Star Farm, Multimedia, & User Generated Content

Chicago, IL August 28, 2007 – Edgar & Ellen® are using their secret weapon, kid-inspired content, to gather broadcasters and licensees around the world. The twin pranksters recently added MBC3 covering 26 new countries in North Africa, Levant and the Gulf, as well as Nickelodeon, the world’s most widely distributed kids’ channel.This fall, Edgar & Ellen will launch via Nicktoons Network in the US and Nickelodeon in the UK, followed by international roll-out throughout Europe to France, Italy, Netherlands and Scandinavia. Beginning in 2008, the series will launch in 17 new territories across Asia Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand Korea and Singapore.

Viewers will finally see just how wildly creative the twins can be as fans inspire 10% of the content and receive full credit. Every episode contains a short-form cartoon that is inspired by their global fans via www.edgarandellen.com. The twins, in the most startling trick of all, break through the screen barrier and address their fellow pranksters by name.

While many companies struggle to incorporate user-generated content, Edgar & Ellen is pioneering a multi-layered approach throughout its storytelling. The mischief-makers reach audiences through multiple platforms simultaneously. Avid fans in scores of countries read the books and create content online

The Edgar & Ellen series will be screened at MipCom Jr. To learn more about the Edgar & Ellen property and international licensing opportunities, please contact Susanna Pollack at susanna.pollack@starfarmproductions.com, for television distribution in Europe, Ed Galton at Cake Entertainment, egalton@cakeentertainment.com, and for US licensing opportunities, Lisa Marks & Associates, Inc. (LMA) at LMarks@LMA-Inc.com .

Background Information

Edgar & Ellen®, for ages 6 to 12, are pranksters extraordinaire who crave outrageous fun. The Edgar & Ellen animated series is produced by Star Farm Productions and Bardel Entertainment in association with YTV. It will air on Nicktoons Network US, YTV Canada, Nickelodeon UK, Nickelodeon International, MBC3, Noga, Nickelodeon NZ, and ABC Kids Australia. This multiple media phenomenon also appears in a six-book series with Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and as a thriving website at www.edgarandellen.com. Enjoy the ride and savor the inevitable consequences when each of Edgar & Ellen’s plan backfires!

Star Farm Productions® creates entertainment the way today’s digital generation consumes it. Star Farm merges user-generated content with mainstream multiple media. Partners include Nickelodeon International, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Scholastic®, Activision®, Mattel® and other global leaders in the family market.

- Star Farm Press Release 

So yeah, we’ve kinda found a way a unique way to allow kids the opportunity to create new content for E&E through inspiration.

And no– we’re not taking the Disney High School Musical UGC-incorperation route. Disney had it’s viewers decide which slogan was going to appear on Corbin Bleu’s t-shirt, or etc. < The kind of stuff that doesn’t actually AFFECT the plot of the show.

And no– we’re not taking the brilliant plot points from Nickelodeon’s iCarly. iCarly will have viewers submit videos for Carly’s podcast. But again– from what we’ve seen, these UGC videos do not actually affect the plot more than being a really cool opportunity for kids to be on TV.

Instead– E&E fans dreamed up ideal plot points and questions they’d like to see the staff at EEHQ tackle. In the episodes– you’ll see little brains pop up with the fan’s first name and age (yay). Some fans even gave us design ideas for the title cards! What’s unique is that Star Farm allowed kids to work WITHIN the system– blending quality UGC with quality Professionals to create the best possible form of entertainment.

After all– who knows best about their entertainment wish-lists than the kids/users/fans themselves?! Lurve it.

Stardoll aiming to have as many users as stars, or dolls.

Stardoll announced yesterday that it had reached ten million registered members since its launch a year ago. With six million monthly uniques, 94% of whom are are teen and tween girls, Stardoll is leading Comscore’s rankings in the 9-17 female demographic. We spoke with CEO Mattias Miksche in July to discuss the importance of avatars versus virtual worlds, and he emphasized the importance of identity and realism over immersiveness. However, Stardolls is working on new ways to expand the platform, allowing the users’ creations to inhabit multiple rooms and be transported around the site. With worlds like BarbieGirls.com growing at an even faster rate in the same demographic, it will be interesting to see whether the world or the avatar wins out.

Virtual Worlds News: Stardoll Hits Ten Million

Well done, Stardoll!  It actually reminds me a lot of girlsense.com too.  And the Doll Emporium avatar community as well.

< Dig my Stardoll avatar?  LOL.  I’ve also added the full size (plus outfit, thank you) to my IZZY’S AVATARS page.   You can see how avatar sites are trying to do EXACTLY what CEO Mattias Miksche mentioned above– trying to make avatars look as REAL as possible.  Which goes back to my Doppleganger/LowerEastSide/GoogleEarth/secondlife theory– soon we’ll all be shut ins, shopping down the street with our avatars instead doing the bodily work ourselves.

There’s this great quote, “If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger.”  -Frank Lloyd Wright

Anyway… and for you safety concious of Stardoll. I’ve said this before, but it’s always good to pimp the best parts of youth websites:

Stardoll efforts

Stardoll.com is always working on that you should feel safe and secure at Stardoll.com. We are continuously moderating the site and we have several filters in place to avoid bad naming and bad language. Anyone that
breaks the Stardoll one-stop rules will be expelled. Please don’t hesitate to contact our moderators at Stardoll if you notice anything that disturbs you or worries you!Stardoll is automatically moderated 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

http://www.stardoll.com/en/about/sections.php?section=rulesAndSafety

Blogged with Flock

Noteworthy: Yo Gabba Gabba

Elijah Wood Stars in Scariest Puppetmaster Sequel Yet

This is just… unbelievable. Move over Saw IV and Hostel, take a seat Eli Roth, because there’s a new horror show in town that will cause you to grab two shishkebab skewers, pluck your eyes out of your head, grill em on a BBQ, and shove em into some pita bread falafel stizz. And it’s name is Yo Gabba Gabba!, which is alien for “Please Get These Images Out of My Head!” In today’s installment, our favorite miniaturized adorableness man, Elijah Wood, shows up on set to teach these devil worshipping mascots how to do the latest dance craze… The Puppetmaster.

Best Week Ever » Blog Archive » Elijah Wood Stars in Scariest Puppetmaster Sequel Yet

Forgive the BWE review (I thought it was hilarious, because indeed Elijah, darling, this is frightening).

But what is Yo Gabba Gabba? It’s a show recently acquired by Nick Jr. Thanks to Star Farm, I had the pleasure of viewing this wonky, absurd GEM of a program last year.

Yo Gabba Gabba! is a fun live-action program for young children ages 1 and up. Join our host DJ Lance Rock as he introduces us to friendly toy monsters in a magical land full of music, dance, colorful cartoons and simple life lessons that will get you and your children up off the floor to learn and dance along. Muno, the red cyclops, Foofa the pink flower bubble, Brobee the green little one, Toodee the blue cat-dragon, and Plex the robot are ready to sing, play and teach whenever you’re ready. Just say the magic words! YO GABBA GABBA!!

http://www.yogabbagabba.com/oldsite/about.html

Want more info? Check out their wikipedia page with actors & themes (which crack me up… deep themes such as “happy”, lol).

It’s hilarious– the kind of show that will appeal to ANY growing up with TV. Why? Because it’s like HR Puffinstuff and the Electric Company and Sesame Street all mashed together. It’s comedy for adults, yet completely valid for kids… like a mockucational program. (Mockucational coined by yours truly, lolz).

In a day & age when programing gets SO loaded with BIG lessons (heavy loaded lessons & huge adventures), it’s great to see a program surface that doesn’t take it self so seriously, and actually allows kids to enjoy themselves a bit, while still eyeballing the basics. Even Blue’s CluesBlue’s Clues fan… but once they switched Steve for Joey, I had to grow up and move on, le sigh). This is straight up classic Sesame Street– like HENSON days SS. And we all know I view Henson to be a mighty deity. Indeed.

Seriously… you CANNOT tell me this that THIS doesn’t bring a smile to your face:

What’s their online existence like? Well, typical fare for the Nick Jr plate. A handful of simple games, some videos to watch, coloring pages– and my PERSONAL favorite… the iron on for a t-shirt. Once I get Iron On paper for the printer, I’m so making myself one!!!

Anyway– take a look and tell me what you think (there are already home vids of kids singing this! Kids are great- they’re so brilliantly weird)! In the mean time, watch the opening sequence for the show (or go to youtube and take a gander at all the YGG vids they have there).

technorati tags:nickelodeon, nickjr, television, entertainment, children, youth, kids, yogabbagabba

Blogged with Flock

Cartoon Network is Clever and Gaming Rules, man!

The folks at CartoonNetwork.com
are celebrating recent metrics from Nielsen/NetRatings that confirm the
site achieved an all-time high as visitors to the site were spending an
average of 77 minutes per session.

The site, which streams full-length eps and shorter clips of CN shows and hosts games based on popular properties like Ben 10 and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, ranked 26th among all US domains for total time spent in July. And the new record of 77 minutes per person beats the site’s previous high mark of 71 minutes set in 2004.

KidScreen Magazine - Cartoonnetwork.com keeps getting stickier

<insert proud baby-momma voice & pinching cheeks> Who knows their demographic? Who knows their demowemographic? <end voice>

Lol… seriously though– smart smart smart. Who does Cartoon Network target the most? Boys. Tween. Boys.

From my observations: what do tween boys do the MOST on the web? GAMES. Girls tend to lean much more towards content. Boys? Gamers.

Plus– the types of shows that Cartoon Network provides move EASILY into gaming… like Naruto/YuGiOh/Pokemon (card gaming), Teen Titans/Storm Hawks/Batman/PowerPuffGirls (adventure/hero gaming), and Dexters Lab/My Gym Partner’s a Monkey/ The Grim adventures (goofy/prob solve/random).

The site really DOESN’T offer community. They don’t really need it. Why? Because they’re paying attention to their target demographic and giving them exactly what they want– gaming.

Sure, Nick.com is awesome and provides community AND gaming… but it’s the difference of going to a specialized spot (easy to find games, and loads of them concentrated in awesomeness), to going to a free-for-all-of-everything (need to dig a bit to get what you want, almost distracting). Personal choices, ya know? Can’t all be a walmart/target.

I’m not saying that Cartoon Network is doing it any BETTER than anyone else– I just really enjoy the fact that they didn’t jump on the “community” bandwagon so fast. They’re listening to their audience. They know what will keep the kids on the site (seriously– 77 minutes? Nice).

Plus… for those tater tots looking for some mock-community action, they can go to Foster’s Big Fat House Party, where they can make their imaginary friend (mine is Hubrink) and go on missions throughout the Fosters House. They can’t really talk to each other (you forget this though, because you can converse with the characters), but it’s not really about roaming & meeting people like Nicktropolis. It’s about gaming & living in the content. It’s about play patterns, not social patterns.

HOWEVER!!! In the future they’ll be coming out with (dun dun duuuuuunnnn) FUSIONFALL– an MMORG mixing heavy gaming, cartoon content (expanding tv story lines to the web– like Disney did with Kingdom of Hearts for the console and/or Toontown for the net). I’m VERY excited about this. I can’t wait to see what the quality levels are– not to mention the safety & the PR/Marketing machine for it. I’m drooling just thinking about it. Learning never ends, folks.

What else am I excited for?

DISNEY’S UPCOMING MMORG: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN ONLINE!! Oh man oh man oh man. I’m totally making my pirate a viking. You’ll have to pry me away from that with the jaws of life. Word on the street is that it will be present THIS FALL. Fingers crossed that the production is moving swiftly and accurately.

Did you know that you can play a “Pirates of the Caribbean Multiplayer“ game on your mobile (Verizon) phone? Well you can. I’ve not played. I don’t have verizon. Poo. But sounds like a fun idea.

technorati tags:Gaming, Pirates, Disney, Nickelodeon, CartoonNetwork, Cartoon, Network, FusionFall, Online, Youth

Blogged with Flock

Remaking the Classics

Does one of cinema’s most iconic movies of all time need a revision? Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow think so. The companies plan to revisit The Wizard of Oz as filtered through the mind of famed comic book creator Todd McFarlane. Screenwriter Josh Olson will help turn McFarlane’s dark, edgy take on the Frank L. Baum classic into a big-screen extravaganza. McFarlane’s Twisted Land of Oz line of collectible action figures will serve as inspiration, but Olson wants to stay in PG territory, making a film that’s closer in tone to the latest Harry Potter instalment than a psychological thriller such as Seven.The project is in the early stages of development, so details, including the film’s launch date, have not been released.

KidScreen Magazine - If I only had a brain: Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow makeover Oz

Meh. Remakes. Le Sighish.

There seem to be 3 types of classic remakes:

BIGGER!

Bigger REALLY means more money/cash flow dumped into production & marketing. The PR stunts are big (crazy relationships/crisis-es on set). The actor names are BIG. The amount of CGI is THROUGH THE ROOF.

Remaking several blockbuster-esque movies almost REQUIRES the need to be BIGGER. Why? Because it’s got to STOMP the memory of the other remake out of your head. It has it’s very self to contend with. “Forget that old, musty, used remake, and take a look at ME– Bigger, brighter, sassier, hotter! Ignore the fact I’m now missing my original glory… we’ll make it up to you with unbelievable stunts from our computer geniuses! And you won’t even mind if they don’t make sense with the plot, we promise!”

Examples? King Kong, Godzilla, Poseidon Adventure, TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), War of the Worlds (!!), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (!!)

Hotter!

“OMG! That guy is so haught right now. Haaaaught.” Or “That chick is SOOO Hollywood’s IT girl!” Put them in a movie that EVERYONE loves, make them the relate-able “hot” character, and that totally equals INSTANT glory. Add a few hot scenes with some hot clothing… and BAM– that’s a great remake. What I was realizing from this list– most of “hot” remakes are geared towards the younger sort. They’re “family fun” ish. Hmmm.

Hair Spray, Freaky Friday, Ocean’s 11, Herbie, Cheaper by the Dozen, The Pink Panther, The Haunting, Cape Fear, and– i REALLY hate to say it because it was superbly done and gorgeous: Pride & Prejudice

Creepier!

Basically ALL horror remakes are in competition with each other and other remakes… who can achieve the most realistic gore? Who can out creep-i-fy the best? Who uses the best animatronics, make-up, and CGI to make realistic freak sessions?

Big names: Halloween, Friday the 13th, House on Haunted Hill, Dracula (and all it’s various versions of remakes), Frankenstein, etc.

But I find it interesting that now– people are tossing fairy tales into the creepy blockbuster category.

Marilyn Manson’s Alice in Wonderland
MacFarlane’s Wizard of Oz.

Why the Oz? I understand that there is a cult following in the creeptastic toys– and where there is a cult following, there are consumers, and where there are consumers there are profits. But weren’t we tortured ENOUGH in youth with the Return to Oz? Seriously. Those wheely guys that protected the Queen with a Thousand Heads gave me nightmares for AGES. And THAT movie was for kids!!!

Why RE: the MAKE?

I’m sorry. I love love love Johnny Depp. Cry Baby is one of my all time favorites (Where is Hatchet Face today?). But his version of Mr. Wonka in Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory just didn’t compare to Gene Wilder’s. Neither did the OVER THE TOP special affects, or the confusing Oompa Loompas (and they’re not-so-great songs). I mean– there were good moments, like after the faces melted off the singing robots… when Johnny just clapped and clapped, where I thought “great :)”. But all in all, He just wasn’t Wonka to me. The Blessed Genius, Roald Dahl, would probably disagree wholeheartedly– as he had issues with the 70’s version AND his wife gave sign off on this version.

My problem? Mr. Burton solved all the answers. Why was Wonka so weird/creepy? What was Wonka’s youth like? How did he get the Oompa Loompas? What did their home land look like? What’s a Snozwanger? What happens to Charlie, his family, and Mr. Wonka after the elevator?

Boo! We all grew up with questions about that movie… and Mr. Burton answered them for us. And that makes me sad.

Perhaps that’s what remakes are? Uber Fans answering their OWN questions on behalf of the world’s curiosity. Remakes are no longer about the actual ORIGIN story. No longer the first breath of content. REMAKES are interpretations by fans who needed closure on discrepancies.

A theory? Yes, but very arguable.

Why? Because on the flipside, there are almost IDENTICAL remakes, changed to fit the talent– this more or less is the “hotter” category. No real questions to be answered, and no one really cares… it’s a relatively simple idea, beef it up with hotness, and make people NOT want the taste of the burger, so much as it’s delicious aesthetic-ness. I could have cared LESS about the Herbie remake– I just wanted to see “it girl” Lindsay Lohan act, straight off her success with “Mean Girls”. Not to mention the LEBOUF.

Ready– Here’s an example of blending both the Director’s interpretation and the HAUGHTNESS factor:

With the movie “Pride & Prejudice” it was more about seeing someone ELSE’S interpretation of breaking my heart with Jane Austen inspired love stories. It’s sticking a new brand of talent haughtness into well-worn roles, finding a NEW way to break my heart with an age-old tale. Make me love these two actors as much as I love the characters from the story. Make me relive that story and cry all over again, but in a prettier, bigger, fantastic way.

To the Nitty Gritty

I HATE scary movies. I do. Especially movies that threaten the core appreciation for the tales I grew up on… BUT, I’ll still go see these remakes. Why? Well…

A. Talent: Marilyn Manson is an enigma. I’m fascinated by this “gross goth” singer/director/visionaries love for an age-old fairy tale. Who will he have playing Alice? Who are the other actors/actresses?

B. The content transcending: the toys are a cult fave… and they leave the mind reeling– what would possess someone to freakify The Wizard of Oz like that? More enigmas! What will happen to the content of the story? How will he make it creepy/sexy (like the toys) and STILL achieve a kids viewing rating?

C. Interpretations: I love folklore– the sharing of tales from one person to another. Perspective & content. How will THIS version live in comparison to other versions? How will it play out? Will it lead to OTHER remakes?

I guess… really… with remakes– only time will tell.

p.s. there is yet another version of a remake I didn’t get into this time: the “inspired” remake… movies with the heart of the remake buried within new content. Ex. Ten Things I hate About You (Taming of the Shrew), O (Othello), Clueless (Emma), Sydney White (Snow White).

Blogged with Flock

Tagged: 8 Random Things

Here are the rules I must follow:

• Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
• People who are tagged need to write their own post about their eight things and post these rules.
• At the end of your post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
• Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Here we go (better late than never…).  8 random things about me:

1. My Desk looks like Toys’R'Us
2. I’m nigh-on obsessed with Mike Myers.  He’s been my hero since I was 10 (1989 he started on SNL)
3. I’m the Oldest of two daughters.
4. My drink of choice is Scotch (followed closely by Sake)
5. I have written 4 novels, each over 200 page count for the YA audience, and have not sent ONE of them to a publisher (I can’t seem to let go).
6. I’ve been a HUGE Damien Rice fan since 2002 (when he first got on the radio in the UK, while I was living there), and been a Weezer fan since 1993 (I’ve gone through 4 copies of the Blue album because I’ve read them too many times)
7. I have an unexplainable patch of freckles on the inner part of my left calf.
8. My grandmother is a leprechaun and my grandfather is a James Dean cowboy.

So now, by the very rules, I must tag others– Sara, Anastasia, Amy, Henry, Shea, Sally, Noah, and Colleen!

Blogged with Flock

Who raised you? (on television)

First of all- I must say… I had GREAT parents. Raised me brilliantly, if I do say so myself.

But I realized (for the 100th time) the other day, while watching Nick at Night, that Dr. Huxtable and Mrs. Claire Huxtable feel awful close to being my TV family… if not my aunt & uncle.

Weird right?

I was watching the Episode where it’s Dr. Heathcliff’s mother’s birthday, so they have Olivia singing. It’s the same episode where Rudy and her friends lie to go to a silly 16+ club to watch their celeb-u-crush sing. I kinda realized– I grew up with Rudy. I think we’re the same age? I learned TONS of rough life/family lessons from Bill Cosby.

Like: Don’t Drink (thanks Vanessa & the apple juice chugging game), family is important (Sandra & Denise family continuously living with the Huxtables, despite Heathcliff’s ill feeling, he loves them regardless), Apartments & independent living = expensive (Thanks Theo), Growing boobs doesn’t come from mail-order medicine (Thanks Rudy), Even the quiet kids are hilarious (thanks chubby friend of Rudy), anniversary & birthday gifts aren’t always things you can buy but also the love & time you put into expressing your appreciation, You can eat the center of a cake by cutting out the middle/filling it with paper towel/covering icing (Thanks Dr. H & Olivia), soapy hallways make GREAT slip-n-slides (thanks College Theo), it’s okay to have friend fights during sleep overs (thanks Rudy), Scary teachers can be the best ones (thanks Theo), Culture is inspiring and fun!

I learned to appreciate Jazz. I saw a unique perspective of African American family culture (all the heritage & art worked in the show). More than anything– the way in which Mr. & Mrs. Huxtable ALWAYS worked together in the HEIGHT of respect & class & love– for everyone. Everything they did in parenting was fresh and well meaning and positive.

I feel strongly for these IMAGINARY folks.

When thinking about who ELSE raised me on television– I think of the Seavers (Growing Pains), the Bradys (Brady Bunch), the Tanners (Full House), the Keatons (Family Ties), the Arnolds (Wonder Years), the Taylors (Home Improvement; albeit I was in college), and Mr. Belvidere (yes, even the butler). Punky Brewster and My Two Dads (and, a hate-to-admit-i-sigh, Blossom) were HUGE influences as well– showing me it was FUN and OKAY to be creatively unique– that it was OKAY to be a goofy, fun-loving girl and to do so didn’t necessarily mean I was a “tom boy”. I was me. Punky-defined, but me.

They pop up in my head now, these families & TV influences– helping me associate various problems to experiences… granted, not MY experiences, but better have the influence of a pretend interaction than nothing to draw from at all.

Again, my family did a great job– but it’s ONE family with ONE set of experiences. And so these family shows introduced other ways of doing things that I would not be privvy to.

So here’s my question… and the WHOLE POINT of this blog topic– who is raising YOUR children on television? Can you think of 5 TV families your kids might be associated with to draw from? Now try to think of APPROPRIATE TV families on MAJOR television stations… How many can you think of now? Television DOES influence children. It does. We may not like to admit it– we may avoid admitting it… but it’s the truth.

Look at how teens have taken to Laguna Beach and My Super Sweet Sixteen. Look at how Bratz dolls and The Pussycat Dolls have affected the sexy-levels of youth.

When I was young– I watched Cheers, Empty Nest, Sisters, ER, CHIPS, Roseanne, Alf, Three’s Company, etc > all shows that had adult themes. They may have put alternative notions into my brain– but those notions would have come sooner or later anyway (thanks school, peer-pressure, and youth-bubble-popping). They were dramas, and Dramas have a way of feeling extraordinarily unreal– or, not unreal, but DISTANT. And they were ALWAYS poo-poo’ed by what I learned from MY family and MY TV Families.

In this day & age where Sex in television seems to be everywhere, and where ‘risque’ behavior is peppered throughout all family television shows… Who is raising your children in media? Do you know what your kids are watching? Do you know who is influencing them?

The “influence” is going to happen– that is, unless you yank that boob-tube out of your house completely.  It’s not necessarily BAD either (I mean– I’m making a living out of what I got from TV and I LOVE my job).  Be curious, find highlights, take interest.  It’s kinda exciting to see what kids are gravitating to– where they’re learning certain things– what they enjoy.

Aside from the bigger question– I would LOVE to hear who RAISED YOU on TV, or in Books, etc. So feel free to leave your alternative families in the comments

LONG LIVE THE HUXTABLES!

Debut Virtual World: bebratz.com begot MyePets.com

MyePets.com™ is the place where you get to play with a MyePets™ pet in an exciting virtual world! MyePets believe in true friendship, accepting others and above all being true to yourself!

When you join MyePets.com you can adopt your own MyePets pet and take care of them, keeping them happy and healthy, decorate their house, and interact with other MyePets and much more!

You become a member of MyePets.com after you purchase a MyePets.com plush toy and use the secret code that comes with your MyePets pet. The code will let you adopt your very own MyePets pet and let you join in
the online fun!

To view MyePets.com packages online go to our About MyePets section. MyePets.com packages and products can be found at your local retailer. Please check our Where To Buy for a list of retailers.

http://www.myepets.com/member.aspx

Well… Bratz may have questionable attire-choices, and they may lean towards the bratty side of life… but at least they’re in support of Rescue Pets– yet another toy line from MGA Entertainment, Inc.

MyePets.com is yet another “buy the toy, get the code, come explore” virtual experience for children. It’s targeted for ages 4+

Curious about their safety measures? Check out MGA Entertainment’s Privacy Policy where it says:

For Website visitors under 18 years of age, MGA has implemented additional steps to safeguard their privacy. For Website visitors ages 14-17, MGA will notify a parent or legal guardian (each, a “Parent”),
by e-mail, to inform them that the teen visitor is electing to provide personal information to MGA. For children 13 years or younger, MGA will collect and keep personal information only with a Parent’s verified consent, or that has been provided by a Parent, after a delayed e-mail
notification, or in aggregated form that is not linked to any personal information or identifiers (for example, 50% of girls under age 13 like the color pink).

So Parents– they’ll give you a heads up for anyone under 18, but the parent HAS to approve the U13 set, which is great. It’s good to see MGA Entertainment break up the age groups for minors and actually PAY proper attention to their teen set. I’m sure teens are too excited about that– but then again… with such a LARGE barrier of entry (buy this $30 dollar toy for a code), it seems kinda strange for a teen to be interested in gaining access.

I know I’ve said the opposit with barbiegirls.com– Barbie’s open registration (not needing to immediately buy to play), they’re inviting web-wanderers, and they’re inviting their alumni fans to continue their brand evangelism later in life. Bratz/RescuePets/MGA seem to have made the decision to ONLY engage their doll/toy-playpattern-users (aka their direct target audience).

FYI Parents, if you take a closer look at that privacy policy, you might also notice that the site collectings information about you– as a user. To be blunt, here’s some of the info:

information might include the Website pages that you visited, the type of browser you use (e.g., Netscape or Internet Explorer), the level of encryption that your web browser supports, the type of operating system you use (e.g., Windows XP or Mac OS), the name of your Internet service provider (e.g., America Online, Earthlink), the query that you entered into a search engine via a website or which led you to the Website, and other types of “click stream” data.

Why? You might ask:

[MGA Entertainment websites] use this anonymous or non-personal information for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, as well as for technical, research and analytical purposes, including for instance, to rate and improve the design and content of the Website and to enable us to personalize your experience at BRATZ.com. We may also use this information in the aggregate to analyze how the Website is used and to offer you products, services, promotions, sweepstakes and contests.

MOST sites do this. Especially if you download a browser bar (like Zwinktropolis, the VW for teens, NOT U13). From a Brand perspective– this info they gather helps to make their products better… BUT you should be made aware of the collection. Not everyone reads privacy policies these days

How about safety & chat:

MGA will require verified Parent consent for the collection of any personal information from children 13 years and younger. For children 13 years and younger, the user account is controlled by a Parent user name and password, so that the Parent will be aware of any changes that are made to the account. Minors ages 14-17 will have their own user name and password but Parents will be notified via e-mail when the minor registers for the account.

Open Chat is NOT recommended for children 13 years and younger. Verified Parental consent is required for children 13 and younger to use any chat function except for chat that uses preprogrammed words and phrases, such as ClickChat. Parents of children 13 and younger will be able to, at any time, disable or request termination of chat privileges for their child, other than ClickChat or other forms of preprogrammed chat. Parents of minors ages 14-17 will be notified by e-mail if a teen registers for chat privileges. No Parent consent or notice is required for the basic version of chat that uses only pre-programmed words and phrases.

Sadly, there isn’t any information other than the mention of “filters” to describe their moderation methods. Sigh.

I think the last thing I have to say about the debut of this new site is this:

Does it seem odd that most of MGA’s properties strongly resemble OTHER properties? Like…say… The Littlest Pet Shop (which I absolutely LOVE) and Strawberry Shortcake (why did they have to go an “update” her? I miss the old SS!). I dunno. I mean– this happens all the time in toys and cartoons. Successful ideas breed ideas with sudden similarities. The last property listed on the MGA Entertainment website list (at the bottom of bratz, bebratz, bratzlilangels, rescuepets, and MyePets is: Yummi-land.com, which is like a mix between the game Candy Land and Strawberry Shortcake. Gotta wonder if they’ll push that property forward with the buy+play online experience to help it gain notice? You just never know.

technorati tags:kids, youth, virtual, world, virtualworld, toys, games, bratz, MyePets, RescuePets

Off Topic: For Those Artistic Types?

31 days left to enter! Official Rules: With equal jabs at beauty & brutality, Chicago’s Sally is bound for greatness once their new opus, Long Live the New Flesh, hits the shelves! We have 10 of em, signed, especially for you! Feeling lucky?sallymusic.com

Threadless T-Shirts - Loves Threadless Competitions and Promotions

My sister’s ROCKIN’ band Sally is featured as a contest on THREADLESS!!!  That’s pretty wicked cool.

Check out their band, check out Threadless, yay.

technorati tags:Sally, Bands, Music, Threadless, Contests, Sallymusic, Design, Art, T-shirts

Lightbulb!! Schools + Social Networking.

n Totally Wired, I report on the challenges of the filter/block/ban approach. You end up filtering sites you actually need, teens can hack through blocks, and schools and libraries end up blocking or banning access to technologies low-income students may not be able to experience at home. Most importantly, you miss out on the opportunity to teach kids how to use the internet safely and responsibly as well as how to be media literate and information literate. I understand that it’s easier just to remove the temptation for teens to misuse this technology at school, and that educators are already swamped just trying to teach a core curriculum, meet standards and raise test scores. The reality is that by not engaging with students around these technologies, we are abandoning them to navigate the internet on their own with their peers instead of being trusted guides and mentors.

Totally Wired

Anastasia, esteemed author of Totally Wired (I’ve TWO copies… where’s yours people? p.s. Thanks Joi Podgorny), wrote a great post about social networking/communities on her blog. Last week I wrote an extensive blog entry about it myself…

I poo pooed (yes, I just said poo pooed) the majority of social networking in school mainly because I felt like it was out of place. Sure… a month-long UNIT about social networking & safety, etc, could be worked in… but i didn’t see WHY kids should be chatting in their myfacebo (I should totally TM that, lolz) accounts during school hours. Seems like there is SO MUCH MORE they need to be concentrating on then who said what in so-in-so’s comments. Not to mention schools can BARELY deal with the social consequences of online-bickering and bullying as it is (the whole “whose responsibility is this?” question between parents, teachers, public, government, and school boards).

Before, I brought up the idea of using social networks for social change– ex change.org, invisiblechildren.com, etc. Empowerment and education through worldly social exchange. Promoting new technology and peer-created social changes. Contributing to the moral fiber of maluble youth. …basically Gore’s MTV initiative or MacArthur Foundations constant adventures. THAT to me makes a heck of a lot more sense, right?

Well. Anastasia, and her brilliance, pointed out some very important aspects of social networking & school.

1. Why, David, are you trying to BEAT the Giant, when you can befriend him and show him “the light”… no arm twisting or brow beating. Guide. Inspire. Teach from WITHIN social networks and education. Guide the course of youth interactions WHILE they’re walking the path.

2. Izzy, Izzy, Izzy… what is this, elitism? DOH. She’s right in pointing out that NOT EVERYONE has the benefit of a lappy or a compcomp at home… and even then, how many have linkage to the internet? The people who need the web the MOST just might be those who are disadvantaged at home regarding the lack of ability. Not only does it leave them out of the social loop at school, it also puts them at a HUGE disadvantage in their tech-abilities and web-street-smarts. Zoinks.

Having said both… how do we manage to introduce social networking geniosity (i love that mashed word) with edu-ma-cation… while still avoiding the extra lump of work for teachers (reallocating much needed classroom lessons of an ulterior subject) and avoiding the cyber-social-bully-ball in study hour (when they’re invading the net for all purposes BUT studying)?

Quandary, quandary, quandary. Something to ponder and play with. Explore and debate.

in the mean time… has anyone considered before/after school class?

Now, now, hold that groan. Suck in that sigh. I’m more or less offering a wee idea. Poo poo if you wish, as thats what poo pooing is for. Here’s my suggestion:

Has anyone approached junior college and colleges for assistance? As someone who went through the college to be a teacher– I/We/They are ALWAYS seeking more opportunities to get in their internship hours… and WHAT better way to get young teachers their hours than offering after-school opportunities to run social networking/computer savvy classes for teens/tweens… heck, why not even through parents in there too? (Separate from the tater tots, of course)

Here’s my thinking

1. Student Teachers are looking for intern hours, credit, experience (etc)

2. Student Teachers are looking for resume additions

3. Student Teachers are looking for hands on experience running programs for youth

4. WE (the public) need future teachers to UNDERSTAND and EMBRACE the rapidly growing world online

5. We (the public) need future teachers to engage in social networking programs to better understand the existence of youth in this Goliath of an instant-gratification-medium

6. We (the public) need people to help GUIDE our youth in their social networking, web-based wanderings…

7. Youth need to see the opportunities online that are meant to empower, engage, and inspire

8. Youth will be engaging themselves in social networking in an APPROPRIATE environment (instead of during class, or study hall– when education should be at the advantage over personal satisfaction)

9. Teachers are not overloaded with more hours, more work

10. Parents can receive education, understanding of the web to better understand their children and the importance of the net.

11. HECK… no community college or university  sporting teachers in the area???  See if you can get some tech guys in school.  Have them come from their uni and give a UNIQUE education of web wanderings.

…Anyway… that’s my momentary light bulb.

Questions, comments, poo pooings? Leave ‘em in the comments. They’d be MUCH appreciated.

technorati tags:college, teachers, internet, tech, education, social, networking, socialnetworking, youth, facebook, myspace, bebo, ypulse, student