Total Immersion is part of Most Contagious 2009 report in Augmented Reality section. This report talks about all talked-about trends and technologies to have influenced global marketing over the past 12 months.

You can have a look to this report here.

At the other end of the fun spectrum is Topps’ 3D Live Baseball Cards via AR experts Total Immersion. When scanned via a webcam, these produce miniature animated players in the palm of your hand or on your desk, which can then be controlled to play a series of simple batting and pitching mini-games. (See Contagious 19).

Toy manufacturer Mattel also endowed its new range of Avatar action figures with AR i-Tags. These plastic cards, when held in front of a webcam, produce 3D-renderings of that very toy which then spring to life, stomping and leaping across the user’s desktop. See Contagious 21.

Uno Card Game Review

I have great memories of playing Uno at school over 20 years ago. I’m pleased to say that it just as much fun to play as an adult. Although it is a simple concept, it is executed really well. It is addictive and brings out the competitive nature in all the family. It is fun to see how much glee can be generated from forcing an opponent to pick up an extra 4 cards or by being the first to shout “Uno!”. Highly recommended to pass away some time and compact enough to keep in the glove compartment of the car for long journeys or family holidays.

Feature

• Item may vary from picture

Overview
Everyone loves UNO! It’s a fast-paced game the entire family can play together! Don’t forget to shout ‘Uno’ when you’re down to your last card! Featuring cool action cards such as pick up 4 and change colour and more!

Dec 27, 2009 19:03:07

Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler (1916-2002) is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration.

Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for fifty years, and has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, often involving parody of the doll and her lifestyle. In recent years, Barbie has faced increasing competition from the Bratz range of dolls

History

The original Barbie was launched in March 1959

Ruth Handler watched her daughter Barbara at play with paper dolls, and noticed that she often enjoyed giving them adult roles. At the time, most children’s toy dolls were representations of infants. Realizing that there could be a gap in the market, Handler suggested the idea of an adult-bodied doll to her husband Elliot, a co-founder of the Mattel toy company. He was unenthusiastic about the idea, as were Mattel’s directors.

During a trip to Europe in 1956 with her children Barbara and Kenneth, Ruth Handler came across German toy doll called Bild Lilli.^[1] The adult-figured doll was exactly what Handler had in mind, so she purchased three of them. She gave one to her daughter and took the others back to Mattel. The Lilli doll was based on a popular character appearing in a comic strip drawn by Reinhard Beuthin for the newspaper Die Bild-Zeitung. Lilli was a working girl who knew what she wanted and was not above using men to get it. The Lilli doll was first sold in Germany in 1955, and although it was initially sold to adults, it became popular with children who enjoyed dressing her up in outfits that were available separately.

Upon her return to the United States, Handler reworked the design of the doll (with help from engineer Jack Ryan) and the doll was given a new name, Barbie, after Handler’s daughter Barbara. The doll made its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959. This date is also used as Barbie’s official birthday.

Mattel acquired the rights to the Bild Lilli doll in 1964 and production of Lilli was stopped. The first Barbie doll wore a black and white zebra striped swimsuit and signature topknot ponytail, and was available as either a blonde or brunette. The doll was marketed as a “Teen-age Fashion Model,” with her clothes created by Mattel fashion designer Charlotte Johnson. The first Barbie dolls were manufactured in Japan, with their clothes hand-stitched by Japanese homeworkers. Around 350,000 Barbie dolls were sold during the first year of production.

Ruth Handler believed that it was important for Barbie to have an adult appearance, and early market research showed that some parents were unhappy about the doll’s chest, which had distinct breasts. Barbie’s appearance has been changed many times, most notably in 1971 when the doll’s eyes were adjusted to look forwards rather than having the demure sideways glance of the original model.

Barbie was one of the first toys to have a marketing strategy based extensively on television advertising, which has been copied widely by other toys. It is estimated that over a billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in over 150 countries, with Mattel claiming that three Barbie dolls are sold every second.^[2]

The standard range of Barbie dolls and related accessories are manufactured to approximately 1/6th scale, which is also known as playscale.^[3] Barbie products include not only the range of dolls with their clothes and accessories, but also a large range of Barbie branded goods such as books, fashion items and video games. Barbie has appeared in a series of animated films and made a brief guest appearance in the 1999 film Toy Story 2.

Barbie has become a cultural icon and has been given honors that are rare in the toy world. In 1974 a section of Times Square in New York City was renamed Barbie Boulevard for a week, In 1985 the artist Andy Warhol created a painting of Barbie.^[4][5]

Biography

Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. In a series of novels published by Random House in the 1960s, her parents’ names are given as George and Margaret Roberts from the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin.^[6]

In the Random House novels, Barbie attended Willows High School, while in in the Generation Girl books published by Golden Books in 1999 she attended the fictional Manhattan International High School in New York City (based on the real-life Stuyvesant High School^[7]). She has an on-off romantic relationship with her boyfriend Ken (Ken Carson), who first appeared in 1961. A news release from Mattel in February 2004 announced that Barbie and Ken had decided to split up, but in February 2006 they were back together again.^[8][9]

Barbie has had over forty pets including cats and dogs, horses, a panda, a lion cub, and a zebra. She has owned a wide range of vehicles, including pink Corvette convertibles, trailers and jeeps. She also holds a pilot’s license, and operates commercial airliners in addition to serving as a flight attendant. Barbie’s careers are designed to show that women can take on a variety of roles in life, and the doll has been sold with a wide range of titles including Miss Astronaut Barbie (1965), Doctor Barbie (1988) and Nascar Barbie (1998).^[10]

Mattel has created a range of companions for Barbie, including Hispanic Teresa, Midge, African American Christie and Steven (Christie’s boyfriend). Barbie’s siblings and cousins were also created including Skipper, Tutti (Todd’s twin sister), Todd (Tutti’s and Stacie’s twin brother), Stacie (Todd’s twin sister), Kelly, Krissy, Francie, and Jazzie.

See List of Barbie’s friends and family

Controversies

Barbie’s popularity ensures that her effect on the play of children attracts a high degree of scrutiny. The criticisms leveled at her are often based on the assumption that children consider Barbie a role model and will attempt to emulate her.

Barbie’s waist has been widened in more recent versions of the doll

• One of the most common criticisms of Barbie is that she promotes an unrealistic idea of body image for a young woman, leading to a risk that girls who attempt to emulate her will become anorexic. A standard Barbie doll is 11.5 inches tall, giving a height of 5 feet 9 inches at 1/6 scale. Barbie’s vital statistics have been estimated at 36 inches (chest), 18 inches (waist) and 33 inches (hips). According to research by the University Central Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, she would lack the 17 to 22 percent body fat required for a woman to menstruate.^[11] In 1965 Slumber Party Barbie came with a book entitled How to Lose Weight which advised: “Don’t eat.” The doll also came with pink bathroom scales reading 110 lbs., which would be around 35 lbs. underweight for a woman 5 feet 9 inches tall. ^[12] In 1997 Barbie’s body mold was redesigned and given a wider waist, with Mattel saying that this would make the doll better suited to contemporary fashion designs.^[13][14]
• In July 1992 Mattel released Teen Talk Barbie, which spoke a number of phrases including “Will we ever have enough clothes?”, “I love shopping!”, and “Wanna have a pizza party?” Each doll was programmed to say four out of 270 possible phrases, so that no two dolls were likely to be the same. One of these 270 phrases was “Math class is tough!” (often misquoted as “Math is hard”). Although only about 1.5% of all the dolls sold said the phrase, it led to criticism from the American Association of University Women. In October 1992 Mattel announced that Teen Talk Barbie would no longer say the phrase, and offered a swap to anyone who owned a doll that did.^[15]

Oreo Fun Barbie from 1997 became controversial due to a negative interpretation of the doll’s name

• “Colored Francie” made her debut in 1967, and she is sometimes described as the first African American Barbie doll. However, she was produced using the existing head molds for the white Francie doll and lacked African characteristics other than a dark skin. The first African American doll in the Barbie range is usually regarded as Christie, who made her debut in 1968.^[16][17] Black Barbie was launched in 1980 but still had white features. In September 2009, Mattel introduced the So In Style range, which was intended to create a more realistic depiction of black people than previous dolls.^[18]
• In 1997 Mattel joined forces with Nabisco to launch a cross-promotion of Barbie with Oreo cookies. Oreo Fun Barbie was marketed as someone with whom little girls could play after class and share “America’s favorite cookie.” As had become the custom, Mattel manufactured both a white and a black version. Critics argued that in the African American community Oreo is a derogatory term meaning that the person is “black on the outside and white on the inside,” like the chocolate sandwich cookie itself. The doll was unsuccessful and Mattel recalled the unsold stock, making it sought after by collectors.^[19]
• In May 1997 Mattel introduced Share a Smile Becky, a doll in a pink wheelchair. Kjersti Johnson, a 17-year-old high school student in Tacoma, Washington with cerebral palsy, pointed out that the doll would not fit into the elevator of Barbie’s $100 Dream House. Mattel announced that it would redesign the house in the future to accommodate the doll.^[20][21]
• In March 2000 stories appeared in the media claiming that the hard vinyl used in vintage Barbie dolls could leak toxic chemicals, causing danger to children playing with them. The claim was rejected as false by technical experts. A modern Barbie doll has a body made from ABS plastic, while the head is made from soft PVC.^[22][23]
• In September 2003 the Middle Eastern country of Saudi Arabia outlawed the sale of Barbie dolls, saying that she did not conform to the ideals of Islam. The Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice stated “Jewish Barbie dolls, with their revealing clothes and shameful postures, accessories and tools are a symbol of decadence to the perverted West. Let us beware of her dangers and be careful.”^[24] In Middle Eastern countries there is an alternative doll called Fulla which is similar to Barbie but is designed to be more acceptable to an Islamic market. Fulla is not made by the Mattel Corporation, and Barbie is still available in other Middle Eastern countries including Egypt.^[25] In Iran, Sara and Dara dolls are available as an alternative to Barbie.^[26]

A Barbie with a lower back tattoo was released in 2009.

• In April 2009, the launch of a “Totally Tattoos” Barbie with a range of tattoos that could be applied to the doll, including a lower back tattoo, led to controversy. Mattel’s promotional material read “Customize the fashions and apply the fun temporary tattoos on you too”, but Ed Mayo, chief executive of Consumer Focus, argued that children might want to get tattooed themselves.^[27]

• In December 2005 Dr. Agnes Nairn at the University of Bath in England published research suggesting that girls often go through a stage where they hate their Barbie dolls and subject them to a range of punishments, including decapitation and placing the doll in a microwave oven. Dr. Nairn said: “It’s as though disavowing Barbie is a rite of passage and a rejection of their past.”^[28][29]

Parodies and lawsuits

Barbie has often been referenced in popular culture and is frequently the target of parody. Some of these occasions include:

• In 1997, the Danish-Norwegian pop-dance group Aqua released a song called “Barbie Girl“. It contained lyrics such as “You can brush my hair / Undress me everywhere” and the video for the song used graphics similar to the pink Barbie logo. Mattel argued that this constituted a trademark infringement and filed a defamation lawsuit against MCA Records on September 11, 1997. In July 2002, Judge Alex Kozinski ruled that the song was protected as a parody under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.^[30][31]
• A commercial by automobile company Nissan featuring dolls similar to Barbie and Ken was the subject of another lawsuit in 1997. In the commercial, a female doll is lured into a car by a doll resembling GI Joe to the dismay of a Ken-like doll, accompanied by Van Halen’s version of You Really Got Me. According to the makers of the commercial, the dolls’ names were Roxanne, Nick and Tad. Mattel claimed that the commercial had done “irreparable damage” to its products,^[32][33]but settled.^[34]
• Saturday Night Live aired a parody of Barbie commercials featuring the fictional “Gangsta Bitch Barbie” doll and a “Tupac Ken” doll.^[35]
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno displayed a fictional “Barbie Crystal Meth Lab” which mocked how Barbie usually has a career that is “in keeping with the times or in this case, in keeping with society’s current problems.”
• Malibu Stacy is a parody of Barbie in the cartoon series The Simpsons. The 1994 episode “Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy” was inspired by the Teen Talk Barbie controversy, as a talking Stacy doll is introduced, speaking phrases such as “let’s buy make-up so the boys will like us”. Lisa is disgusted by the “sexist drivel spouted by Malibu Stacy,” leading her to market an alternative “Lisa Lionheart”.
• In 1993 a group in the United States calling itself the “Barbie Liberation Organization” modified Barbie dolls by giving them the voice box of a talking G.I. Joe doll, and secretly returned the dolls to the shelves of toy stores. Parents and children were surprised when they purchased Barbie dolls that uttered phrases such as “Eat lead, Cobra!” and “Vengeance is mine.”^[36][37]
• In 1999 Mattel sued the Utah artist Tom Forsythe over a series of photographs called Food Chain Barbie, which included a photograph of a Barbie doll in a blender. Mattel lost the lawsuit and was ordered to pay $1.8 million in costs to Mr. Forsythe.^[38][39][40]
• In November 2002 a New York judge refused an injunction against the British-based artist Susanne Pitt, who had produced a doll called Dungeon Barbie in bondage clothing. Judge Laura Taylor Swain stated: “To the court’s knowledge, there is no Mattel line of S&M Barbie.”^[41]
• In 2004, Mattel filed a lawsuit against Barbara Anderson-Walley of Calgary, Canada over her website www.barbiesshop.com, which sells fetish clothing. Ms Anderson-Walley said that she had been known by the name “Barbie” since childhood, and did not intend to infringe the trademark of the doll. The lawsuit was dismissed, since it was filed in a New York court, and the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction over matters in Canada.^[42][43]

Collecting

Vintage #5 Ponytail Barbie from 1962 in original box

Mattel estimates that there are well over 100,000 avid Barbie collectors. Ninety percent are women, at an average age of 40, purchasing more than twenty Barbie dolls each year. Forty-five percent of them spend upwards of $1000 a year. Vintage Barbie dolls from the early years are the most valuable at auction, and while the original Barbie was sold for $3.00 in 1959, a mint boxed Barbie from 1959 sold for $3552.50 on eBay in October 2004.^[44] On September 26, 2006, a Barbie doll set a world record at auction of £9,000 sterling (US $17,000) at Christie’s in London. The doll was a Barbie in Midnight Red from 1965 and was part of a private collection of 4,000 Barbie dolls being sold by two Dutch women, Ietje Raebel and her daughter Marina.^[45]

In recent years Mattel has sold a wide range of Barbie dolls aimed specifically at collectors, including porcelain versions, vintage reproductions, and depictions of Barbie as a range of characters from television series such as The Munsters and Star Trek.^[46][47] There are also collector’s edition dolls depicting Barbie dolls with a range of different ethnic identities.^[48] In 2004 Mattel introduced the Color Tier system for its collector’s edition Barbie dolls, ranging through pink, silver, gold and platinum depending on how many of the dolls are produced.^[49]

Barbie celebrated her 50th anniversary on the toy market in March 2009, and Mattel released a new reproduction of the original 1959 Barbie doll to mark the occasion.

Competition from Bratz dolls

In June 2001, MGA Entertainment launched the Bratz range of dolls, a move that would give Barbie her first serious competition in the fashion doll market. In 2004 sales figures showed that Bratz dolls were outselling Barbie dolls in the United Kingdom, although Mattel maintained that in terms of the number of dolls, clothes and accessories sold, Barbie remained the leading brand.^[50] In 2005 figures showed that sales of Barbie dolls had fallen by 30% in the United States, and by 18% worldwide, with much of the drop being attributed to the popularity of Bratz dolls.^[51]

In December 2006, Mattel sued MGA Entertainment for $500 million, alleging that Bratz creator Carter Bryant was working for Mattel when he developed the idea for Bratz.^[52] On July 17, 2008, a federal jury agreeed that the Bratz line was created by Carter Bryant while he was working for Mattel. The jury also ruled that MGA and its Chief Executive Officer Isaac Larian were liable for converting Mattel property for their own use and intentionally interfering with the contractual duties owed by Bryant to Mattel.^[53] On August 26, the jury found that Mattel would have to be paid $100 million in damages. On December 3, 2008, U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson banned MGA from selling Bratz. He allowed the company to continue selling the dolls until the winter holiday season ended.^[54][55] MGA is currently appealing against the court’s ruling. ^[56] In August 2009, MGA introduced a range of dolls called Moxie Girlz, intended as a replacement for Bratz dolls.[5

ขา Gap เป็นเมืองที่น่ารักอยู่ใน Grampians ถนน Victoria, ออสเตรเลีย. ปลายทางท่องเที่ยวยอดนิยมเศรษฐกิจของเมืองนี้เป็นส่วนใหญ่ขึ้นอยู่กับอุตสาหกรรมการท่องเที่ยว. ใกล้ชิดของเมืองนี้มีสถานที่น่าสนใจที่น่าสนใจเพิ่มเติมช่วยเพิ่มความสนใจสถานที่แห่งนี้. เมืองนี้ตั้งอยู่ใกล้กับ Grampians National Park และสวน Gap ขาสัตว์ป่าและสวนสัตว์มีอยู่เพียง 7 กม. จากเมืองนี้.

นักท่องเที่ยวสามารถไปถึงปลายทางในเวลาประมาณ 3 ชั่วโมงห่างจากเมลเบิร์นและสามารถเข้าถึงโดยผ่านวิธีการที่ดีของการขนส่งทาง. เวลาที่ดีที่สุดไปนี้เมืองที่สวยงามเป็นช่วงฤดูใบไม้ผลิเมื่อเมืองนี้เป็นทั้งหมดที่น่าสนใจ more. ในฤดูนี้ท่านสามารถดูมากมายเต็มไปด้วยดอกไม้ป่าพื้นเมืองของต้องการที่หลากหลายของกล้วยไม้.

วิธีที่ดีที่สุดเพื่อสนุกกับดอกไม้สวยเหล่านี้เป็นไป Grampians เลื่อนหิมะขนาดเล็กและศิลปะแสดงนิทรรศการห้าวันที่ดอกไม้ป่าแสดง, ประติมากรรมและศิลปะอื่นๆและงานฝีมือ. ถ้าคุณวางแผนเดินทางไปสถานที่นี้จะดีกว่าที่จะจองโรงแรมในขา Gap ก่อนเพื่อหลีกเลี่ยงความสับสนใดๆนาทีสุดท้าย.

มีมากมายกิจกรรมกลางแจ้งอื่นที่สามารถสนุกในเมืองเล็กๆนี้คือ. บางสิ่งที่น่าสนใจเช่นรวมเดินป่า, แคมป์ปิ้ง, หินปีนเขาตกปลาถ่ายภาพนก-ชมศึกษาธรรมชาติท่องเที่ยวรถไปเพื่อการปิกนิกเป็นต้น. ปลายทางนี้เป็นฐานเหมาะสำหรับการเดินทางวันและเดินทัวร์.

สวนพฤกษชาติและคอมเพล็กซ์กอล์ฟมินิมีอื่นๆมากสถานที่ไปที่นี่. เมืองนี้ยังเป็นที่นิยมสำหรับกิจกรรมต่างๆของมันต้องการ Grampians หนีองุ่นอาหารและไวน์เทศกาลที่จัดขึ้นทุกปีพฤษภาคมและแจ๊ซ Grampians เทศกาลประจำปีจัดขึ้นในเดือนกุมภาพันธ์.

เป็นจุดหมายการท่องเที่ยวที่สำคัญขา Gap คุณลักษณะหมายเลขที่ดีของโรงแรมในเมืองเพื่อรองรับแขก. โรงแรมในขา Gap นำความภาคภูมิใจในความหลากหลายของสะสมของที่พักดีที่เหมาะสมกับงบประมาณทุก. คุณสามารถเพลิดเพลินอยู่ที่ใดในโรงแรมที่ดีขึ้นอยู่กับชนิดของทัวร์คุณต้องการสนุก. สามารถเดินทาง backpacker, วันหยุดครอบครัวเป็นหนีโรแมนติกหรือวันหยุดสุดสัปดาห์เดินทางจากไป, Gap ขามีอะไรหรืออื่นๆสำหรับทุกคน.

นอกจากนี้พื้นที่นี้ยังมีบริการดีแคมป์ปิ้งสวนคาราวาน, ที่พักและที่พักกลุ่ม. หรูหราแขกสามารถหาพักที่บูติกที่พักห้าดาว. Marwood โรงแรม BW ขา Gap อาณานิคมโรงแรม D'Altons รีสอร์ทและ Grampians โมเต็ลมีบางดีตัวเลือกที่พักที่มีอยู่ในขา Gap.

Watch in HD! Enrique Iglesias Collectibles Figure insider look at Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix 2-Pack Series 1 Action Figures WWE toys Mattel, which will be available at 31 December midnight www.WrestlingFigures.com be! Use the code YOUTUBE discount up to 10% decline your purchase!

Visit : Cheapest Toys

I am going back to the “more expected” trivia quiz format with this question. And because of the popularity of the Music Trivia Quiz, it is now sponsored. Here is the first commercial from our new sponsor.

Now, here is the question. Using the period of 1955 – 1979 as your universe, name the A side song that had two different songs on the B side, by two different artist.

Note on 12/27 – Because I am leaving for Yosemite tomorrow and will not be able to respond very quickly (and might even miss a day or two), I am suspending this quiz until I get back on 1/4/10. Keep your guesses to yourself until then please. Thanks.

“Mattel’s Jason Horowitz talks to the L.A. Times about how the Avatar AR-enabled line of iTag action figures weds augmented reality and the fantastic reality of James Cameron’s blockbuster.  In this interview, Horowitz discusses how augmented reality expands upon the remarkable experience of the film.” More

ถ้าท่านเป็นหญิงโสดผู้ชอบ เดินทาง แต่มีซ้ายเสมอสปอต "เห็น" โรแมนติกดการเดินทางของคุณเนื่องจากคุณได้รับรอแชร์กับคนพิเศษมีเวลาเช่นปัจจุบันไปดำน้ำที่เหมาะสมและไม่มีการสำรวจทั้งหมดบรรดาสถานที่สวยด้วยตัวคุณเอง-โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งถ้าคุณเป็นสมาชิกในการจัดตั้งชมรม ท่องเที่ยว ที่มีชื่อเสียง. คุณหลงวัฒนธรรมอื่นๆให้ต่างประเทศและจุดที่สวยงามดังนั้นจึงควรชะลอของคุณโรแมนติกพักผ่อนและไม่ได้ใช้ประโยชน์เต็มที่จากทุกจุดหมายและข้อสโมสร เดินทาง ของคุณมีให้หลายที่ไม่ทราบและไม่สามารถให้ประชาชนทั่วไปแต่ที่สัญญาให้ vacation น่าจดจำมากที่สุดท่านเคยจะพบ? เพียงเพราะท่านเป็นหญิงเดียวในอารมณ์สำหรับการ เดินทาง ที่ไม่ได้หมายความว่าคุณไม่สามารถยังอยู่ในอารมณ์สำหรับสถานที่โรแมนติก.

บางจุดหมายปลายทาง romanticized มากที่สุดเป็นปราสาท. สิ่งที่เด็กผู้หญิงเล็กๆไม่ได้ช่างฝันของการสัญจรขามั่งคั่งของพระราชวังของนางเอาสถาปัตยกรรมงดงามให้ตกแต่งตามใจและสวยงาม, บริเวณที่แผ่บริเวณ? ถ้าคุณได้เสมอต้องการรู้สึกเหมือนเจ้าหญิงหรือราชินีไอร์แลนด์เป็นฝันเป็นจริงกับปราสาทโบราณสะท้อนเสียงของอดีตเจ้านายและ trysts ห้าม. ไอร์แลนด์เป็นดินแดนแห่งสีเขียวให้กลิ้งภูเขาและประเพณีลึกลับและคุณจะ swept ห่างเท่าไปโดยที่คุณสำรวจนี้มีค่าสีเขียวของยุโรป. ท่องเที่ยว turrets ของ Bunratty ปราสาทในเมืองClare หนึ่งสามารถ envision กำลังมีเมื่อมันถูกสร้าง, ครั้งที่สี่ใน 1,425. ก็ torching และการสร้างใหม่และผ่านจากระบอบอื่นเช่นไอร์แลนด์และอังกฤษต่อสู้เพื่อควบคุมศตวรรษ.

หนึ่งในสถานที่โรแมนติกที่สุดในยุโรปอื่นแน่นอน Italy. หญิงเดี่ยวเดินทางไปยังประเทศที่เคารพประวัติศาสตร์สามารถคาดหวังที่จะซ่อนแล้วโดยอาหารที่อุดมที่อบอุ่นและเป็นมิตรชาวเมืองชั้น. ไม่ว่าจะขี่ลงคลองของ Veniceในเรือแจวหรือ savoring อาหารเสื่อมประณีตที่จะแสดงสิ่งที่กินเลี้ยงอิตาลีจริงทำเดินทางไปอิตาลีเป็นเรื่องที่ accompanies คุณไม่โรแมนติกและถ้าท่านหญิงเดียวในการเดินทางของท่านเองทั้งหมดดีกว่าที่จะเต็มขอบคุณที่อิตาลีทั้งหมดมีให้. ถูกเตรียมไว้สำหรับผู้หญิงของคุณปรากฏดูเหมือนออกจากไม่มีที่ไหนเลย. เมื่อ Antonio หรือเซปเปผ่านคุณขณะที่คุณนั่งที่คาเฟ่กลางแจ้ง sipping latte และกล่าวว่า journo บอน! กับพยักหน้าน้อยที่สุดของหัวและยิ้มกว้างมากที่สุดบนใบหน้าของเขาคุณอาจจะพบว่าตัวเองอายที่คุณไม่ได้ 16 ปี. ไปกับมันความเจ้าชู้เป็นวิถีชีวิตในอิตาลี.

ว่าคุณจะเริ่มคิดว่าจุดหมายโรแมนติกสงวนไว้สำหรับเดินทางไกลยุโรปคุณควร, อาจ, ตรวจสอบบางจุดหมาย การเดินทาง ใกล้บ้านที่มีความสนใจแตกต่างสำหรับหญิงเดี่ยว. เดินทาง เช่นในปลายทางศูนย์กลางรอบไวน์. เข้าสู่ Napa Valley คุณจะแน่นอนต้องการในพื้นที่ตัวอย่างของสินค้าดีแต่เมื่อขวดรันแห้งมีเส้นทางการเดินเล่นและคอจะดูทั่วโลกที่มีชื่อเสียงและใกล้เคียง Valley San Francisco.

โดยรวมเป็นหญิงเดียวกับสมาชิกชมรม เดินทาง และหัวใจให้รักคุณจะไม่ต้องการเสียข้อที่แพคเกจและที่พักมีให้ท่านผ่านทางสมาชิกของคุณเพียงเพราะคุณชอบ การเดินทาง คนเดียว. ไม่ชะลอโอกาสที่คุณอาจพบในนี้สถานที่วันหยุดสิเพราะในจุดหมายปลายทางที่น่าอัศจรรย์และสวยงามเช่นนี้แถวสิ้นสุดของความเป็นไปได้ awaits. ดังนั้นหญิงเดี่ยว เดินทาง ที่ทำให้หัวใจของคุณ!

Xtractaurs Riptile The Utahraptor Features

• Utahraptor dinosaur figure unlocks exciting battles online
• Aggressively styled 5 inch articulated dinosaurs
• Requires Xtractaurs Starter Kit to unlock online play at www.xtractaurs.com
• Extract, Combine, & Fight Online with Xtractaurs
• Collect all 15 dinosaurs to create over a million DNA combinations

Check Price and Read More Details of Xtractaurs Riptile The Utahraptor…>>

Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed

• Xtractaurs Starter Kit
• Xtractaurs Wingstorm ThePteranodon
• Xtractaurs Pindown The Triceratop
• Xtractaurs Whipslash The Stegosaurus
• Xtractaurs Battlespike The Styracosaurus

When my parents became grandparents , my mom, the consummate shopping deal-finder, would bring over multitudes of gift wrapped Christmas presents for each of their grandchildren.  One Christmas gift exchange took over two hours, which meant us adults needed a liter of Mt. Dew to stay alert when our kids opened gift after gift.

Certainly Christmas has become commercialized through the decades.  One can hear holiday songs in retail stores even before Thanksgiving now.  The holidays seem to be about stuff, gifts, presents.

In the Bible, back a couple thousand years when Jesus was born, He was the gift.  Quite a story.  Born of a virgin soon to be married.  Traveling back to Bethlehem for governmental census reasons.  When Mary gave birth to Jesus in a lowly manger, three wisemen arrived bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Gold representing the most precious, highest value.  Frankincense representing a calming, soothing and peaceful affect.  And myrrh representing healing qualities. 

Jesus was the biggest gift ever.  Bigger than any Mattel, Hasbro or Fisher-Price best-seller.  Jesus was born to be our Savior. 

What is your gift?  What are you bringing to your family?  Your friends?

May CHRISTmas have more meaning for you and yours this season.

Cars – Bling Bling McQueen

Jucarie Cars – pentru baieti.

Masinuta Cars din metal de la producatorul Mattel.

Varsta recomandata: 1-3 ani.
Livrare: 24-48 ore.

Pret: 25.00 lei (TVA inclus)

Pentru mai multe detalii sau comanda, click aici.
Partener: DinoLand

If you’ve not yet caught up then take a look at the BBC and track back through all of the links – sponsorship deals falling away, mistresses coming out of the woodwork and a fairly bizarre crash outside his house in Florida two weeks ago.

PR and communications professionals from throughout the world have commented on what Tiger – and his PR team – did wrong. In essence, he tried to bury his head in the sand and allowed rumour and gossip to fill the resulting void.

So, lessons for UK businesses…

A crisis situation can come from anywhere – it pays to be aware of the potential risk factors.

In Tiger’s case – it was inevitable that his infidelities would be leaked to the media. High profile celebrities are rewarded handsomely when successful but the flipside is the public scrutiny they come under for any minor indiscretion.

For Mattel in 2007, there was always a risk that they would have to recall products due to factors outside their control – suppliers, materials, etc. But, they couldn’t have known that they would have to go through three recalls in four weeks – 18.2 million toys.

If you are open and honest then you are more likely to be in control.

When you refuse to answer questions or make comment then you leave a void that needs to be filled. A drip feed of rumour and gossip – repeated announcements about Tiger’s latest infidelity – just prolong the story.

What Mattel did right was to take control of the story. CEO Bob Eckert gave live interviews to every media outlet that wanted one. The company apologised for any harm or inconvenience they may have caused and allowed third parties – such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission – to announce that no injuries were known to have been caused by the defects.

Finally, plan for the unexpected.

With many businesses shutting down for the Christmas period and team members going on holiday it is all too easy to think that everything will be fine ticking over. But, what happens if something goes wrong? Do you have a crisis and issues management plan in place for the holiday period? Do you know how to get hold of the people who will need to make decisions and comment?

It constantly amazes us how few companies we work with actually have formal crisis and issues management procedures, how few of them know who to call on and how to get hold of them in an emergency.

When we work with new clients, we like to set the house in order. That means getting contact details for all relevant decision makers and team members (phone, mobile, email) and agreeing on a formal sign-off procedure – for example, who needs to see a statement before it is issued?

And, those are just the basics.

Crisis and issues management planning will be different for every organisation – depending on risk factors, size of the organisation, management style, and so on. However, what all well thought through crisis plans will have in common are regular testing, a simple structure, and someone in control of making it happen.
So, who will be holding the fort for you this Christmas?

I can’t believe I’m only just now seeing these figures.  They look awesome!  Look at the detail!  Rumors are 100 figures will be released in 2010 alone.  Also look out for entrance figures.  WWE Superstars in their entrance gear on platforms which play their theme music!  Awesome.  Some pictures of Wave 1 below.

Bass Pro Shops drive traffic and sales with Holiday activities

My sister-in-law suggested I take my daughter to Bass Pro Shop this Holiday season.  The last time I was in a Bass Pro Shop was… never.  However, they are once again executing a full slate of Family Holiday Activities, from themed games to craft projects. 

But the big draw is a FREE photo with Santa.  And to enhance the experience, Bass Pro Shops gives consumers a Fast Pass of sorts that allows you to browse until its your turn with St Nick.

Spending an hour in line with a (nearly) two year old at the mall made me think even harder about all the things Bass Pro Shop was doing right. 

The top 5:

1. Capitalizing on the consumers’ seasonal needs/mindset.  What is my customer focused on other than my store/product/service?
2. Offering a perceived high value item for FREE.  The key here is “perceived”.  We are talking one Santa (with suit), employee with camera, and backdrop.  Low cost per for Bass Pro, value of $20+ to consumer
3. Branding.  The backdrop is a perfect place for a Bass Pro Shops logo. And let’s face it, that pic will last a lifetime, and be blasted all over the virtual world
4. Making it consumer friendly.  The Fast Pass execution is brilliant.  Not only do consumers not have to wait in line with impatient children, but they can be free to SHOP, which is the goal to begin with!
5. Reaching new consumers.  Hey, I’m planning to go.  And if it’s as cool as I hear it is, I’m sure I will make a purchase, and come back.

Back in the early 90’s, we ran a Mattel promotion offering a free photo with Santa (Polaroid snapshots with custom frames) at all Hills Department stores.  The chainwide  results were phenomenal: highest sales ever on December 2, toy department sales were up 70% (vs YAG), while overall store sales enjoyed an increase of 35% (vs YAG). 

Today’s photos can include green screen virtual backgrounds.  We can email digital photos to friends and family.  And we can share the event details via all sorts of social media, from Twitter to Facebook. 

But at the end of the day, the same evergreen concept can still deliver results. 

What promotions have you seen that are standing the test of time?

How has the promotion been modernized? 

Has technology improved the promotion? Affected cost?

Oh, and if you want to check out Bass Pro Shops,  visit http://www.basspro.com

Check Price and Read More Details of Fashion Magic Tank Top Kit…>>

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/education/11school.html?ref=education

It seems oddly humorous to me that the very organizations which wanted to be considered businesses are running around complaining about financial market issues, which are a huge part of the financial cycle.  While everyone was sleeping, education became a business, much to the dismay of professional educators. It happened very slowly but the marketing was outstanding. Those upset with running the business apparently never had the opportunity to obtain an education degree and as is typical with all business plans,  the CEO’s (principals) were busy listening to the marketing department, not the people with the education degrees.

During my lifetime I have watched education attempt to be made into the Ford Motor Corporation, each student a widget on the assembly line. Next I watched it become  Mattel and Parker Brothers, whereby fresh new colors and shiny objects were going to improve the widget and how it turned out if the widget would just play. Then it became IBM  where the advent of the silicon chip was going to revolutionize the learning process and make the widget smarter, faster and finally, now it is seen as  WAMU, a bank that was well marketed but actually had no business acumen.

At no point did I see education become a walk in the woods, an interaction between parents and children, a trip to the library, travels, time away from TV, nutritious food, creative/innovative as those things due not turn a profit, they merely turn out better students.  I watched carefully. I was one of the teachers who was supposed to be thunderstruck with each new business model.  At the height of all this business transformation, I was supposed to follow the wisdom of business guru Jim Collins in Good to Great, the non-profit version since non-profit makes it sound less corporate.  The business model never worked without help from Mr. Bloom (Bloom’s Taxonomy) and other great educators.

To this day, all of the schools run as businesses have yet to do anything different from what an ordinary, regular neighborhood school is expected to do – prepare students for attending college and get most of the students through higher education to obtain a job in the workforce and improve the economy of the nation.  The major difference is that schools run as businesses have fancy data and graphics and market the hell out of themselves- they have yet to substantially and consistently reduce the  margin of discrepancy between White and Asian students vs. Black and Latino  student test scores in a statistically valid manner.  Schools run as businesses have not improved crime rates, have not slowed poverty, have yet to produce more doctors, lawyers, MBA’s, etc.  per capita.  The school as business was merely modeled after showing ‘test scores’ or quality control if you will.

As I sit back and watch the media circus around the issue of budget cuts in education, I chortle. The cheapest, most effective thing which should have been done in gross (cheaper in gross!) is to get parents involved and responsible in raising their child and following up on the child’s academic performance.  There is no ‘business’ in the education model  - it is a public service, funded by tax dollars and audited, if you will, by the parents and public at large to see that students get into and through higher education.

So, perhaps we need to find a good CPA (cleaning, pressing and alteration of the books) to fix the problem or we need to remove the business model strategy from education.  I did not obtain a degree in business – I was convinced a business degree  would ebb and flow like the financial markets.

The $95 doll – part of Mattel’s American Girl line – is meant to represent the homeless.

Bad timing, especially during these recessionary times where tens of thousands of families with children are living in the streets.

Source:
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2009-10-26/business/0910230278_1_american-girl-doll-young-girls

The $95 doll – part of Mattel’s American Girl line – is meant to represent the homeless.

Bad timing, especially during these recessionary times where tens of thousands of families with children are living in the streets.

Source:
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2009-10-26/business/0910230278_1_american-girl-doll-young-girls

We received this statement from MGA regarding the stay granted to MGA –allowing them to keep the Bratz dolls on the shelf.

PASADENA, CA—December 09, 2009 – The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has stayed the recall of MGA Entertainment’s Bratz line and all associated products. Under the stay, retailers will be able to continue selling all of MGA Entertainment’s Bratz products. The order was filed by Chief Judge Alex Kozinski and Circuit Judges Stephen S. Trott and Kim McLane Wardlaw following an appellate hearing on the case earlier in the day.

“The Court’s stay is good news for all Bratz fans and for anyone who cares about faircompetition,” said Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment. “It keeps Bratz on the shelves, allows MGA Entertainment to continue meeting consumer demand for new Bratz products, and prevents Mattel from taking control of the billion-dollar international Bratz brand built by MGA Entertainment while the Court makes its final decision. We are gratified by the Court’s decision and look forward to receiving the Court’s decision on our appeal.”

Now it’s no secret–we’re not big fans of the Bratz line, but we really do like their toned down line of Moxie Girlz dolls.

V Tech's Kidizoom Digital Camera Plus

Here are our some of favorites of the season– click on the name of the product to read our complete review at www.toyportfolio.com

For younger children:

LeapFrog Counting Candles (LeapFrog)

Two great cameras for 3s and up to enjoy:

Kidizoom Digital Camera Plus (V-Tech)

Disney Pix Jr Digital Camera (Disney)

If you have a child totally into cars, you need to look at:

Doodle-Track Cars (Day Dream Toys)

For kids  8 & up:

MindFlex Game (Mattel)

Nanos (Hexbug)

Eye Clops Night Vision Binoculars (Jakks Pacific)

For really advanced builders:

Mindstorm (Lego)