Tag: YouTube

Grossery Gang Putrid Power Movie Debuts on YouTube and Fun with Grosseries

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

 The Grossery Gang is at it again, and this time, they’ve released a YouTube-exclusive film to showcase their grossness. In Putrid Power: The Grossery Gang vs. The Clean Team, The Grossery Gang takes on the new evil force known as the Clean Team. With Cheap Town under the threat of being cleaned up for good by the evil Vac Attack and his team of clean freaks, Putrid Pizza, Dodgey Donut and the rest of the gang must band together to fight the power of clean; to save themselves from getting mopped up by the baddies.

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We had fun watching Putrid Power and getting to know the Grosseries’ quirky characters through their video. It’s pretty cool to see the smelly guys come alive, on YouTube no less!

In honor of the 33-minute film release on YouTube, we had the chance to play with The Grossery Gang Putrid Power collectibles, where my guys were pleasantly disgusted by the various Grosseries. Putrid Pizza and Dodgey Donut were just a few of the guys’ favorites with Grub Sub and Crud Cake as smelly seconds. I love how some of the Putrid Power Grossery Gang collectibles have trash-stained Grosseries and shiny stain!

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In a space where girly collectibles and characters seem to occupy most of the shelves and screen, I love seeing that Moose Toys’ Grossery Gang is pretty popular with boys and tweens who appreciate gross humor!

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The Grossery collectibles are popular with my guys; they love creating a storyline and sharing/swapping Grosseries with each other. Beyond Grossery Gang’s collectibles and blind packages, Putrid Power also has action figures for more developed character play! 

Be sure to check out Putrid Power: The Grossery Gang vs. Clean Team on YouTube.

Full disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Product and compensation was provided for this post. As always, opinions on NKT are my own.

 

NYC Vlogger Challenge Week 8

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

It’s my turn once again to host the NYC Vlogger Challenge. We’re at week 8 and my prompts were inspired by Disney Social Media Moms Celebration on the Road, as well as Spring activities coming into play!

My prompts are pretty easy and straight forward. I’m hoping you share some of your favorite Disney World hacks or theme park essentials. If outdoor play is more your speed, tell us about it, we’d love to hear all about it!

 

1. Do you have any favorite Disney World or Land attractions or secret spots? 

2. What are your theme park essentials? Is there something you always bring to a theme park?

3. What are your favorite Spring toys?

4. What are you favorite outdoor games?

5. Does your family like to swim?

 

How can you join the conversation?

Each week, one of us will host the challenge and we ask you to join us on Youtube, Vine, Instagram or your blog with a response video. That’s it! 

Can’t wait to hear your video response to one of the prompts above!



NYC Vlogging Challenge Week 2

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

It’s my turn to host the NYC Vlogging Challenge, and I came up with some prompts that will hopefully continue the conversation we started!

Last week, Divina started the conversation by sharing her prompts over on DancingHotDogs.com. Now it’s my turn to continue the dialogue.

NYC Tri State Vlogging Challenge

 

So, please, join my co-hosts, one of my dearest blogging buds, Divina of DancingHotDogs.com and BrillanteMedia.com

 

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and the lovely Lisa of AtypicalFamilia.com

 

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How can you join the conversation?

Each week, one of us will host the challenge and we ask you to join us on Youtube, Vine, Instagram or your blog with a response video. That’s it! 

 

My vlogging topics for this week are:

1. How do you stay organized?

2. What’s your creative outlet?

3. How do you involve your family in your vlog/blog/social channels?

4. What’s your favorite dessert?

5. What are you most looking forward to this Spring?

 

Film a vlog and link up with us!

 

What to See and Do at Play Fair in NYC + ticket giveaway

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

For the first time ever, kids will be heading to Javits Center in NYC for Play Fair on Saturday and Sunday, February 13-14. Presented by Nickelodeon and Lego, Play Fair will allow kids and families to experience the latest and greatest toys, as well as meet fun characters and YouTube personalities. 

Play Fair, hosted by Toy Industry Association and Leftfield Media, will be taking place alongside of the International Toy Fair, the annual trade show for industry professionals. Because it is a trade show, kids are not allowed to walk the showroom of Toy Fair. Play Fair, however, was designed for kids and families to experience new toys and then some. Hasbro, Mattel, Marvel, Cartoon Network, Crayola, Bandai, Toys R Us and Warner Bros will be onhand at Play Fair showcasing the coolest toys.

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My family will be onsite with me on Sunday to check out all the goodies! Though we get to check out cool new toys regularly, fun experiences like this excite my guys to no end. My 8 year old will likely be in amazement of his favorite YouTubers. While my 4 year old will most likely go nuts over the entire thing! As for me, I can’t wait to let loose and check out the fun. Toy Fair is work for me, so I’m taking videos, tons of photos and taking notes. Play Fair with kids and families will most certainly add a totally different perspective to Toy Fair itself!

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So, here’s what you’ll get to see and do at Play Fair:

•       Check out the new Batmobile from Warner Bros. Pictures’ Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, in theaters March 25, 2016

•       Slide down the exclusive PAW Patrol slide, snap photos with PAW Patrol costume characters Chase, Marshall, Skye and Rubble, and get an exclusive look at the newest PAW Patrol pup, Tracker, who will join the series this fall

•       Join Hasbro for the ultimate lightsaber training session! With the help of the Empire Saber Guild, get a hands-on learning experience about lightsaber forms and techniques

•        Build a LEGO car and race it down a ramp against other LEGO builders

•        Explore the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle tunnels and mimic their favorite Turtle moves with Magic Mirror technology

•        Gross out with an epic booger battle, experience the slimy, gross play of Booger Balls for the first time by picking and flicking them at Booger Ball targets

•       Enjoy the interactive Thomas & Friends experience by Mattel

•       Create their own toy review videos and have chances to win Toys“R”Us gift cards

•       Test out the latest from NERF in the NERF arena

•       Test out the newest Razor rides, like Jetts, the new sparking Heel Wheels, and other awesome Razor rides like the Power Core E90, Crazy Cart and RipSurf

•       Purchase exclusive collectible toys

•       And every attendee will receive a gift bag with toys and fun goodies from event sponsors

 

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Play Fair’s live performances and appearances include:

•       Meet and take photos with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shimmer and Shine, SpongeBob SquarePants, the Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir, Chase and Marshall from PAW Patrol, Dora, Saban’s Power Rangers Dino Super Charge, Peppa Pig, PJ Masks, and more

•       The cast of Nickelodeon’s hit show Game Shakers – Cree Cicchino (Babe), Madisyn Shipman (Kenzie), Thomas Kuc (Hudson), Benjamin Flores Jr. (Triple G), and Kel Mitchell (Double G) – will host a panel on Saturday to debut their new app, Nasty Goats

•       Jon Scieszka, best-selling author behind The Stinky Cheese Man and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, will read from his Frank Einstein science book series

•       All-ages comic creators Art Baltazar, Franco Aureliani, Abby Denson, Dave Roman, Matt Loux, and Misako Rocks! will sketch and sign their books for fans

•       Meet Toys“R”Us mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe, enjoy story time and participate in fun birthday-themed activities

•       Take in episodes of Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors, We Bare Bears, and Teen Titans Go! on a massive movie screen

•       Take photos with Shopkins mascot characters, including Strawberry Kiss and Lippy Lips, and color your favorite Shopkins characters

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•       LEGO Master Builder Erik Varszegi presents insider tips on creating LEGO masterpieces 

•       The girls of Make it Pop will reveal their new fashion doll series on February 14. Join them on the Toys“R”Us stage at 11:30 a.m. for an exclusive interview, live performance and a chance to meet the cast

•       YouTube personalities including DisneyCarToys, Mommy and Gracie Show, and KittiesMama will meet with fans and host toy unboxings live on the Toys“R”Us stage

Buy Tickets

Tickets start at $30 and can be purchased at PlayFairNY.com/tickets Family packs with a small discount are available online as well. Morning sessions run from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and afternoon sessions are open from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

 

Giveaway

And thanks to my friends at KidzVuz, I have a family four pack of tickets for Play Fair to giveaway! Make sure you visit my awesome friends at KidzVuz at booth #156 at Play Fair!

Enter below! Good luck! This giveaway will end on Friday night 2/12 so the winner can be notified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to follow my coverage of Toy Fair from Saturday February 13 to Monday February 15! I’m @jenrab on Twitter, Periscope and Instagram. I’ll have photo and vids up on the Next Kid Thing Facebook page, and I will snap some Snapchat photos too! I’m jen_rab on Snapchat

 

Mail from YouTube: Stampy Cat’s WonderQuest Launch

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

As we returned home from DisneySMMC a few weeks ago, we were treated to a surprise package from our friends at YouTube.  I love the smirk on Biggie’s face as he revealed contents:

It was a signed poster from none other than Stampy Cat! It’s not every day that you get snail mail from your favorite YouTube super cat!

If your kid plays Minecraft as much as everyone else’s, there’s a chance that he or she also knows about StampyCat. In fact, at my house, I swear, my kid watches more StampyCat than he actually plays Minecraft. Don’t get me wrong, if my kid is going to be staring at a screen, I’m glad he’s watching content that I’ve approved and encourages imagination. 

If you’re not on the up and up about Stampy, then you must know that this YouTube channel stars a cat, and overviews the countless ways that Minecraft can be played. According to The Guardian, Stampy’s channel on YouTube has upwards to 5.6 million subscribers and nearly 3.4bn video views. The main audience of this channel are, not surprisingly, children.

The kids are drawn to the funny banter and easy-to-follow gameplay. As if he’s a big brother paving the way through the mines, Stampy is the kid’s virtual buddy and a bonified pop cultural phenomenon.

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With this wild success comes other great ideas. The creator of Stampy Cat, Joseph Garrett, has launched a new second channel called Wonder Quest. Guardian reported that it’s a 12-episode show of the same name that aims to blend education, entertainment and – while still shot within Minecraft – higher production values. Wonder Quest is a partnership with Maker Studios and YouTube is the official distributor.

Tube Filter reported that there will be a supplement animated series to Wonder Quest called I Wonder. The show will feature  Stampy and his friend Wizard Keen further explore the educational topics presented in the flagship series. Both shows will be hosted on the new Wonder Quest channel.

Finally, Garrett’s Side Quest series contains eight episodes of Let’s Play-style videos where Stampy and his friends play games in maps featured in Wonder Quest. Side Quest will be hosted on Garrett’s original Stampylonghead channel, which boasts over 5.6 million subscribers.

After watching an episode or two, I think Stampy is here to stay. I love that this show is scripted and set in the same Minecraft World, and keeps the same funny vibe that kids love. That lovable, fun tone is what keeps the kids engaged, and if that’s what it takes to mesh education with screen time seamlessly, I’m all for it.

 

 

YouTube Launches YouTube Kids App

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

YouTube has launched YouTube Kids, a new free app that’s tailored to deliver carefully-curated content geared to kids and families. This huge move for Google and YouTube was met with excitement and could be regarded as a game-changer. 

YouTube Kids Logo

YouTube is the second largest search engine, the fastest growing video sharing website and has become a staple in our children’s media landscape, so the development for YouTube Kids was an expected and heavily anticipated move from parents and tech enthusiasts alike.

 

YouTube Kids App Icon

 

The new YouTube Kids app will allow kids to explore family-friendly content within safer parameters. With larger images and bold icons, the app features a fun design and easy-to-navigate interface for smaller hands.The search has a voice option, which is perfect for kids who can’t spell or type yet.

YouTube Kids Screenshot

Parents will appreciate the parental controls that will help to safeguard their kids’ usage and content they watch. The timer allows the app to shut down when their window of time is up. If headphones aren’t within reach, the sound settings can be adjusted to turn off background noise or sound effects. If you only want your kids to watch certain videos, you can shut down the search option to limit their ability to search for other videos. And, as with any new version, YouTube has allowed for an option to submit feedback.

 

As for content, YouTube has partnered with many of the most popular content creators that already provide kid-friendly videos. YouTube has aligned with Sesame Street, Thomas the Tank Engine, National Geographic, KidzBop, Play-Doh, among other kid favorites. A few months ago, we got a sneak peek of Furchester Hotel, the new YouTube series from Sesame Street. It’s safe to say, Littles is quite smitten with this cool new series.

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Entertainment and Educational 

I was initially under the impression that YouTube Kids would be more for the preschool set, where cartoons could live freely. After further exploring, I was quite excited to find Biggie’s favorite YT channel and personality, Mr. Stampycat. Oh, Mr. Stampycat…you’ve been so kind to keep my sporty kid with cabin fever entertained this winter! Before discovering Stampycat, Biggie has clicked on way too many inappropriate Minecraft tutorials where F bombs or other inappropriate words were dropped. Another excellent channel that I’m so glad is featured on YT Kids is the Khan Academy. The Khan Academy, themselves, are a game changer in the educational video realm. If your friends are like mine, it seems so many parents are lost by the new educational concepts being implemented, it’s great that kids will be able to get help with their common core math homework thanks to Khan. (Or will they?)

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A few things to note: I did not see an option to create and upload videos to YouTube Kids, which is good. It’s important for younger kids to enlist their parents’ help before uploading any content to YT. I would love to see YT partner with smart sites such as KidzVuz so kids can easily view authentic video reviews. Like bloggers are required, I think video content creators need to disclose products that were provided for review, as well as paid placement.  And speaking of sponsored content, there are ads within videos. I noticed mostly family-friendly advertisements. I know ads make services such as this “free,” and considering the target audience, this is a slippery slope. So I think the ad presence might be my main qualm for an otherwise innovative media app for kids.

YouTube: the ultimate kid distraction

Having spent so much time in the hospital and doctor’s offices for my younger guy, YouTube has always been an invaluable resource. Whenever Littles would have to get the electrodes placed on his head for an EEG, a process that would sometimes take up to an hour because of his physical resistance, we always turn to YouTube. YouTube always has new or different videos that would distract my toddler from the medical procedure du jour.

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After we’ve run out of things to play with in the hospital’s massive playroom, Mother Goose Club and Thomas videos were our only savior. 

With the ability to search for unboxing videos before buying something or how to fix our washing machine, YouTube has already changed life or modern parenting as we know it. For families who have limited media access, free services such as YouTube may be a child’s only exposure to educational video content. The YouTube Kids app will streamline family-friendly content, a measure that any media enthusiast—young or grown up—can appreciate. A big kudos to Google and YouTube for creating something that will undoubtedly be a game changer, and for some, life-changing.

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The free YouTube Kids app is available for download at Google Play and the App Store.

Happy Play-Doh Day + 3 Fun Play-Doh YouTube Channels

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Today marks National Play-Doh day, and with its close timing to back to school season, the iconic dough compound from Hasbro sculpted six schools and students from classic movies and tv shows. From Cher’s plaid back to school outfit from “Clueless” to the Burn Book from “Mean Girls,” to Rydell High’s infamous T-Birds and Pink Ladies, to Mike and Sulley from Monsters University to the lockers from Saved by the Bell and to two memorable scenes from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Play-Doh captured the essence of these classic shows.

 

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Play-Doh on YouTube

We can’t leave all the fun up to Play-Doh on National Play-Doh Day! In case you didn’t already know, the kids love watching kids play on YouTube. This is a thing, people. Some of the highest trafficked channels on YT are toy and play-based! One of the reasons I know this is because my 3 year old Godson is a huge fan of watching Play-Doh on YouTube. When YouTube was created, I bet they never even considered this would become a thing!

 

And in honor of National Play-Doh Day, here’s a trio of channels that have captivated audiences young and old…all in the name of Play-Doh!

 

Surprise Eggs unboxing toys 

These videos give a thorough visual tour of the toys. What I found about these Play-Doh fan channels is that they rarely have a “face” to them.  And, I guess that doesn’t really matter for the kids who just watch for entertainment, rather than research. As a blogger, I personally appreciate the faces behind the content, but that’s me.

 

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Kid Toys TV

This is another unboxing channel that focuses on the product, rather than details of the toy.  This unboxing of Frosting Fun Bakery Playset which was originally published in August and has about 240, 000 views and counting. What’s unique about these videos is that there’s no commentary, just playing and unboxing. The musak gets repetitive, but it’s still cute.

 

 

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DisneyCollector

Perhaps the rockstar of the the Play-Doh YouTube sector, DisneyCollector has garnered billions of viewers on her channel that overviews toys. Billions! This video of the Mega Factory Play-Doh playset has a staggering 25 million views.

 

 

 

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The voice behind Disney Collector is, quite simply a mystery. Many of her video analyze and unbox new toys, including Play-Doh sets. According to Adweek, she has over 3 Billion views. She’s been mentioned by BuzzFeed, New York Times, AdWeek and now NKT 😉  After watching some of her videos, I get the allure. Her voice and video content are equally mesmerizing.

Making Music with Monster Melody Mash

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

What do you get when you mix dancing monsters and fun beats?  Why, an app, of course!

 

 

We’ve been playing with another monster-centric app, or rather, jamming out.  This time, the kid and I have been playing DJ with the Monster Melody App.  Choosing between alien, volcano or classic monsters, players can create endless melodies by tapping the sychronizing monsters. Perfect for budding djs and even the littlest music aficionados, Monster Melody app harnesses music, playful animation and touch-screen technology to create musical goodness.

I know.  More monsters!  I’m on a monster kick lately…or should I say, developers and toy manufacturers are on a monster roll.

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Give Your Heart a Valentine

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

The PBS Kids web property, Fizzy’s Lunch Lab, has launched a fun music video, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

“Give Your Heart a Valentine” is an ode to your actual heart, as in the organ that thumps in your chest. Just like all the interesting concepts that come from Fizzy’s Lunch Lab, the music video combines education and a little bit of fun. This new music video provokes kids to learn the significance of the heart and the benefit of healthy eating decisions.

In addition to all the sweet and lovey fun this week for Valentine’s Day, be sure to check out this video and give a little love to your heart!