Posts from — June 2008

My apologies that it’s been so long since my last Disney Princess post. With all the news about recalls, BPA and The Baby Borrowers, I guess I got distracted. So anyway, let me resume the Disney Princess discussion with one of my all-time personal favorites, Cinderella. The movie Cinderella is a classic rags-to-riches tale, in which the long-suffering but hardworking and never-complaining girl is finally rewarded by marrying a prince and escaping her awful life. It’s also chock-full of catchy songs like Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, so it remains a perennial favorite that will undoubtedly be requested at some point by the little girls in your life. Cinderella is also a key part of most Disney Princess-branded merchandise like Disney Princess bedding, so you will most likely become very familiar with her face.

Like the other Disney Princesses, she has parental issues. Her mom died early on and her dad remarried a woman with two daughters from a previous marriage, which was fine and dandy until her dad died and her step-mother revealed her truly evil nature. Cinderella becomes a slave to the step-mother and step-sisters, basically confined to the house by the endless list of chores they set for her. Luckily, Cinderella doesn’t seem to be too effective of a housekeeper, or otherwise she may have exterminated the mice that later go on to help her land the prince. Instead, she talks to the mice and birds and other animals, which are pretty much her only friends.

At some point, the King announces he wants to find a bride for his son the Prince, and so there is going to be a big ball at which all the eligible young bachelorettes in the kingdom can meet said prince. Cinderella of course wants to go but her stepmother wants one of her biological daughters to marry the prince, so they sabotage Cinderella’s dress before heading to the ball. But Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother appears, and with the help of the animals, essentially offsets any of the sabotage, ensuring that Cinderella finally connects with Prince Charming and eventually lives “happily ever after”.

I like Cinderella because I like the underlying message that hard work eventually gets recognized and rewarded, but I am not sure that marrying out of the situation is really a reward. It seems in some ways like a lateral move to me, simply because in either case, there are probably many restrictions about what she can do with her life. But as a metaphoric reward, I guess it will do.

Anyway, the next Disney Princess up for discussion is Snow White, so stay tuned!

I have to admit I am little shocked to see all the news about The Baby Borrowers. Opinions of the show vary wildly, but there is no doubt it is getting a lot of attention. Here’s a rundown of the sometimes pun-infused headlines:

• guardian.co.uk: Baby Borrowers: US version a hit
• The New York Times: Baby on Board for NBC
• Variety: Solid bow for ‘Baby Borrowers’
• Boston Herald.com: Teens say ‘Baby’ barely delivers
• Washington Post: A Case of Stolen Formula: ‘Baby Borrowers’ Follows The Reality Show Playbook
• Media Life: NBC’s ‘Baby Borrowers’ debut delivers
• The Boston Globe: There’s much to cry about in NBC’s ‘Baby Borrowers’

It’s definitely controversial. But if this show saves a few people from having to buy a Pack ‘n Play as a high school graduation gift, it can’t be all bad.

I caught the premier of The Baby Borrowers last night and I really enjoyed it. It put my mind at ease to see how on top of things the baby’s parents are, and to see them step in and talk to the teenage Baby Borrowers, because frankly, some of those teenagers are really immature for their age. I was actually surprised by the way some of them carried on, like the attitude Alicea took when baby Carson’s mom came in to give some much-needed instruction. News flash, Alicea - it’s not your baby, you aren’t entitled to that attitude. I LOVE that she decides she needs to be the one to get a job because she can’t handle Carson’s mom’s “attitude.” Good lord that girl is in for the shock of her life. Because now she will still have to deal with Carson, and the next kid, and the kid after that, in addition to now being the primary breadwinner - with a minimum wage job. Have fun with that, Alicea.

Kelly is another story altogether. It’s like putting on the pregnant belly suit that she has to wear for all of one day somehow infuses her with a mega-dose of pregnancy hormones that turn her into a blubbering mess. Either that or she is cripplingly insecure. Jezebel has a great clip of the meltdown; perhaps someone else can make more sense of it than I can. Her poor boyfriend certainly can’t.

Some concerns have been raised over whether or not The Baby Borrowers will really reach the audience it can most benefit, namely teenagers and young adults, but I don’t know if I necessarily agree. True, the televised version is not as “slick” as many teens are used to, but I think the clips making it online will get decent viewing from that demographic.

There are also some bitterly negative assessments of The Baby Borrowers, but I think they are a bit overblown, as I have said before. I started babysitting officially at age 13, sometimes for 12 hour clips, and was doing shorter stints from age 12. The girls in The Baby Sitter’s Club books are 11-12 years old. This is not unheard of in the world, because maturity is not dependent on age. It’s based on experience and an evolving sense of personal responsibility. What I think The Baby Borrowers really reveals is that some members of the MySpace/YouTube generation have never been put into roles of increasing responsibility in their lives, and that is what they are so mis-informed when it comes to understanding the responsibilities of parenthood and adult life. The girls on The Baby Borrowers break down under the slightest stress of things like having to wear a pregnancy suit because they have never learned that responsibility means sometimes having to suck it up and do something you’d rather not do because it needs to be done. But hopefully that is one lesson they will learn by the end of this season.

It’s tough to be a baby these days. Toxic toys, poison plastic baby bottles, and now, killer cribs. If you bought a crib by Jardine at Toys “R” Us or Babies “R” Us between 2002 and now, call 800-646-4106 or visit jardinecribrecall.com to get a voucher for a new crib. The problem with the Jardine cribs is that the wooden slats can break and babies can get stuck in the spaces, creating a very dangerous situation. The cribs are being pulled as a “precautionary” step after last year’s massive recall of Simplicity cribs.

Apparently this photo debuted on the Internet a year or so ago, but I am so fascinated by this baby stroller that I feel it warrants another post. It’s completely homemade by one really devoted Star Wars fan and father, so don’t get too excited about rushing out to buy one. The dad, Rick Russo, was kind enough to run through the construction process in this interview on Thingamababy if you are feeling ambitious enough to tackle a project like this. Although, I bet that kid will be getting too big for that stroller soon, so maybe the Mr. Russo can be talked into selling it?

Between the Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony makeovers, I didn’t think I could get any more depressed. But then I read about the second coming of the Cabbage Patch Kids, just in time for their 25th anniversary. There’s been a new release of Anniversary edition Cabbage Patch Kids with “vintage” hairstyles and facial expressions. The collectible anniversary edition dolls depress me because they call attention to the fact that Cabbage Patch Kids have changed quite a lot since I was a little girl. I really wasn’t aware of the Lil’ Sprouts or the Fun to Feed Baby that “licks” ice cream cones until just a few minutes ago, and I am stunned. They hardly look like Cabbage Patch dolls to me at all.

The Cabbage Patch Kids have also been cross-promoting pretty heavily with Carvel Ice Cream and Burger King, and that sort of bugs me a little too. Since they are CABBAGE Patch Kids, shouldn’t they be “eat 5 fruits and veggies a day” role models? Childhood obesity remains a significant health issue, affecting 32% of American children, and yet children are rewarded for eating junk food with Kids Meal toys and entertained while mindlessly slurping down ice cream along with their doll. That’s really messed up.

It seems like Strawberry Shortcake’s makeover has inspired the folks at Hasbro to give the My Little Pony fillies some superstar styling updates. While not as dramatic and heart wrenching as the Strawberry Shortcake debacle, this is still a bit unsettling to me, mainly based on the celebrities that have been chosen to design the new My Little Pony toys. James Spader, William Shatner and Danny Aiello are on the list, and I can’t help wondering how and why. I mean, I can understand LeeAnn Rimes and Deborah Gibson doing designs. They probably played with My Little Pony toys themselves and have some sentimental relationship with the figures. I can even understand the selection of artists like Junko Mizuno and Catalina Estrada since their whimsical styles seem like they would really compliment the My Little Pony aesthetic.

But what does William Shatner know about My Little Pony? Or Danny Aiello for that matter? And since James Spader tends to play somewhat creepy characters that weird me out, I don’t even want to think about his My Little Pony. Anyway…

Hasbro is also having a My Little Pony design contest that has categories for both kids and adults. There are some great prizes, so check it out. Entries must be submitted by June 30th- the countdown is on!

Here’s a reality show I can actually get behind:NBC’s The Baby Borrowers takes real couples, aged 18-20, and basically gives them a 3 week boot camp in the responsibilities of parenthood. The couple is set up in a house in Boise, ID, one partner needs to get a job, and they are “loaned” a 6-11 month old baby for three eye-opening and often emotionally exhausting days. Then the baby is taken away, and they are left with a toddler for 3 days. The cycle continues, getting more difficult every three days as the children get older (as old as teenagers) and pets and old people are added to the fray. After all the news about Jamie Lynn Spears and the high school pregnancy pact in Massachusetts, I think it’s great for teen couples to get a chance to see what parenthood is really, really like before the jump into it with both feet.

Some people have a lot of problems with the concept for The Baby Borrowers, and I can understand that on some level. I don’t think I would want random teenagers that I know nothing about man-handling my offspring, either, and I certainly wouldn’t allow it to be televised. I would think, though, that there is some sort of vetting process that goes on prior to casting to ensure that the children will be safe with these teens. Some of the concerns are really far-fetched as well. For example, a ten year old in the British version of the show apparently said he didn’t eat all day because the teenagers in charge of him “forgot” to feed him. Ummmmm….yeah. Unless that kid has some developmental problems, he’s just lazy. I know plenty of 10 year olds that would at least take that opportunity to binge on chips and cookies and snack food, if not make themselves a sandwich. Or would have been whiny brats until someone actually fed them. Or would have taken money out of one of the teenagers’ wallets and ridden their bike to McDonald’s and bought themselves a Happy Meal. But they would get fed. And frankly, I think the concerns about the kids in the show developing “issues” from this experience are way overblown. Kids get left with babysitters and other caregivers all the time, sometimes for 3 days in a row, and usually it’s a bigger deal for the mom than it is the kids. If the parents are always leaving the kids with random people, I could see the kid having some problems. But if it is for 3 days, and the parents have video baby monitors set up right next door and can step in at any time, I think they’ll be fine.

At any rate, The Baby Borrowers starts Wednesday, June 25th at 9PM on NBC, if you want to check it out.

Yahoo! news just reported that Jamie Lynn Spears has given birth in Louisiana. Congrats to the new mom and family!

A word of warning in advance: the PBS Kids’ Word World website is a bit chatty, so adjust your speakers accordingly before you visit. That said, Word World a great educational site that complements the PBS Kids show of the same name. There is also a very cool line of Word World toys for ambitious toddlers. Learning toys like Word World’s awesome dump truck are so fun kids won’t even realize that they are *gasp* educational.