our show has to fit in a space between classics like Winnie the Pooh and hit shows like The Wonder Pets. My collaborator, Cathleen Cimino, and I love Josh Selig’s work at Little Airplane, which has been a huge inspiration for the development process.

Such work represents the kind of finesse and attention to storytelling we want for our program. At the same time we realize that the process cannot be rushed as we seek to uphold the integrity and original vision of the Fink world and its characters. Look at Pixar, they spend up to 8 years developing their brands for a film release. They’re the best studio brand right now and I think it has to do with development - allowing oneself to travel down one possible story path for a few weeks then say, "You know what, that isn’t working." So instead of forcing the charge forward, you can back pedal to a place where the infinite possibilities for the show are reset and the brand richly developed.

We are closer to developing our vision of the show. What started years ago as absurdist anti-plot mini comics where everything in the Fink Forest was just simple and cheery all of the time, has now evolved into developed characters and plots that follow 4 friends - Skunk, Lily the Red Panda, Moose and Bird as they learn lessons through their adventures and mishaps growing up in the forest.

Photo: Original Bird and Moose comic with simple, no plot or story line

The initial simple, plot-less concept for the Fink Forest Friends was a sort of backlash against Joseph Campbell from my days at the Film Studies program at Columbia University. However, in molding the substance of the show and making it more accessible to an audience, we’ve been conscious of keeping the original quirkiness intact. Now the characters are in the process of transformation from simple 2D drawing concepts to 3D models toward a new hybrid style of animation. There’s a long way to go, but it’s been an exciting process and we are hoping to release our first animation piece soon.

Part of developing the series involves having a clear consciousness of the world and the brand beyond the show itself, with cross-platform considerations like social networks and new learning-technologies and devices. It opens up an exciting realm of possibility because even the most inane detail in the story world can then lend itself for exploration in greater depth. I’ve seen this as an opportunity to make the world as rich as possible so as to encourage fans and participants to look deeper into it.

Photo: Developing the world of the Fink Forest

If I were to give one piece of advice to someone pursuing their own idea or show, I would probably say the most important part is the world building. Take time to bring depth to the characters and be open to creative dynamism brought on by writers and other collaborators. “Fink Forest Friends” continues to be enriched by this process, all towards the end of the final pitching of the show. We’ve been lucky to be able to work with incredibly talented writers who have taken the original Fink characters and breathed new life into them and shaped them into robust multi-dimensional beings.

The Fink Forest Friends are more complex and rich than ever before. I can’t wait to share the characters with the world. They are starting to become like actual people as to the level of depth woven into them. Now, I can anticipate how a given character will react in a given situation and as the plots unfold we learn more about each character, their habits, traits, fears, hopes, and desires. With great characters we’ll be able to deliver incredible stories. It’s been a pleasure working with our creative team and I think I have in turn become a better artist and storyteller in the process.

King Bidgood's Bathtub Lesson

2011-08-10T08:45:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago, I said goodbye to my students and Massachusetts friends. I'm glad to be home, but I think I miss my students most. I enjoyed working at the school and learning from the children. I absolutely learned something new from them every day!

Our summer preschool group did a pretty great project that I wanted to share. Have you heard of King Bidgood's in the Bathtub? It's the story of a king who is in his fancy bathtub and just won't get out. He eats, plays, and meets in the tub. Our group loved this story!

After we read the story, we decided to use clay to create a giant bathtub. The children then created items from the story to put in the tub. Once the clay was fired, painted, and fired, we recreated the story and put the items into the tub until it was filled. The children were also able to take their clay creations home with them at the end of the week.

Clay is an amazing medium for children to work with. This year I saw preschoolers work with clay for over 30 minutes just created and destroying different shapes. It takes a great deal of focus and energy and can be a lot of fun. Try it out!

If I were to do this again, I might use a sensory table as the bathtub. The clay bathtub takes some time to create and a lot of space in the kiln to fire.

You can get your copy of the book here!

Our Craft List

2011-08-09T12:21:00.000-04:00

My cousins are visiting today, and we're working on an exciting craft project that we'll be sharing in a few days. Until then, my cousin Abby and I are brainstorming a list of crafts that we'd like to work on.
-Paper mache planets, creating the solar system
-A paper mache helmet
-Paint butterflies with acrylic paint
-Make fish out of water bottles
-Use brown paper to make white-tailed deer

We'll let you know what we work on and how it comes out!

Summer Means Pearl

2011-08-02T06:09:00.000-04:00

Family summer vacations remind me of Pearl. Pearl is the mermaid that my sister and I would spend our time with at the Jersey shore each summer. If we were lucky, we would meet her at Jones Beach for New York adventures, too! All of this happened in our mother’s Pearl stories that she would tell us throughout the summer when we were bored, tired, sad, or cranky. The stories were magical and soothing!

Last year I wanted to see if they still worked, so I tried them out on my Kindergarten students each day during lunch. They were entranced! The stories inspired a massive unit that included the students writing their own Pearl stories, creating underwater art, and a mermaid kingdom dramatic play. At the end of the year, I created a video version of the first story for the children to take home with them over the summer. I’ve run into several of my former students this summer, and they always bring up our adventures with Pearl and how much they enjoy watching the video. You can catch it here. I shared it on the blog last year. Below is a picture of our Pearl Underwater Kingdom dramatic play room including our wall of sea creatures and Mrs. Octavia Calamari's cave.

Why did my sister and I love mermaids so much? I was on Etsy a few months ago searching “mermaids,” a regular activity, and a glass, Avon mermaid popped up on the screen. This reminded me of my grandmother’s years as an Avon lady. It also reminded me that there was another kind of mermaid that Avon sold. She was blonde with a blue tail, and they sold bubble bath that I could still smell if I closed my eyes. With that, I searched Avon mermaid, and there she was. After continued Etsy, Google, and eBay searching, I learned that there was a long line of products with this mermaid on it. Her name was Sweet Sea. TOMY licensed the character and created products with Avon as well as toys sold in mainstream toy stores. I also learned that there was a television movie made. A new goal of mine is to purchase the VHS and create a digital version for myself.

While we’re on the subject of mermaids, I recently discovered an Australian tween series about girls who magically acquire tails. I was able to watch a few episodes thanks to the power of Netflix. The series is called H2O: Just Add Water and seems to be inspired by both Splash and its younger sister, Aquamarine. Nonetheless, it is adorable. If I was 11, that would be MY show!

Off to the shore for more mermaid inspiration. See you next week!

FableVision Summer Open House

2011-07-29T03:00:00.000-04:00

Do you know about FableVision? You should! Their home page states, "FableVision is a company dedicated to helping all learners discover their true potential." They live up to that mission. In addition to FableVision, which produces mobile applications, web sites, software, and books (among other things), FableVision Learning provides resources that help teach 21st century kids. The company also owns an idependent bookstore in Dedham, MA.

The company hosts seasonal open houses in the Boston studio, right above the Children's Museum. These are fantastic opportunities to meet the people behind the magic. Whether you're interested in having a book signed by Peter Reynolds, trying out their Animation-ish software, or networking, the event is always lively and fun.

This week Dan and Jackie from my program joined me. It reminded me how much I'll miss my graduate school experience, especially now that we have really started to form our own media lab structure at Tufts! I know those two are going to do amazing things next year, and I'm excited to see who joins them!

Perhaps my favorite part of the studio is the center of the office, what seems to be an animation/illustration pit. Pit in a good way! How awesome it must be to be surrounded by so much creative energy each day! If I ever open that beautiful studio in Red Hook, BK, I will definitely have a "pit" of my own.

The parting gifts? Old-fashioned treasures that teachers would hand out to students: temporary tattoos, compasses, stickers, etc. The perfect end to a perfect evening!

Many thanks, FableVision!

Threadless Muppet Tee!

2011-07-28T23:20:00.000-04:00

I recommend you purchase this shirt and purchase it now. Threadless hosted a design contest with Disney for a Muppet shirt. The result? Together Again. Check. It. Out.

iRead: 10-Minute Puppets

2011-07-28T17:47:00.000-04:00

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Noel MacNeal earlier this summer. I had heard about his puppetry work and new book from a comedic puppeteer and was excited to see his artistry in action! Meeting him reminded me that I had to check out his book 10-Minute Puppets. The book reads like the perfect guide for a boring, summer day or stuffy snow day. I could picture my mother using it with my sister and me on one of those occasions and helping us build a puppet theater and cast of characters for an after-dinner family performance.

I appreciate that the book opens with a section on which materials are needed. MacNeal repeats this practice for each puppet. It's always helpful for children (and adults) to have a clear idea of what will happen before starting the project. A novice cook would not make a recipe without the ingredients!

The book is organized into six chapters. Chapters 1 through 4 provide specific kinds of puppets (fingers, shadows, etc.), while 5 and 6 provide information on how to build a puppet theater and create your own puppet show. It's truly a one-stop shop! My favorite was Chapter 3: Cutouts and Shadows. Each example in this section could easily be imitated by a child. Overall, I think most of these projects require adult supervision and assistance. The shadow puppets, however, could be done by a child alone or with a friend.

Other favorite parts of the book include: the "Peekaboo Present" puppet (page 69), the large "Dinosaur" puppet (page 58), each project's "If You've Got More Time" section, and the "Puppet Parts and Templates" appendix, which will allow you to either trace, photocopy or color and cut right out of the book and onto your puppet! Brilliant! This book would be oodles of fun for kids of all ages. Under 6 may need adult assistance!

MacNeal is great fun to follow on Twitter @NoelMacNeal. You can buy the book here.

Thank you note from a camper...

2011-07-28T12:46:00.000-04:00

Christina,
I love you so much. I just want to see you next time when I'm five in my next class. Goodbye. See you later.

The Voice 4 Vision Puppet Festival

2011-07-23T09:20:00.000-04:00

The Voice 4 Vision Puppet Festival is happening in New York this December 8th through the 18th! The festival considers itself grassroots and artist-driven. It hopes to support continued innovation in the art form.

I'm most excited about their call for video submissions and hoping to prepare something for the festival. I'll definitely be there and may be volunteering. I hope you'll join me!

Find out more about the festival on their website.

iRead "My Life as a Furry Red Monster"

2011-07-22T07:33:00.000-04:00

Earlier this summer, I had the pleasure of catching a screening of the documentary Being Elmo at the Independent Film Festival Boston. The film tells the tale of Kevin Clash, the talented Muppeteer and the man who has made Elmo famous. Fortunately, Clash, Elmo, and the team behind the film were there for a question and answer session after the film. What started as a brief few minutes with Kevin and a few minutes with Elmo, turned into over an hour of interaction between Elmo and the audience. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience! The screening inspired me to read Clash's book My Life as a Furry Red Monster: What Being Elmo Has Taught Me About Life, Love, and Laughing Out Loud.

I found the book to be extremely similar to the film. This is refreshing, though. Clash's story and rise to fame are clear and inspiring. My favorite part of both the book and the film is his relationship with puppet-builder Kermit Love. Love mentored Clash, assisting him in refining his puppet-building techniques and his networking within the business.

Moments such as Clash's experience as a substitute puppeteer on the Sesame Street float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade are vivid and detailed. As a reader, you can feel Clash's enthusiasm and youthful awe.

The book is organized by Elmo's well-known, pro-social characteristics: Love, Joy, Creativity, Tolerance, Courage, Friendship, Cooperation, Learning, Optimism. The reader learns how important Elmo and Sesame Street have been in Clash's development and acquisition of these qualities.

The central themes of both the book and the film are to dream big and work hard. Again, the book and film are incredibly similar. If you had to pick one, I would recommend the film. In it are home videos of Clash and his family, footage of his early performances and television programs as well as an exclusive look at an early encounter with Kermit Love.

You can find the book here.

Where have all the puppets gone?

2011-07-19T07:34:00.000-04:00

I'm a huge advocate of quality, live-action television. I love me some animation, but there's something about the human connection made between characters on-screen and young viewers at home. I briefly discussed this issue in my Master's thesis and considered a research study conducted by Longo and Bertenthal (2009). They measured children's imitations to a human hand and a non-human (computer generated) hand. They found that "the amount of mirroring is reduced-but is not eliminated-for non-human actors" (2009, p. 742). When considering imitation, it seems as if children are more likely to imitate a human on-screen rather than an animated character.

I wonder if Longo and Bertenthal would consider live puppets as "non-human" or "human?" This would be a study in and of itself, and learning how children respond to animation vs. live-action would take a great deal of research.

For now, I ask, "Where have all the puppets gone?" I could rattle off a list of programs with puppets that I watched as a child. Below is my brainstormed list of current puppetry programs broadcast for children in the US. Please feel free to add on in the comments section!

1-Sesame Street
2-

That's all I got, people. So where are the puppets? It's possible that the expense of making puppets is discouraging for producers and broadcasters. Happily, it seems like puppeteer Noel MacNeal is working on a new program for PBS. This gossip is straight from some vague details on his Twitter feed. Let's hope this new program brings more puppetry back to television.

iRead "The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch)"

2011-07-14T07:26:00.000-04:00

About two years ago, I saw Caroll Spinney and a slew of other Sesame Street stars as part of a panel discussion to celebrate their 40th season. An audience member asked him to do the voices of both Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, the characters he had been playing since the pilot episode of the program. On the spot, he transitioned from one Muppet into the other. It was astounding! I remember being shocked at how different each character voice was, yet you could hear Spinney in both of them.

I finally had a chance to read The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch. In the book, Spinney reflects on both characters and how they have impacted his career and personal life. The book reads like a fast and fun autobiography. Spinney's life truly does run parellel to the program he has been with for so many years. He shares stories about his wife (who he met while working on the "Street"), working with Jim Henson, and the experiences that he has been afforded because of his roles on television.

Each chapter begins with some words of wisdom from either Big Bird or Oscar the Grouch. My favorite was a Big Bird quote, "Don't be afraid to lay an egg." I think that is really about transition and the fear of change when you choose to do or create something. I can't leave Oscar out, though. In his ultimate wisdom, Oscar shares, "Always start the day with a smile-that way you get it over with." Hilarious. I can just hear him saying that. It's a beautiful example of good writing and brilliant character portrayal.

I enjoyed reading about Spinney's puppeteering experience, how he met Jim Henson, his reluctance to join the cast of Sesame Street at first and the ultimate decision to do so, which changed the course of life. It was refreshing to hear about the moments in his career before and during Sesame Street that didn't go so well. The book is a testament to sticking it out and taking the job you love over the job that pays better.

What I found interesting and unique about Spinney is his mostly singular Muppeteer role. He's pretty much a Sesame Street guy, rarely working on other Henson projects. Big Bird's popularity must have made it really difficult to do much other work. What a wonderful burden to have had! Spinney's "About the Author" says it all, "He has traveled the world as Big Bird, won Grammys and Emmys, and has been named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress."

This the perfect short and fun read for creatives and lovers of Sesame Street or The Muppets. The book is no longer in print, but you can snag an inexpensive, used copy here. I got mine for $.01 plus shipping!

Another Pair of Eyes

2011-07-13T07:32:00.000-04:00

One day Josh Selig had an idea. I'm pretty sure this happens a lot. Selig is the President of one of my favorite production companies, Little Airplane Productions, with a bundle of Emmy-awards for his writing on Sesame Street. In addition, he's created a bunch of children's programs including The Wonder Pets and 3rd and Bird.

In 2004, Selig's show Oobi debuted on Noggin (Nick Jr.). The show's characters are all bare-hand puppets. The origin of these puppets is the set of practice eyes that Muppeteers use to rehearse scenes. Those darn Muppets are way too heavy to practice with for hours on end, so simple eyes were created to be placed on one's hand. I can almost see Selig come up with the idea for Oobi as he watched performers rehearse scenes on Sesame Street.

I've seen these eyes created in three different ways:
1- Two ping pong balls with holes punched through for a piece of elastic to slide through and be wrapped around the palm. Eye pupils are drawn on with marker. I've been told this is the authentic Muppeteer way of doing it.
2- Two small styrofoam balls held together with a toothpick, which has a rubber band on either end so you can slide your hand through. Eye pupils for these are dark dot stickers. These are a Spica Wobbe classic!
3- Plastic eyes just like the ones on Oobi. These are worn like a ring on your middle finger.

Pupil placement is super important because it can impact the rehearsal of puppet focus in the camera. You have to make sure the placement is just right or intentionally off!

I was introduced to the plastic Oobi eyes by one of my favorite people, Sabrina. Through her I discovered OobieEyes.com where you can purchase many different eyes and accessories. I have spent hours practicing with the eyes and keep them on my desk as inspiration and to fill "in-between" moments. I have several pairs and love giving them as gifts!

There's something so simplistically beautiful about Oobi as a television show and the process of using the eyes to practice and play. I encourage you to look up clips of the program if you're not familiar with it!

Frank the Ladybug

2011-07-12T07:18:00.000-04:00

This June, I received an adorable, knit ladybug finger puppet as a gift from my head teacher. I knew there was a character in that little puppet, and I hoped to put together a short video piece for this month on the blog. However, I realized I wanted to do a little testing with the puppet first. I had to do some ladybug research, see what educators were already doing with ladybugs, and try the puppet out in my summer camp classroom. We spent last week investigating bugs, and it was the perfect time.

I learned that ladybugs are beetles who are called ladybirds in England. For whatever reason, I found it surprising that there are male ladybugs as well as females. I'm 26...I should have thought about that before. The name is really deceiving, and I didn't want my students to go through life thinking ladybugs were cute, girly bugs. They are kick-ass flying beetles who sometimes create infestations...that's big stuff!

I named my ladybug Frank and gave him a gruff, cab driver voice. This surprised the children and made them giggle. Though Frank was on my finger the whole time, the children maintained strong eye contact with the character and seemed to differentiate when I was talking as Christina and when Frank was talking.

Frank introduced a new song to the group. I found this tune on YouTube, and I promise it sounds much cuter when Frank and I sing it. I found it was successful with the children because the "repeat after me" style helps them sing and recall the lyrics.

Oh, ladybug! Oh, ladybug! Oh won't you be my friend?

Muppets Movie Trailers

2011-07-07T07:24:00.002-04:00

I couldn't help myself. With all the spoofs and teasers of The Muppets floating around, I wanted to try to get all of them in one place. Below are the trailers in order of release, from oldest to most recent.

Thoughts?

I have to admit, I'm a little sad to see the original title of the film, The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made, go to the wayside. It seems like Disney wants to reintroduce the newly-acquired characters (relatively speaking) to audiences. Jason Segal, though? I was re-watching The Great Muppet Caper this weekend in addition to a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother. I have full confidence in Segal and am so interested to see how someone who grew up with the Muppets creates for them as an adult. This is a prime example of how the media children watch can impact their lives long-term.

Disney's participation can guarantee us a few things:
1- High production value.
2- Some spectacular cameos.
3- Awesome merchandise.

Included in the Muppet movie madness is the soon-to-be-released album of Muppet covers The Green Album. This was supposed to be released a year and a half ago under the title Muppets Revisited. It seems like it will be worth the wait, though!

Spica Wobbe: Artist, Educator, International Imaginator

2011-07-06T07:29:00.000-04:00

I first met Spica Wobbe, a New York-based puppetry artist and educator, while observing a workshop hosted by The New Victory Theater at an arts education conference in 2004. I was amazed at her creativity and enthusiasm for working with young people. I was very fortunate to work with and learn from Spica throughout my time in New York. I hope her ideas about puppetry and art are as inspiring to you as they are to me!

When did you first work with puppets and how did you start working as a puppeteer?
My first job as a puppeteer was when I worked with a children's theater in Taiwan called “Shiny Shoes Children’s Theater”. My job was supposed to be the producer of their children TV show. However, since it's a small company, everyone had kind of doing everything. Therefore‚ I got the chance to become a puppeteer, and this is how it started….
My first show was "Karius und Batus". I learned the how from a German puppeteer Peter Stelly when he was invited to Taiwan by Shiny Shoes and we had a tour together in 1991. He did the whole show all by himself and I had the privilege to watch him at the back of the puppet stage for every show. I also got the chance to participate his workshop about “Hohnsteiner Puppetry”, which is a special technique of hand puppets.
Shiny Shoes acquired the copyright of the show and kept performing it in Taiwan with their own puppeteers, and I was one of them.

There are so many different styles of puppetry. What is your favorite?
I have worked with many types of puppets but at this point in my puppeteer life‚ I focus on shadow puppetry.
I didn’t start doing the shadow theater until I moved to New York and had the chance to work with “Chinese Theater Works” (www.chinesetheatreworks.org) in 2003. The more I play with the shadow theater the more I love it. It always makes people want to see more‚ think more and do more…like a mystery.

Tell us a little bit about your favorite puppetry experience.
The best part of being a performer is to be able to travel. I love puppet festivals. They bring people together. It is also very empowering if you are able to make your audience enjoy your show even they speak different languages and come from different culture backgrounds.
Last year (2010), my partner Margot and I performed at the International Puppet festival in Dordrecht, Holland. We were part of their special program---the Living Room Tour. Since Dordrecht is the oldest city in Holland, it has many beautiful old houses along the canals. With one ticket, the audience was able to visit three chosen living rooms that have special features. We were in an amazing old living room that looks almost like a museum. We performed for a group of twenty five people at a time. They literally sat right in front of me. The show went very well and we got tremendous response. Next morning while I was wondering around the cobblestone streets of Dordrecht, a women on a bicycle with her two children stopped in front of me and asked, “You are the performer of the show in the living room, the show about the Chinese poet, right?” I answered yes. Then she went, “Oh, what a beautiful show, I want to let you know that I will remember that show for the rest of my life.” I thanked her and I said to myself on the way back, “I will remember what you just said to me for the rest of my life too.”
When the audiences are able to understand and appreciate your work, it means you can communicate your ideas though the language you create in the show, in this case, the language of shadow, light and music. That was really awesome!!!

How is international puppetry different compared to puppetry in the US? Do you feel that your work changes depending on where in the world you're doing it?
Puppetry is no different from other performing arts. Every region has its own unique signature. However, puppetry around the world has the same fundamental element which is “imagination”. The performers use their imagination to manipulate the lifeless objects and bring them to life. The audiences invest their imagination and make themselves believe that the objects are living creatures.
However, in terms of the creating environment, I will say there is no place like U.S., especially New York City. The American audience’s open-mindedness provides artists a lot of freedom to explore different subjects and the art form. That is why you see so many puppet slam events or cabarets everywhere. You will see something sweet and silly, but you will also see something that is queer and quirky. The supportive environment encourages everyone to join the puppetry circle. It doesn’t matter if you are a photographer, a painter, or even a biologist. You can be a student, an unemployed clown, or a stay home mom. Everyone is welcomed as long you like to “play” with objects.
On the other hand, I think because of the different cultures, the Asian and European audiences can understand and appreciate something that is more abstract which happens to be a very important element of my work. Also, I think most of Europeans consider puppetry as an art more then an entertainment. Therefore, there are more professional puppeteers then amateurs. It means that they have higher standard for their puppetry work.
A good show should be appreciated universally and that is my primary goal of my work. Therefore, for me, it’s very important that I know what I want to say to my audience and be able to translate my ideas into the show with a language that everyone can understand. That’s why most of my shows are non-verbal. The audiences have to come up with the story themselves in their heads when they watch the show. In this case, I really don’t have to change the show just because the different location or the different audience.

You're also a teaching artist. Why did you decide to become a teaching artist in addition to being a puppeteer?
The first time I visited NY in 1997, thanks to Arts Connection’s arrangement, I had the chance to observe some teaching artists’ workshops in schools. It was an eye-opening experience. At that time, Taiwan didn’t have this kind of art education residency program. I witnessed how children can learn the curriculum though art. That totally inspired me. I guess the seed was planted at that time.

Does your teaching artist work impact your puppetry at all?
In a way, I think. When I make my lesson plan, I always have to think it over and over again and try to experience the lesson myself form the student’s point of view. Will the activities excite, challenge, inspire or support their mind and body? The thinking process and the communication with the students in the class some how provide a good ingredient for my work, an ingredient of creating a common language with them.

Tell us about what you're working on now!
I just established a new company with my partner Margot Fitzsimmons, called “Double Image Theater Lab”. I am so glad that Margot and I share the same vision and enjoy the collaboration together. We are creating 2 shows for the Voice 4 Vision Festival in NYC at the end of this year. We are going to perform in a puppet festival in Jerusalem in August… extremely exciting. We hope there are more adventures to come.
To know more of our work, please visit our Facebook.

What steps should someone take if they want to be a puppeteer?
For your mind: To be playful, to be adventurous, embrace challenges,
to be inventive (always try something new or do things otherwise).
For your body: Practice, practice, practice and do it in stead of just thinking or talking about it.
For your ideas: Look at the mirror to know yourself better and look around and learn from others.

Puppetry Month!

2011-07-05T07:27:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Puppetry Month on iGeneration! I have been so inspired to share some of my favorite aspects of the puppetry community. Dedicating a month of posts to it is a fun and easy challenge. I started to pack up my apartment this weekend for the big move to back to New York at the end of this month. My biggest packing challenge was the bookcase, and I decided to divide my books into three categories: children's media, education and developmental psychology, and theater. As I was about to cover up my children's media box, I realized that so many of the books and videos in that box are puppetry-related. I fear for puppetry on television and live-action work, in general. I hope this month of interviews, book reviews, and videos inspire you to share and support live-action puppetry in children's media.

I look forward to your comments and can't wait to see what kind of dialogue this sparks!

(This is also my first post on the iPad? So far, so great!)

Pottermore

2011-06-30T07:16:00.001-04:00

When Harry Potter first hit US bookshelves, I was in middle school. I felt I was far too old to concern myself with fantasy novels for kids. The summer before attending Tufts, though, I read the entire series. How could I study children's media without having read Harry Potter? It was the best decision I ever made!

The most well-loved creators are storytellers: playwrights, composers, lyricists, puppeteers, animators, and J.K. Rowling is, in my opinion, the most creative living human of our time. The universe she's created empowers children to defeat evil and read 500+ page novels. Books, movies, costumes, a new collegiate sport, a theme park, and yet we still want more? It's a licenser's dream!

I'd be a very silly and ignorant children's media lover and blogger if I did not mention the Pottermore launch. Have you heard of it? The Twitter feed seemed to give away the secret far too soon. J.K explains...

So, really, what is Pottermore? Most importantly (and wisely), it's the only retailer for Harry Potter eBooks. Secondly, it's a virtual experience where online participants can experience the world of the stories. Will I partake? Probably not, but I'm curious to see how well it does and how long it survives. Part of the launch includes bidding to participate in the test trials. Is it just me or does it not seem very exciting?

I'll definitely be tracking Pottermore's progress and am looking forward to a future blog or two about it. Until then, follow the owl?

Bubbles!

2011-06-29T07:21:00.000-04:00

While prepping for this week's summer camp, I was reminded of how much I love bubbles. Did you see the picture? I am serious about making bubbles!

We created a batch of our own bubble solution on Friday and stored it over the weekend. The longer it sits, the better! On Monday morning, we poured some of our solution into the outdoor sensory table and brought out the gigantic bubble wands. I have NEVER seen such huge bubble wands. Childhood has definitely improved since 1991.

Here's the recipe we use:
2/3 cup dishwashing soap (Joy or Dawn seem to have magical powers)
1 gallon water

Glycerine kicks it up a notch. Some recipes recommend 2 to 3 tablespoons.

Enjoy!

iRead "Kid Made Modern"

2011-06-28T07:22:00.000-04:00

Do you remember Todd Oldham? His fashion designs received acclaim in the '90s, leading him to host the MTV show House of Style (when MTV was still airing music videos). I'm not quite sure when I fell in love with him. Perhaps when he began to focus on interior design, particularly his delightful mid-century dorm products for Target! I still have my Todd Oldham for Target (year 2) two-tone mini-coffee table.

During my high school job at American Eagle in a New Jersey mall, I would ring Mr. Oldham up for his polo shirt purchases. I'm pretty sure he had a country home in the area, and I'm pretty sure he knew how much I loved him. I can't help but think about buying some of Oldham's new Charley Harper/Fishs Eddy pieces for my future apartment!

When I saw his latest book Kid Made Modern, I had an inkling it would be filled with fun projects to do with my cousins, my students, and by myself. This book definitely did not disappoint! The cover boasts "52 kid friendly projects inspired by mid-century modern design" and should be a required text for any school art teacher. In addition to the "52 projects," Oldham provides a thorough description of modern design, features several prominent modern designers with projects inspired by their work, and includes two pages of additional resources (more designers to look into, museums to visit, craft stores, and websites).

Before you read about any individual projects, there are four pages of craft supply kit items. I could easily spend two days going through these items with my cousins (ages 7 and 12), purchasing which ones we thought were most important, and developing our very own kits. This is a fantastic idea for rainy or "too hot" summer days. My favorite projects include (but are certainly not limited to): painted, wooden spoon friends (p. 26), plastic crate stool (p. 60), light cubes (p. 110), potato scarf printing (p. 130), paint chip and paper clip screen (p. 144), and a pegboard desk (170). I'm hoping to work on a few of these projects soon and will post on my progress.

The inspiration saver (p. 182) really caught my eye. As a creative child, I was constantly ripping out magazine pictures of clothes, furniture, or images that interested me. It wasn't until I was 18 that I started to collect and organize these images in an accessible way. The inspiration saver is simply a binder and page protectors that allow children (or adults) to collect and reflect on images that spark their imagination and artistry.

There are a few projects in the book that require sewing machines, and some using a sharp utility knife. The sewing projects in particular, though, seem much more difficult and may require more adult supervision and help. I recommend looking through the book before handing it over to a child. Highlight three or four projects that work well with your schedule and level of ability. Move on from there!

I recommend this book for children and modern design lovers ages 6 and up. There is something for everyone! You can find it on Amazon here.

iRead "Make Art Mistakes: A Creativity Sketchbook"

2011-06-23T16:50:00.000-04:00

Before beginning grad school, I worked to manage and grow the Family Workshops program at The New Victory Theater. I was consistently inspired by the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art)'s family programs. They offer workshops, talks, and gallery guides for families, which are usually free or heaviliy subsidized.

I particularly enjoyed reading through their gallery guides. The team of arts educators who developed these, used very direct and accessible language. You can only imagine how thrilled I was to find their new art book for kids on a recent museum visit! The MoMA has just published Make Art Mistakes: A Creativity Sketchbook.

The book is filled with motivational quotes from well-known visual artists and provides a scaffolded guide of experimental art activities, including line-drawing, portraiture, and pattern-making. Included on almost every page of the book are those well-written directives that made me love the MoMA family guides. However, there are a few pages distributed throughout the book that provide blank space for a child's (or adult's) own doodles.

I completely fell in love with several sections of the book. So many pages provide graphing squares or dotes to help create shapes. Two pages at the beginning prompt young artists to draw lines that exhibit different emotions. This kind of activity seems fun, simple, and could support positive emotional development in very young children who are acquiring the vocabulary to identify the way they feel. I also loved the "create a color wheel" section, where artists fill in the shades between the primary colors. Lastly, the book provides three spaces "to record the color of the sky at three different times of the day." It might be nice to do some of these activities on large pieces of paper for homemade artwork to hang on the wall.

My only criticism is that the book would value from more descriptions. If I was a young artist, I might wonder, "What is a portrait?" "What is texture?" "How do I create rubbings?" Putting the descriptions right on the page of the directive might be nice. A glossary could easily be overlooked.

I could see this being a great activity book for a rainy summer day! Though I think kids as young as 3 would enjoy working with this book, I recommend it for ages 6 to 12. It requires a lot of reading and would provide a great deal of independent work for this age cohort.

Learn more about the MoMA family programs here. Buy the book from Amazon and check out MoMA's other books for kids here.

"Don't worry about mistakes. Making things out of mistakes, that's creativity." -Peter Max

Curious George Learns About Business

2011-06-22T07:29:00.000-04:00

The Curious George Bookshop is one of those special places that defines a neighborhood. It's unique corner storefront pull you in as soon as you exit the T station. Unfortunately, it's hard to define a neighborhood when that neighborhood is Harvard Square. Much to my dismay, I recently learned that the local shop will be closing this month. CBS Boston provided some great coverage that can be found here.

In addition to the most full and varied collection of Curious George goodies I've ever seen, the store provided an amazing assortment of picture books upstairs and young adult titles downstairs. My favorite memory of the shop was when I had a full conversation with the salesperson about Moomins after spotting a rare collection of Moomin and Pippi Longstocking tea towels downstairs. Sincerely, this store was a treasure trove and will be missed!

Plan Toys

2011-06-21T13:12:00.000-04:00

I was introduced to PlanToys last week while meeting with my head teacher. I was intrigued and decided to do some investigating. They seem very committed to being "green," safety, and child development. Below is the description I found on their website:
"PlanToys® is proving that it is possible to maintain superior quality and safety standards in addition to following a path of environmental and social responsibility. We are committed to maintaining the highest standard of ethics while creating innovative educational toys for every developmental stage of childhood. These toys inspire children's imagination as well as promoting their physical and intellectual development. PlanToys® are made from non-toxic, natural materials such as organic rubberwood. Our toys enable children to play, learn and become closer to nature."

My head teacher picked a few of these toys up for next year's classroom at this month's NAEYC professional development institute.

This one is my favorite! I can imagine using it during a meeting and singing a song about monkeys hanging on a tree, then putting it out as a choice!

What happens when you start stacking and matching shapes?

You make a clown!

I got to test one of the toys. The mallet can make a pretty loud noise, which might bother some children. A hard push with one's hand will get you the same result!

Portlandia East

2011-06-17T08:31:00.000-04:00

Early Monday morning, Joe and I jumped on an Amtrak Downeaster to Portland, Maine. We ordered our tickets on TraintoMain.com and got a fantastic deal; we only had to pay for one round-trip ticket!

Joe is a huge fan of train travel, as I've mentioned in older posts. He had a full agenda for our visit, making sure we had a good balance of tourist must-sees and local stops. Included on this list was a trip to a shop called Treehouse Toys. The description stated that they sold unique toys from the United States and abroad. He thought it was something I would really enjoy, and he was certainly right!

Treehouse Toys is nestled in between boutique shops on Exchange Street in Portland's Old Town district. We scoped out the whole store, pointing out items that really got our attention. While looking at their stash of dramatic play clothes, I found these amazing French shadow puppet sets made by Moulin Roty.

While admiring a lovely grouping of different Madeline dolls, I was so happy to see Lola (of Charlie and Lola) tucked into one of the shelves as well. This was completely unique to me! I haven't seen any products from the British television show before. I was also very happy to see a whole bunch of my Fraggle Rock friends including Uncle Traveling Matt, Red, Gobo, and a Doozer!

Our trip was very quick but wonderful! In addition to the fun toys at Treehouse and the delicious food, I also fell in love with local design companies, Sea Bags and Angela Adams. I encourage you to get up or over to Portland soon!

Summer Camp

2011-06-16T08:29:00.000-04:00

When I was 11 years old, I went to peace and justice camp in West Caldwell, New Jersey. After 24 hours I was ready to go home, but the staff insisted that I stay. The solution? A hunger strike. Yes, it worked.

As a child I didn’t like sleeping away, and the word “camp” would send chills up my spine. Lately, though, I’ve been thinking a lot about how important it could be for children of this generation and the next to go to camp. Wherever I choose to raise children it will, most likely, be urban. I think that sending children to the woods for a few weeks could be fantastic and life changing.

Summer camp seems to be sewn deep into the blanket of our culture. I was so inspired by this article featured in Domino (1998) of Tom Filicia’s lake house. He called it “summer camp for adults” and even included owl knickknacks and bug-patterned sheets in the guest house.

Wet Hot American Summer is my favorite summer camp movie, with Camp Nowhere in a close second. I LOVED Design Sponge’s design interpretation of the film. You can check the whole post out here.

I would absolutely send my child off to camp with lots of stationary and stamps. There’s something so special about handwritten letters and receiving mail. This Yellow Owl Workshop set featured on Design Sponge looks like the perfect stationary for campers of all ages.

A few summers ago, I welcomed a bunch of friends out to the lake by my parents’ house in Jersey for Camp Chrissy. We swam, crafted, ate pizza, played games, and sang songs. It was fantastic! We even performed first aid on Heather after she cannon-balled into the lake and hit her foot. We talked about having camp again but just got too busy. Maybe summer 2011 is the second summer of Camp Chrissy!

What’s your favorite camp memory?

SpiderMonster as Muse

2011-06-15T12:44:00.000-04:00

Today is my one quiet, restful day before summer teaching starts. After a relaxing walk, it is time to put on my big girl sundress and get down to business.

My projects today include some preliminary data analysis for a study that I'm working on and the outline of a new show I'm creating. I'll be compiling all of my notes scribbled on corners of paper and coming up with a cohesive outline and plan. It's been a very slow and sluggish morning, and it's taken me a great deal of self-motivation to get started. I just saw this new promotional sneak peek that Sesame Workshop released for it's upcoming season.

SpiderMonster pokes fun at the drama that has surrounded the "new" musical adaptation of Spider-Man. It reminded me that writing for children should be funny, relevant, and accessible. Those are the words I'll be carrying with me today.

Thank you note from a 4 year old student...

2011-06-12T10:24:00.000-04:00

Christina,

Thank you for all you've taught me this year. You're very nice and very pretty. I like the toys you have as well.

The Last Day of School

2011-06-09T08:42:00.000-04:00

When I applied to Tufts, I thought I would take a chance and apply to be a graduate teaching assistant at the child development department's lab school. Though I had student taught at NYU, I never considered being a real classroom teacher. I accepted the position in 2009 and started to realize that this gig was teaching me more about child development than I was learning in the department. The Children's School is a Utopian environment with a beautiful natural playground, brilliant teachers, and involved families. The catch of accepting this job is that it's a strict two-year commitment.

Today is my final day during the school's regular year. Though I'll be staying on to work there through July, I can't help but feel as if this is a big goodbye.

We had an amazing year! I primarily taught a two-day/week preschool program. There the head teacher and I focused on creating social experiences for the children and building a community. In addition, I was able to develop a unit around Where the Wild Things Are. We read the book in English, re-read it in Spanish trying to decipher the key words of the story, created Wild Things masks out of paper plates and small found objects, played "Max Says" (like Simon Says but including "Wild Rumpus," which means everyone has to dance, and "Be Still," was meant everyone had to freeze), and we created a dramatic play space to resemble the Wild Things' forest. I learned how much more care preschoolers need in the classroom, but I also learned how FUN preschool can be. Painting, bike-riding, sand play, baby dolls, a reading corner, clay art, songs and games: can I go back to preschool?

I spent the rest of my week in the Extended Day program for children ages 3 to 6. We focused on family culture and the circus! The year-long circus curriculum was unreal. My head teacher, fellow GTA, and I are currently thinking about how we can use our year of circus to develop a publication, perhaps a curriculum guide. Our year culminated in a circus presented for the school under our very own big top. I think circus supports confidence and creativity among children, and that was certainly the case for our students. Here's a picture of Caryn, Jacquelyn, and I after our big circus debut!

I strongly encourage all academics to take a step out of their comfort zone and into a classroom. You might just learn something.

Around the World

2011-06-08T08:49:00.000-04:00

This week marks the end of the official school-year at EP. Though I'm teaching through the summer, I can't help but feel that this is the end of the best job I've had. The school has become a home, and I've created a wonderful network of close friends within its community. I wanted to acknowledge my mentors this year with something special. Whatever it was, I wanted it to somehow compliment the year's anti-bias education focus.

Louise Derman-Sparks is a pioneer of the movement, and we have had the great fortune of working with her this year. We explored anti-bias topics in our own classrooms and among our teaching teams. The four curriculum goals of anti-bias education are:
*construction of a knowledgeable, confident self-identity
*comfortable, empathic interaction with people from diverse backgrounds
*critical thinking about bias
*ability to stand up for herself or himself, and for others, in the face of bias

When I found this on Etsy, I was certain that it would be the perfect gift. The painting and woodwork are really beautiful! Unfortunately, the cost is unrealistic for me. I decided to experiment with creating my own. I purchased a bag of 40 peg people, a few paper mache boxes, and lots of paint!

I used Crayola multicultural paints on the peg people. I wanted each gift to have an assortment of people with different shapes and skin tones. The Crayola paint is washable, however, which made it difficult to get a nice, solid color. If I were to do it again, I would use the Crayola colors to find acrylic matches.

Finally...acrylics! I painted the tops of the boxes blue. It was so much easier to get the color I wanted, and it dried a lot faster.

I painted different regions of the globe on each top using green acrylic. I also put some green, paper grass inside the box before adding the people to give it a fuller look.

Finally, I wrapped each box with a complimentary orange ribbon.

I am so proud of my crafting! The gifts were inexpensive, and I think they mean that much more because I took the time to make them myself. I used a black marker to write a personal note on the bottom of each box: "Made with love for ______ by Christina."

Stop Motion Animation!

2011-06-06T09:43:00.000-04:00

I've been itching to experiment with stop motion animation for quite some time. I thought about taking a class but just couldn't find the time or have the credits at school. I thought, "How hard could it really be?"

A few weeks ago, my friend gave me a lovely music box tinker toy. When I saw it, I knew this would be the perfect subject for my first stop motion "film." I figured that it would have step-by-step instructions and require a lot of care; this is something that seemed really interesting to document in pictures. Rather than read the directions and even look in the box before I started documenting, I decided to go through the items for the first time while filming.

With plenty of time to spare and some lovely sunlight coming through my windows, I decided yesterday afternoon was THE time to start working. I set up the tripod and attached my Nikon point-and-shoot onto it.

Wow! This kind of work takes so much patience. I took one to three shots of each movement and decided which one I would use before moving on to the next movement (so there wasn't too much confusion during editing). I imported my photos into iMovie and changed the timing to .3 seconds for the first few shots and .2 for the rest. I recorded the actual music in GarageBand and laid the track over the video. I had to slow down the timing at the end of the film in order to get the full music track in.

Now that I'm a stop motion expert (*wink*), I can absolutely see how the light changes throughout the film and where my camera moved, therefore, creating uncomfortably jerky movements. It's completely amateur, and I LOVE it! My next stop motion will be IKEA furniture construction. GET. PSYCHED.

You can watch the video on Vimeo by clicking here. Enjoy...

Good Morning!

2011-06-05T06:10:00.000-04:00

This week I experienced something nearly unrecognizable: free time. I had about 45 minutes before I had to arrive at school to teach preschool. Emails had been sent, jobs had been applied to, dishes had been washed, and my latest craft project was drying. It was an amazing feeling!

The past year has certainly been an adventure full of deadlines, rewrites, and curriculum planning. I'm currently in the process of what I've aptly called "The Great Job Search 2011." With a bit more time to write, I am happy to announce that I will be posting regularly on iGeneration and am very pleased with the redesign. Please read on if you're interested in what's been happening during iGeneration's comfy nap.

Big Top Fitness

Despite the lack of updates on the blog and Facebook page, Big Top Fitness is alive and well! My colleague Sabrina Connell and I collected data on all five episodes and gained a bit more insight into which episodes children preferred and what prompted them to get up on their feet and get active. I hosted two screenings of the series: one in Brooklyn, NY, for family and friends and another in Somerville, MA, for my students, their families, and my Massachusetts friends. Rachel Yonda made unbelievably beautiful invites for both events.

It was nice to catch friends and family up on what I've been doing at Tufts. I felt very fortunate to be surrounded by so much love and support! You know people love you when they wear a clown nose for you.

I was very lucky to get some press around the Massachusetts screening. The Somerville Patch included a nice article about my work and the event. You can read it here.

The Thesis
I was ecstatic to complete and defend my thesis on time. It was looking a little grim there for a bit. I'm very proud of the work and hope that I can modify parts of it for publication in the near future. Researching my own artistic project was very difficult. I also found flaws with my methodology and would love to go back and do the study differently. Unfortunately, IRB and Tufts' lab school restrictions made it extremely difficult to perform the ideal study. I learned a great deal about methodology during the research and writing processes. It would have been nice to perform the study in a more naturalistic setting and perhaps use the caregiver as an investigator in the project. I'm interested in comparing these possible methods with other children's media studies performed both in academia and in the industry.

Graduation

I think my favorite part of graduation was when my dad pulled out a clown nose from his jacket pocket and encouraged me to wear it for the ceremony. We Zagarinos love to push buttons, especially when it comes to pomp and circumstance! More than anything, I was so touched that he had held onto the nose. I could tell how proud my parents were of the work I had accomplished these past two years. Friend and Big Top production assistant, Audrey Raboin, and I sported our noses as we left the ceremony. In addition to working on the series, Audrey and I also spent our first semester studying puppetry for television, taught by none other than the amazing Sabrina. Those workshops provided me with some of my favorite Tufts memories. Here's Audrey working with Naranja:

I think we're mostly caught up! I look forward to posting more regularly and reading your comments.

Shhhh!

2011-04-26T11:19:00.001-04:00

Talking About iGeneration is taking a much needed nap. We'll let you know when it wakes up!

Meet Ham!

2011-03-03T22:40:00.000-05:00

Meet Ham! Ham needs a little encouragement to get up and active, but he loves moving his body and playing tricks on friends. Ham thinks he is a great clown and loves juggling with his circus partner Dot!

Ham is played by WT McRae, a New York-based clown, mime, actor and circus educator. WT enjoys performing with Christina Gelsone as part of Fool's Academy and teaches circus and theatre for Sitka Fine Arts Camp, The New Victory Theatre, Circus Minimus and others.

Like a good neighbor...

2011-02-28T22:44:00.000-05:00

Each year, The Fred Rogers Company promotes Good Neighbor Day. They encourage neighbors everywhere to show their Mister Rogers love by wearing a sweater. It's simple but meaningful, just like Mister Rogers. This year, Good Neighbor Day falls on Sunday, March 20th.

Check out the websites! They're full of ideas on how you can be a good neighbor. In the past, people have organized sweater drives or volunteer experiences. Last year, Joe and I celebrated with the families at my school at the annual Family Dance. Today is the first time I've thought about what we'll do this year...any thoughts?

Meet Dot!

2011-02-28T10:51:00.000-05:00

Meet Dot! Dot loves clowning around at the circus with her friend Ham. She enjoys partner acrobatics and balancing best!

Dot is played by J'nelle Bobb-Semple, a New York-based actress, singer, and teaching artist. J'nelle is a graduate of New York University and currently working on her Master's in Applied Theatre at CUNY. She also works with numerous New York City schools and organizations including the Story Pirates!

Big Time "Big Top" Music, Part 2

2011-02-10T16:59:00.000-05:00

Since my last post, many readers have expressed interest in listening to John Foti's other audition tracks. Unfortunately, friends, those remain locked up in the archives to be revealed when Big Top strikes Smithsonian fame. Sorry.

BUT...

I'm so excited to feature an interview with our brilliant composer. Meet John...

Born and raised in West Caldwell, New Jersey, John started playing piano at the age of 5 and went on to study saxophone, voice, and accordion as well. He graduated from Fordham University in 2000 and has been playing and touring with Grammy Award-winning children's artist Dan Zanes and Friends since 2007. John released his first studio album, "Everybody's Coming To Town" earlier this year. He also recently composed music for the debut puppet-adaptation of "City of Hamburgers," a book by Mike Reiss. Hobbies include: traveling, making cd mixes, worrying about what the Yankees score is, not taking NJ Transit, and watching Jim Henson's Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas too many times.

Christina: You pitched us a bunch of these great 30 second songs with lyrics and music. How was it hearing that we'd be chopping one down to 3 seconds?

John: Ha! As much as I quickly grew attached to a few of the theme songs, I completely understood that it might not be in the best interest of a 3-4 minute show to have a 30-second theme song. Especially if there's music throughout the show. Also, since it's not my creation, my project...well it's my job to respect the decisions of the creators and follow-through with my responsibilities the best that I can.

C: What was it like writing music for a television show as opposed to writing music for music's sake?

J: Well, it's the same thing really. It's all just ideas and instincts. In some ways, it's easier, because there's a built-in restriction and the overall idea is already there.
A music theory teacher once told me this about writing music. And I think this applies to many things. "You can carve a clay elephant two ways. You can start with a block of clay and carve away to the shape of an elephant or you can build the elephant from scratch." Why an elephant, I dunno. But I think it makes sense. In this case, I'd say the way I recorded was by making a huge block of sound first, then I carved away to make each song appropriate to the individual episode.

C: Was there a difference in writing music for a children's show rather than writing music for an older audience?

J: I'd like to hope not. I'm a big believer that all music is children's music. Or vice versa. Again, the writing process is just a creative outpouring of ideas and melodies and sounds. There's no need to start from a point where you're automatically dumbing-down the integrity of the song just because it's for a younger audience. Children aren't stupid. They like good music. Adults on the other hand...

C: What was it like communicating via email and file sharing rather than meeting and decision-making face-to-face?

J: Well, it was necessary, really. It's the way we operate these days. It's good and bad though. Good, because you can quickly exchange ideas, from your home, and get feedback right away. I've recently been recording a lot from my house for other projects...where those people will just throw my files into their and go from there. It's great. That said, sometimes a face-to-face meeting and rrreaally talking things through could probably eliminate a lot of the back-and-forth emails and potential mis-communication that occurs because of that.

Thanks, John!

To learn more about John, you can visit his website or Facebook page. Don't forget to friend Big Top Fitness!

Big Time "Big Top" Music, Part 1

2011-02-06T13:38:00.002-05:00

Big Top Fitness is non-verbal. Did you know that? There are voiceovers spoken by children, but the core of the program is physical movement and music. From the beginning of this project, I knew music would be incredibly important. When writing my story bible, I really tried to think about what I wanted the show to sound like. It had to be circus music, but it also had to be fun and modern. In the story bible, I wrote:
Opening Title
The opening of each episode will be accompanied by the same instrumental music as the title credit rolls in order to alert the child viewers that the program is starting, and it’s time to get active and have fun.
Individual Episodes
Each episode of Big Top Fitness will be accompanied by a unique instrumental track. The music can be characterized as “new circus” style including an organ, brass instruments, bass drum, and cymbals. The music will compliment the movements modeled on screen and support active and enjoyable participation with the child viewers.

I had no idea where we were going to get the music. I decided I would need to source three different kinds of sounds: piano-driven with high energy, acoustic-driven with a calmer energy, and a Tufts student per my advisor's recommendation. I spent hours scrolling through my iTunes library and finding inspiration pieces which I also listened to tirelessly when writing and creating the characters (a leftover from my NYU character development days). From there, I looked at the artists in my inspiration playlist. I decided to take a risk and contact two of them. To be fair, they were both people I knew: one from high school and another from work at the New Vic. I also got in touch with the music department here at Tufts. I asked them to audition with a 30-second piece to introduce the show. All they had to go off of was the story bible description. My decision was an easy one. One person totally got it, one person missed the mark big time, and the other just never got back to me. It was clear which direction we were going in.

The response from John Foti was unbelievable! He sent us 6 thirty-second tracks with full music and lyrics. Blake McCarty, the director, and I kept going back and forth over which one we liked best. We finally settled on one that really felt like the message we were trying to send out there with this show.

We realized, however, that 30 seconds was just too, too long for our little interstitials. Blake and I picked our favorite parts of that fabulous song and just cut it down a wee bit. Check it out...

Tune in later this week for the second part of our music blog! I'll be featuring an interview with Big Top Fitness musician John Foti!

Creating a Logo, Part 2

2011-01-19T09:06:00.000-05:00

I'm so thrilled that we've officially launched the Facebook fan page. This means that it is officially official; that I can share the many of the details of our production with confidence. Back in July, I wrote a post about what it was like to create a logo. I thought that this time around, I could share some visuals with you all to back up my claims!

The process began as a conversation between my college friend Rachel Yonda and me. She offered to help us with some Big Top work, and I jumped at the opportunity! We communicated completely via email, but this manner of communication actually supported our dialogue rather than hinder it.

First, Rachel asked me for some ideas, what I was thinking I'd like. I offered to sketch some ideas for her to work with.

The sketch was incredibly basic and done on whatever kind of paper I could grab at the time. I knew I wanted a tent to be involved in some manner, and I wanted to title of the show to POP! I wrote down a few colors I was thinking about.

Rachel moved forward with the ideas. A few days later, I received a FANTASTIC set of options with a color guide. I had so many options and was not sure which direction I should go in. I asked for many people's opinions. Ultimately, though, the choice was mine to make.

I REALLY loved that elephant, but I immediately leaned towards a traditional looking circus tent with red and white stripes. I was so certain of my decision! I began stamping the logo everywhere: on the story bible, on the scripts, on the contracts. Everywhere! I was so, so proud of it!

Unfortunately, when I finally got around to buying the matching fabric at IKEA, they had sold out (read the original "Creating a Logo" post for the full story of emotional despair here). My second choice was a smaller, yellow striped fabric. I was thrilled with my scenic design choice, but this meant a new logo and adjusting all production materials that had already been marked with the red and white tent. I went back to Rachel begging for some changes, and she gladly helped me out (thank you, Rachel!). We discussed the thinner, yellow stripes, and talked a lot about font colors that would compliment the new tent.

This yellow tent is our final and official logo. As I compare this logo to our original red and white logo, I see how much better it is!

The long tale of the logo is really the story of my first experience in production: you have all these ideas, you hire someone to help you with those ideas, they give you a lot of options, you're forced to make many choices, you inevitably have a huge hiccup, you sit and think, you make a choice, and you thank God for the support of your friends and peers who are willing to help you out until everything is perfect.

PS We were also able to include the elephant in our animated opening! Stay tuned...

Big Top Fitness: FBO

2011-01-15T17:34:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to finally share more detailed information about my Fred Rogers Memorial Scholarship project! The program is called Big Top Fitness. It is a series of interstitials that promote physical activity using circus arts. Post-production is so close to being finished, and we're gearing up for summative research on the 5 episodes.

My favorite part of this production has been working with amazing artists and great friends. Fortunately, they are one in the same. In the next few weeks, I'll be profiling some of these fantastic people and sharing samples of the work they created for the show.

We are FBO (Facebook Official). Please check out our Facebook page and Like us! Below are some pictures from our rehearsals and film shoots at SCAT. You can find more on our Facebook page!

Rehearsing at 440 Studios in New York City

Prepping for our pilot at SCAT in Somerville, MA

Our new fake grass. It took a great deal of patience and financial flexibility to acquire this.

2011-01-03T16:30:00.000-05:00

I love television. I spent most of my two weeks of holiday break sitting in front of my parents' television in New Jersey. Television, in its traditional sense, is banned from my Massachusetts studio apartment. I just don't have the space for a TV in the apartment, and I know that it would be an incredible distraction from my graduate work. I save a few hours each week to catch up on shows that are really important to me. Thanks to the magic of Hulu, I am able to do this! After work, time at the gym, and class assignments have been completed, I snuggle up with my laptop and experience sheer bliss. I really love television.

Upon returning to Boston this weekend, I slipped back into my ways. I took walks, read blogs, and relaxed with a cup of tea and a Hulu session. I started to browse by show titles. I was shocked at how many new programs have been added to the website! I was especially suprised to see this page:

For the longest time, I thought Miss Kitty was a design fixture and a character for character's sake. I really enjoyed buying Sanrio products as a kid. They always felt very fresh in their pastel colors and pasty plastic packaging. I had no idea that there was a television show in '87 and '88. The program didn't last long and yet people still love Hello Kitty. What is it about that cat that has endured more than three decades?

What shocked me most about this program was it's title: Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater. This is clearly referring to Shelley Duvall's Fairie Tale Theatre, which was best known in the early '80s but is still new to many individuals.

Resolution Revelation

2011-01-02T15:50:00.000-05:00

I rarely make New Year's resolutions. For whatever reason, summer has always held a greater promise to me. As May ends, I decide what I'd like to learn or do in the forthcoming three months. Perhaps the pressure of 365 days is just too much.

I find myself in an interesting personal place this January. As of tomorrow I enter my final semester of graduate school. I'll also be finalizing all details of my Rogers Project and will be completing my thesis in the next few months. I just need something new to get me through this.

I decided that I needed to stimulate my creativity just a bit more and challenge myself to think about the kind of work I want to create when this whole grad school thing is over. This year I'll be coming up with a new children's media idea or pitch each day. Yes, each day. Life happens, and there may be days that go by where I just can't do it...but I have to try! I truly believe inspiration is everywhere, everyday. Because it's way easier to use Twitter from my phone than the blog, I'll be tweeting these ideas each day. You can follow me at: ChrissyZags

They don't have to be super involved or fully thought out. Who knows, I may come up with a single character and spend the rest of the year deciding what the world around them looks like. I'm so excited to take this journey. I hope you'll take it with me!

The History of the Snowman: Not a Book Report

2010-12-23T10:49:00.000-05:00

I can't remember the last time I wrote an actual book report. Maybe it was in middle school? Joe has been writing some amazing pieces for his blog The Composite including reviews of the 100 best books of 2010 (according to the NYTimes). I was so inspired by his love of reading and decision to review, that I decided to give it a try myself.

Each year as the holiday season rolls around, I pull out one of my favorite books The History of the Snowman by Bob Eckstein. I received my copy about three years ago from an uncle. I connected with the book's humorous cover and decided to dive right in. By the next day, I had finished. It was that good.

It's been a year since my last read of the book, and I was excited to re-educate myself. It's filled with SO MUCH information about snowmen. My three year old copy is filled with pencil marks, highlighted sentences, and dog-eared pages. I've devised a list of the top five reasons why I love this book:

5: It's full of pictures including historical engravings, film posters, and Eckstein's own sketches. They do a great job of supporting the text!

4: Fully researched. Eckstein really did his homework here. It's so full of information and ends with a pretty substantial reference index.

3: Educational and funny. Eckstein manages to thread his dry sense of humor throughout the historically accurate and informative history of the snowman.

2: It fosters an individual exploration of snowman culture. Check out this great stuff I found on Etsy! Currently over 22,000 results to my "snowman" search! I personally love the pearl snowman earrings...

1: Eckstein facilitates a very interesting discussion about snowmen and their place in the art world. Did you know that in 1400's, the artists in Florence would populate the city with snowmen? I was particularly struck by his statement that a snowman could be the only life size sculpture an individual ever creates.

I've continued to think about this idea of snowmen and sculpture. It is a fantastic and supremely easy, cleaner way to introduce a young person to art and the art of sculpture.

Thanks to Joe, I've been listening to this tune non-stop. I never thought of calling a guy a "snowman." The male equivalent of ice queen? Maybe! Enjoy...

Bears - I'm a Snowman - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

This winter, I urge you to read The History of the Snowman and make a snowman with a young person you love.

Happy Holidays!

Children's Television: Style and Scientific American

2010-12-23T10:37:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share these two articles with you all...

I know a few people who don't love Charlie Brown, but they still love to hate him as they watch his holiday specials. Whether you enjoy sad Charlie or not, you can absolutely appreciate this take on Peanuts style thanks to Design Sponge. Check it out!

Scientific American published an article highlighting four children's television programs that promote interest in science among young viewers. Their picks were: The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, Peep and the Big Wide World (produced by WGBH!), Dinosaur Train, and (one of my favorites) Go, Diego, Go!

Why I'm lucky to be going to Tufts...

2010-12-15T20:45:00.000-05:00

There are many reasons! I have had an amazing year and a half at Tufts, and I only expect it to get better. This evening, I met with my media peers to brainstorm for some awesome new projects we'll be working on. One of our projects is being developed to better serve our group and our reference needs. It can take hours to find the right articles on children's media. Often times, I find myself searching for a document and then end up emailing Sabrina...because I know she will have the perfect article for me to read! One of our brilliant Ph.D. students, Rachel, came up with a way for us to store and share all of our references in RefWorks.

If you have not used RefWorks, you are missing out! It is a great way for you to store you references, properly cite them, and assist you with in-text citation. Please check it out! I had never used it before and spent an hour in the library just completely amazed! It is brilliant. The best part is, as students we can share our references with others who may not use RefWorks. Interested in developing a show and want to investigate attention and children's television? Can't find any great references? I bet we've got 'em...or will once this project takes off next semester.

Please look for more updates on our RefWorks project. I think this could have a major impact on our individual writing and publications as well as a huge impact on the field and the sharing of resources.

I should be writing, but...

2010-12-11T15:39:00.000-05:00

I'm in the midst of completing an Intellectual Development final essay. I'm currently sitting in the library, staring at my empty bag of trail mix (except for the raisins..yuck!), procrastinating online, and doing my best to muster up the courage to finish and submit this work. In my quest for distraction, I found this video. In it, Lisa Henson discusses the company's history and their future plans. The Henson Company has been doing a lot of great work and are really making an impression on new young audiences with their program Sid the Science Kid. Please check the video out!

PS They also released a new line of Fraggle Rock merchandise. I've got my eye on those adorable little Doozers and Sprocket!

I Love Merch

2010-12-06T20:15:00.000-05:00

Did I mention that before heading to Disneyland I dedicated way too much money to buy Mickey Mouse "stuff?" In a week, Joe and I will be checking out Weezer in concert playing songs from the Blue Album. Yes, I REALLY want to hear "Surf Wax America" and sing along to "Buddy Holly," but I just can't stop thinking about all the cool stuff they could be selling at the merch table. Just yesterday, I was on Etsy thinking, "I could really use a Gryffindor scarf or this awesome snitch locket." I realize this is a problem. I am a most desirable candidate for "All-American Capitalist/Consumer." Is this a result of my upbringing in America? Perhaps my father's obsession with keeping toys in the box (you know, for collection value) and his abundance of electric toy trains in the basement did it to me. I just don't know.

I was inspired to write this blog because of an article I found online. It's from England. They're shocked...toys are taking over children's television! To them I say, "Welcome to our world." Get it? Have you ever visited FAO Schwartz? Not only is our toy market reliant on lovable, desirable characters, for many years our television market was consumed with programming based on commercial properties. In fact, we even passed a law banning more than 12 minutes of commercial material from being put on television per hour.

Licensing is part of the process now. If you know Disney, you know that they actually release their toys before the films even come out! The merchandise supports the program and the program supports the merchandise. It seems like you can't have one without the other anymore.

Please read this article...and share your ideas below!

Cookie Monster Should Host SNL

2010-12-05T15:29:00.001-05:00

For most, it's Saturday Night Live. For me, it's Sunday Morning Syndication. I wake up on Sunday mornings with excitement coursing through my veins. Thanks to the magic of Hulu, I get to watch my favorite TV show a day after it airs. I never miss an episode! I replay the parts that I particularly like or that I think might be fun for others to watch. My SNL love is not new. In the '90s, my uncles would tape SNL and replay the parts that they really liked and thought were appropriate for me. Once I reached high school, I would stay up and watch on my own. It was an event each week...something I looked forward to!

I was so thrilled when I saw Sesame's campaign for Cookie Monster to host. In many ways, I think Sesame Street primes children to watch shows like SNL. They're extremely close in style and parody some of the most important cultural events, making them available for public consumption. The picture they took is BRILLIANT! The video is damn funny. Check it out...

In support of Cookie's desire to host SNL, I decided to coach him a bit. We discussed the format of the show, practiced using cue cards, took turns screaming "Live from New York, it's Saturday niiiiiiiiight." I even lectured him on pacing himself at the after party. Here are some pictures from our work together...

Reviewing the show format

"Don't forget to thank Lorne Michaels!"

Studying current events for Weekend Update

I wish Cookie Monster the best of luck as he works towards achieving his goal. Can you think of any special or unique ways of supporting him and his efforts?

I'll be watching, Cookie...the next morning...

CD61 Challenge!

2010-12-01T17:46:00.000-05:00

So here's the deal: this afternoon I will be sharing of my media work and experiences with Martha Potts' CD61 course for Tufts undergrads. I decided to present them with a challenge similar to one David Kleeman facilitated at the Fred Forward Conference last March. As students of personal and social development, they have a chance to pitch me a unique show with a curriculum based on their coursework this semester. These pitches will be posted in the comment field below and are limited to 2-3 sentences. Consider it a digital elevator pitch!

Their deadline is 11:59pm on Friday, December 3rd. The times on my blog are completely off...so I will be online at 11:59pm noting who is last to post. THE WINNER will receive a copy of the book The World According to Mister Rogers. That book has been a huge source of inspiration and support throughout my post-college life. One quote, in particular, helped me write my admissions essay for Tufts. I'll be announcing the lucky student on the blog Sunday evening. Only CD61 students are eligible!

I don't think a contest like this would ever work with industry professionals. People would be far to scared to share their ideas in such a public forum. I certainly would! I'm hoping that these students will be open and will not share a sacred idea that they have been harboring forever. I also TRUST EVERYONE OUT IN THE ETHER to respect these students and their ideas. If you're interested in something you hear, maybe you should consider scouting out some Tufts students for a series development!

Post away, CD61...

Disneyland

2010-11-28T18:30:00.000-05:00

With my thesis proposal finally handed in, it seems I have more time to breath. I've been thinking a lot about new ideas...very exciting but very dangerous for me! Recently, I've come up with the idea of building an empire. Yeah, that's right...an empire. About two weeks ago, I flew out to California to visit my sister. I had one demand of this trip: we visit Disneyland.

Disney and I have always had a torrid romance. The only other time I visited their theme parks was when I was two. My parents took me to Disney World. I have no recollection of it and can only determine that it was a "meh" trip since we never returned. I grew up watching every film, knowing every song, and toting my knowledge of classic films locked up in "the vault." My father never enjoyed Disney...except for that time he cried while watching Beauty and the Beast. I didn't understand why until I got older. Things started to come together: the girls all have big chests, there's a hero who is usually male, that is unless the male is the superhero (even in Mulan and other tales that claim female empowerment), and their attractions seemed way too expensive and exclusive for my family to afford. When I got to college, I learned about their worldwide corporate superpower. I was shocked and quite annoyed...okay, disheartened mostly. If you want all of your dreams to come true, do you have to buy, sell, and own everything around the globe? Along the way, Disney has not done right by me.

Through it all, I just wanted to experience a Disney park. What was it about that place that made everyone so happy? Was it actually magical? Before leaving for California, I made a disgusting promise to myself: I would buy any and every souvenir I wanted while in the park. I really love souvenirs.

When we got there (quite early), we sat in traffic to park the car, waited in line to board the shuttle to the park. Through it all though, I had a huge smile on my face. Disney was a mystery to me, and I was about to feel the magic!

When we arrived, I saw the line for tickets...and the price. So far, there was no magic...only anger. I took pictures of the long line thinking, "This is what people don't talk about after returning from their amazing vacation." We got our tickets, lined up for the park, and officially entered Disneyland. At first glance of Main Street, I wasn't all together too impressed. It looked like a really (really) spiffed up version of Wild West City, a "theme park" about the West located in Northern New Jersey. You haven't heard of it? I'm shocked.

But then...wow.

It was actually magical. Immediately I saw a train leaving an old time station and a cart full of people being pulled by a horse down Main Street. While eating a breakfast of pastry, I watched a Disney worker scrub bird poop off of a fake cobblestone! Please read that sentence again. Where was I?! From that moment forward, I embraced it, I reveled in it, I loved it. It was magical, and I felt magical!

On one of my major shopping sprees (remember, I gave myself permission), I saw a book that I regret purchasing on the making of Disneyland. It was a small paperback but filled with pictures and little tidbits about all the original rides and Walt's ideas, opinions, and declarations. My favorite passage was about the Storybook Land ride (also one of my favorite parts of the park). Apparently, the massive Monstro the whale was meant as the exit of a roller coaster, but Walt realized it would be more interesting if people entered Storybook Land through the mouth of the whale, just like Pinnochio. A simple little change like that made all the difference. What kind of mind do you have to have to do something like that?

I loved seeing the old rides and the traces of Walt all over the park. Can you say "Tiki Room?" Best. Attraction. Ever. I wanted to buy one of those...unfortunately, (and suprisingly) not for sale. I thought a bit more about him. Is there anyone out there with the same power and imagination that Walt had? I think so, but then again...all those people are essentially owned by Disney in one way or another: Tim Burton, George Lucas, if a group counts then the Pixar company. They also have something else in common...male.

It's time for another empire builder...even though I officially love Disneyland and want it to continue its massive run of success. I'm not saying it has to be me, but why not? It could be you! Or you! The next Walt Disney is out there...hopefully she won't sell out to the Walt Disney Company. Or maybe she will depending on the economy...but still hold true to her independent values and desire for imagination-creation greatness.