Category Archives: News

MDIAG!’s E3 Coverage – Reach For The Tweets

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The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, begins this week in Los Angeles. It’s an annual tradition for those who are not priviledged members of the press to huddle around their laptops, monitors and iPods in a quest to scarf up the latest announcements and megaton deals from the video game industry. It’s also a time where office productivity in IT departments and technology companies drops big time, we imagine.

We here at MDIAG! are neither priviledged members of the press – not yet, anyway – nor can we afford to have our bosses catch us huddled around our laptops syphoning our employers’ internet bandwidth to watch the big press releases when we have to catch up with those TPS reports. So we just wanted to alert our readers we’ll be covering the show a little differently.

While the Daily Dadgest is on hiatus, and as we try to keep up with the unstoppable landslide of E3 news, your best bet would be to follow MDIAG! on Twitter or subscribe to our bookmark feed on Delicious, as we’ll be tweeting and linking on show happenings throughout the week.

Now, let the show begin!

This Is Really Happening – Dora and SpongeBob Snuggies

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Were you driven to purchase your own Snuggie after those terrifically awful commercials? Well now your kids will look marginally cooler than you while raising the roof and doing the cabbage patch in their very own Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants-branded Snuggie.

We admit, if we didn’t have to worry about peer pressure or blackmail, and could choose a color other than neon blue or pink, we’d probably lounge around MDIAG! HQ in one of these. The fact that our kids can, while sporting their favorite licensed characters, makes us pretty darn jealous.

There’s nothing else we have to add with this story, other than a reminder this is My Dad Is A Geek!, not My Dad Is A Dork.

Read the full press release here, which also includes announcements of Dora and SpongeBob-licensed Bendaroos and Touch N’ Brush hands-free toothpaste dispensers, but we didn’t mention them because they aren’t as easy to make fun of.

Hasbro Toy Shop’s BOGO Going On Now!

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In our opinion, there’s no better toy company than Hasbro. There’s never a trip to our favorite store without checking out the Marvel and Star Wars aisles in search of that elusive Super Hero Squad or Galactic Heroes pack, or (R.I.P.) the latest Mighty Muggs releases. How could you not love the company that releases such beloved toys for our todders?

Well, now there’s more to love. From now until June 20, you can double-up on your kids’ favorites from their geek-worthy collections with HasbroToyShop.com‘s Buy One, Get One Free deal. The terms:

  • Not all toys qualify for the sale, only those in the ‘BOGO Event‘ category
  • Free toy is the same or lesser value, up to a $39.99 value
  • Limit three free items per order

Not only are your favorite brands – Marvel, Star Wars, G.I. Joe – among the items eligible for the sale, but there’s My Little Pony and Littlest Pet Shop items for the princess in your family as well. Heck, pick up a Milton Bradley board game for your next family night!

So what are you waiting for? Start shopping!

HasbroToyShop.com’s BOGO Event

Celebrate SANRIO’s 50th Birthday Starting This Summer

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It would be hard to say SANRIO didn’t have some influence on MDIAG! It’s a given that any self-proclaimed geek with a love of all things Japanese would have, at some point in their lives, “experimented” in the world of Hello Kitty (we’re not admitting a thing…). So it only tickles us in the least when our kids find their own fascination with the cutesy, bizarre world of the pink feline and her friends.

Therefore, if we must, it is our duty as parents to bring happiness and joy to our…kids’…lives by celebrating SANRIO’s 50th anniversary starting this summer with in-store events, co-branded collections and limited edition products. This will also be the first time, outside of SANRIO’s Harmonyland and Puroland theme parks in Japan, where SANRIO families such as Hello Kitty, Sugarbunnies and retro characters including Little Twin Stars, Tuxedosam, and Patty & Jimmy will appear together on merchandising for the months-long event.

For the unabashed fan, they can keep abreast of the latest in limited-edition product offerings and surprise interactive get-togethers and other special anniversary events and contests online via the SANRIO website, Twitter and Facebook. That’s a little more than we may be willing to go through, but we’ve been through worse for our kids…

For full details, read the full press release here.

Leapster Does What iDon’t – FLASH

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Tired of letting your child play with some of the kids apps on your iPhone, only to find out they’ve prank-called everyone in your contacts list? Well, time to take it back, because you’ll soon be able to give them something more age-appropriate in return. LeapFrog today has announced their newest “educational gaming handheld” device, the Leapster Explorer.

On paper, this is an impressive piece of educational tech. First and foremost, it has a high-res finger-touch screen that’s a must-have for kids being raised in a world of iPads and Nintendo DSs. Second, it supports both Flash and 3D graphics, which says to us it will be relatively easy to develop for and support. And third, it’s online, which not only allows kids to play the types of games against their friends they should be playing, it also introduces the ability to download Leaplet Learning Apps for new games and functionality.

The Leapster Explorer also integrates games with LeapWorld, an achievement system which provides LeapWorld tokens for youngins to spend on in-game perks. It will also email parents of recent accomplishments, areas which may need further development and suggest new games and apps based on their playtime. Can this thing babysit, too?

It will be available in stores starting July 15 for a MSRP of $69.99, but can be pre-ordered today via Amazon.com which includes a free Leaplet download.

Read the full press release here.

Celebrate Being A Geeky Dad In Style

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The most excellent TeeFury, which offers different t-shirt designs daily that regularly connect with geeky sensibilities, is getting ready for Father’s Day by recognizing Dad’s superhero strength.

The shirt, designed by Sinclair Moore, was designed because he “didn’t want to spring for a laptop for my dad, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to save loads of money, and abuse my powers to curate this design so I could buy it.” His powers are our treasure, we say.

You can support the designer and father of two, as well as spoil your secret identity to neighbors and friends, by purchasing the t-shirt, available only today, June 5.

TeeFury – Tee Today. Gone Tomorrow.

New Free-To-Play Clone Wars MMO Coming This Fall

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For parents who grew up with the original Star Wars trilogy, it must be strange to think their children are more excited about Ahsoka and an animated Anakin than appreciating just how cool Darth Vader was back in the day. But it’s true, and until Uncle George blesses a new Star Wars movie proper and hands over the reins to someone a little more capable of recapturing the franchise’s magic, we’ll all have to live with images of Star Wars: The Clone Wars characters on pretty much every bedsheet, t-shirt, backpack and lunch box we buy for our kids.

Today, LucasArts will continue to feed this Rancor-sized beast by announcing a new free-to-play MMO for the PC, Clone Wars Adventures, which will be developed and published by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), the makers of Free Realms (and Star Wars Galaxies, but we won’t hold that against them…yet). The announcement promises lots of family-friendly gameplay with a social aspect, so expect kids to go up against their friends in a virtual galaxy far, far away by battling on the ground with their customized lightsabers or in space with their own starfighters. Here’s the description from StarWars.com:

With Clone Wars Adventures a new generation of Star Wars fans can become the next great hero of the Republic and take their rightful place alongside the Jedi, Padawan and Clone Troopers. Players can speed through space in a starfighter, take out waves of battle droids in Tower Defense or test their brains with challenging Droid Programming puzzles. Players can also purchase legendary Star Wars outfits, items and accessories through micro-transactions using Station Cash, SOE’s virtual currency.

Minigames aim to further the virtual experience, and an embedded card game will also be available. Being a family-centric MMO, SOE is thankfully using the same tried-and-true parental settings from Free Realms, such as pre-canned chat and playtime settings.

As with any free-to-play MMO, it’s free until your kid wants the same cool outfits and perks as their friends, at which point we say “welcome to micro-transaction hell”. Still, it sounds like there’s plenty to do for free, and with SOE at the helm it has great pedigree in the online space.

Clone Wars Adventures will be released this Fall for the PC. For more information, check out the announcement on StarWars.com or on the Clone Wars Adventures official site.

Original Toy Story Soundtrack For A Song

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Readers, get ready for the Toy Story 3 onslaught.

Although the new Shrek movie beat out some stiff competition at the box office during the holiday weekend, it’s evident folks were growing a little tired of the ol’ green ogre and his band of fairy tale misfits. On the flipside, be it general public interest or the marketing muscle of Disney, Toy Story 3 is something to get excited about.

And we’re just talking about the parents. The kids are going to go crazy over it, so be prepared.

So, we at MDIAG! have prepared a little checklist for your long car rips to the beach. Did you pack your 12″ super action Buzz Lightyear? Good. Do you have your Toy Story and Toy Story 2 DVDs? Check. Did you get the movie music on your iPhone, iPod or MP3 player of choice? No? Well, Amazon.com has you covered.

Through June, as part of Amazon.com’s generally excellent monthly list of “100 albums for $5 each” deals, the original Toy Story soundtrack is being offered for download on glorious DRM-free MP3 for only $5. That’s a small price to pay to get some satisfied children on a long car ride in return.

MDIAG! is a big proponent of Amazon.com’s MP3 Downloads store, since the format allows near-universal compatibility with media playback devices, computers and other electronics, such as some GPS devices. And because they are MP3, they are DRM-free, so you only have to buy once and you can install it on whatever you like, as many times as you want.

So here’s our checklist. No ruined CDs? Check. Happy kids? Double check.

Original Toy Story Sountrack on MP3 [Amazon.com]

Toys ‘R’ Us Celebrates Toy Story 3, Offers Free Tix

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Looking back at the first half of 2010, it is difficult to say it has been a disappointing year for family movies, with Alice and Wonderland, How To Train Your Dragon and Shrek Forever After showing box office dominance. But coming off a year where we had one quality family movie after another, anything would look pale in comparison

At first glance of the Summer movie schedule, it might appear to be light, but don’t let the perception of a lack of tentpole family films fool you – there really is something to see every week through July, and with the right marketing and word of mouth there’s bound to be a few new franchises born.

If there is one sure thing, however, it’s Toy Story 3. The franchise that not only built Pixar but saved Disney in the process is getting it’s long-awaited follow-up, which was once in development by a new CGI company created by Disney before the Pixar acquisition. And if there is a match made in marketing heaven, it’s Toy Story 3 and Toys ‘R’ Us.

Actually, it’s probably Toy Story 3 and The Disney Store, but we digress…

This summer, walk into your local Toys ‘R’ Us or Babies ‘R’ Us store and you’ll be immediately greeted by Buzz, Woody and the gang with signage and promotion to last throughout the Summer. Both Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us will create specialty boutiques with exclusive toys, room decor and other merchandise to celebrate the return of the Toys. Here’s an MDIAG! important note: Babies ‘R’ Us will be the place to find the Toy Story 3 Imaginext line, for Mommy and Daddy Geek who want to share the excitement of the new film with their toddlers but are just too young to bring to the theaters.

The best part of this promotion? Leading up to the theatrical release of Toy Story 3 on June 18, Toys ‘R’ Us will be offering a free ticket to the movie with a $25 purchase of Toy Story merchandise. So be sure to get your Toy Story toys ahead of the movie – your kids will thank you later in life.

Click here to read the full press release.