A Children's Media Lover's Wish List 2012

Last year's wish list was so successful and really fun to make. I couldn't wait to do it again this year, and I've spent the past few months bookmarking everything from Pinterest, Etsy, Amazon, and random adventures, that I thought might be good for the post. 

This year, I tried to create a mix of fun things that children's media peeps should have in their toolbox, as well as ways to show their love for the field. It does a pretty good of supporting my mission to make this site the official lifestyle blog for people in children's media. 

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Click on the picture for a larger view!

1. This sarcastic mug is a nod to the Trunchbull from Matilda. I can't wait until Matilda the Musical makes its way to NYC so I can get this awesome mug for my desk.

2. Writer's block got you down? Grab a few of these Story Cubes to help you come up with some new ideas and story elements. Also a fun game to play with friends big and small.

3. Going for some special subtlety on New Year's Eve? These Jem earrings are truly outrageous!

4. For the publisher friend who has everything: book fair in a bag created by Sweet and Lovely.

5. Pulled from Jim Henson's Red Book, a journal of his day-to-day musings and activities, Imagination Illustrated should be sitting on your shelf.

6. We preach high production value every day, which Fairie Tale Theatre didn't always have...but these fairy tales have celebrities and whimsical story elements that are sure to capture your child at heart and satisfy your '80s craving. Thanks, Shelley Duvall.

7. Ever wish you could smell like Play Doh? Me too.

8. Just a little something to share your love and appreciation, and they make pretty spectacular party favors: giant super ball in a You're Super! drawstring bag. Made by yours truly and available in my Etsy shop!

9. The Threadless Sesame Street tees are out...and these four are my favorites!

And perhaps the most children's media-worthy gift of all: a tax deductible donation to Children's Media Association!

What's on your wish list?

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A Very Hoboken Halloween

There's something special about Halloween! As kids, it was a treasured holiday in my family and we celebrated with great neighborhood parties. This year, I tried to carry on that tradition in my own way by hosting friends in Hoboken. We carved pumpkins, shared delicious fall treats, and dressed up in fun and ridiculous costumes.

Anuja and I as variations of our childhood faves:
Hipster Minnie Mouse and Brunette Rainbow Brite

Unfortunately, for a lot of Hoboken kids, Halloween will come a few days late due to Hurricane Sandy...so, it's STILL Halloween on iGeneration! In the last moments of electricity earlier this week, I pieced together an inspiration board for a future Halloween party with a Ghostbusters theme.

1. Imagine this imposing, inflatable Stay Puft Marshmallow Man greeting guests
2. Use contact paper or vinyl window cover to create ghostly figures in hallway and bathroom mirrors
3. Hang cheesecloth ghosts from fans of light fixtures, but remember: don't cross the streams!
4. Vinyl Craft Lettering sells these peek-a-boo monster decals for an added spook in the least likely of places
5. Egon loved collecting spores and slime, so don't let your guests leave the party without some
6. Lollipop ghosts are easy to make with white napkins and a piece of ribbon...stick them in a pumpkin for a cute centerpiece
7. Ghost cake pops are delicious and spooky--order some for the party of DIYvia Bakerella
8. Tori Spelling threw the ultimate Ghostbusters party for her son's birthday, take a cue from her great table and green decorations
9. A Stay Puft marshmallow bar might compliment some warm hot chocolate
10. Slimer, Ghostbuster, and Stay Puft cookies via Tori Spelling's awesome party are delicious, color-scheme complimentary, and fun

Whether you've celebrated Halloween already or plan to celebrate this weekend, have fun, be safe, and do it up!

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Guest Blogger: Sarah Wallendjack

In honor of Halloween, Sarah Wallendjack, friend, producer, and President of Children's Media Association, shares all the Mahna Mahna behind her costume tradition.

During this time of year, I am usually surrounded by fleece, furry fabric and foam. You see, this year will mark the 10th year in a row I have been dressing up as a Muppet for Halloween. What can I say, it's fun. I have been a Muppet fan as long as I can remember and the magical world that Jim Henson created has left an impression. Jim's philosophy on life has been wisdom I turn to often, and I now work in kid's television.

My Halloween tradition started the year I helped coordinate a Halloween costume party at the animation studio where I was working. I found an Animal costume in the child's section at Ricky's. The head piece was amazing and I knew with some creative scissor and sewing work, I could adapt the child's costume to fit me. The following year, I found a Swedish Chef costume, in an adult size, and all the sudden I had started a trend.   

I found some great 'pimp' accessories and it was easy to transform as Dr. Teeth from the Electric Mayhem. In following years, I was able to find a Miss Piggy wig and a packaged Fozzie Bear costume. Both were big hits. I crafted a yellow yarn wig to help me transform as Janice, mmm, OK, and I donned a green dress, a statue of liberty head piece and a headband with ping-pong balls to attend a friend's wedding as Kermit the Frog. But after that I had to get a little more creative. I knew I wanted to be Gonzo, but couldn't find a costume that felt quite right, so I got crafty and turned an old baseball hat into Gonzo's head with lots of feathers and felt to recreate his signature nose.  

Last year's desire to be Sam the Eagle required some more out of the box thinking. I crafted the head out of foam and an old blue blanket. I visited my friends at the Puppet Kitchen for some professional support and to help make sure that Sam's eyebrows looked furrowed and American. Another hit at another party.

I count some professional puppeteers as friends who help me perfect the Muppet looks. I study lots of photos to make sure I can deliver on the comedic details that make the Muppets so unique. 

It is a fun tradition and my goal is to one day have enough Muppet costumes to gather my friends and march in the Greenwich Village parade as the Muppet Show. I still have quite a number of Muppets to cross of my list.  At a minimum, I get a pretty great Facebook profile photo :) If you would like to see who I am going to be this year, follow me on Twitter @swallendjack to get the first glimpse.



All photos by S. Wallendjack.
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A Halloween Costume Suggestion For My Unborn Child

I'm not a mom...but if I were and had any say in my child's Halloween costume, they'd be an Apple Genius. Though not completely original, I have yet to see a kid dressed up as such, and I wonder, "Why, hipster parents, have you not seized this opportunity?" I did the Etsy search, and I got nothin.

via

With more kids asking for and owning Apple products than ever before, is the Apple Genius the new superhero? He/she/it brings your beloved devices back from the dead with the power of their brain! Their simplistic uniform and super smarts make them the perfect protagonist.

I think a costume is just the icing on the cake. When will the Apple brand step out of the digital play arena and into more traditional forms of kids' play? Some potential future conversations may sound like this:

-"Playing school, Sally?"
-"Shh! I'm teaching a workshop on iMovie!"

-"Playing handyman, Billy?" 
-"No, I'm repairing Bear's track pad."

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I'm in awe of the new Playmobil Apple Store playset. Though I think it's made with the nerdy adult in mind, it's possible that this kind of Apple store/product inspired play could grow.

So, what do you think? Is the Apple Genius the next superhero?


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#2011ZagsIdeas

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!

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Christmas Tree Craft

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!



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WiCM Holiday Party

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!

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Love, Cassie & Chrissy

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


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A Very Merry Children's Media Wish List

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?

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A Zagarino Holiday Tradition

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.

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Happy Thanksgiving Eve, Charlie Brown!

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

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