Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day 2009. I wanted to post these pics right after parade but you know… family obligations can keep you from doing personal stuff on the computer. I know not everyone can make it into the city to experience The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade so I’m hoping that my photos can give those of you who have never been to the parade an idea of what it’s like to be there. Obviously crowds of people, blocked off streets, and policemen are all staples during the parade. My personal favorite balloon is “Hello Kitty”.  Some new ballons this year-The “Pillsbury Doughboy” an “Sailor Mickey Mouse”.  The photo of The Pillsbury Doughboy reminds me of a scene in “Ghostbusters” for some reason.

source: THE L MAGAZINE

The following items are currently for sale at Books From A Rose:

Christmas is my favourite time of year. I have fantastic memories of Christmases past. I knew as a little girl that I wanted to get married at Christmas time and on December 20th, Alec & I will celebrate 6 years of wedded bliss – well, probably a combined total of 3 years of bliss interrupted by relationship growing pains and learning tolerance for each other…but those moments are rewarded by more bliss.

I’m nauseating myself.

Back to Christmas. It’s in one month. I’ve started the shopping, tomorrow we start the decorating…I need to figure out when I will be baking – won’t be a grand haul of baked goods as in years gone by, but it will be enough to keep guests and Santa happy.

One of our Christmas traditions is watching movies. As much as I love watching classic movies like “An American In Paris” - which I can recite line by line because I’m that corny, when it comes to Christmas, I’m not that refined. Here’s my top 5 Christmas movies – in no order as I actually can’t put a value on them.

1. A Christmas Story. I wish I had nephews to send pink bunny costumes to. And I want a leg lamp.

Seriously.

2. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Any Christmas movie with the line “Bend over & I’ll show you” is an automatic winner for us. Plus, when we have a bigger house, I know Alec’s new nickname is going to be Sparky – I’ll have the town’s emergency vehicles standing by to catch him when he falls off the roof with his staple gun. Also, it probably bears mentioning that I’ve had a serious crush on Chevy Chase probably since I saw him in The Three Amigos when I was 10 – and I learned what a plethora was.

3. Mickey’s Christmas Carol. That Scrooge McDuck gets me every time.

4. It’s a Wonderful Life. Probably the only true classic, but I really, really, love Jimmy Stewart – and although I love him best in Harvey, he is great as George Bailey. Another bonus with this flick is that Statler doesn’t get it. She watched it for the first time last year & thought it was boring – the moral of the story was completely lost on her. While living in California I think Jimmy’s house was the only picture I took on the celebs house circut….well also Jeff Goldblume’s house but that’s another story – he has a nice green Jag & buys his toilet paper at Costco.

5. A Charlie Brown Christmas. It’s hard to find a Christmas special or movie these days that have anything to do with Jesus. This one is fantastic. I love Mr. Schulz.

And honourable mention goes to Love Actually, just because I do love chick flicks and Alan Rickman is in it. I am sure that if velvet had a voice it would be that of Alan Rickman.

I also think I should get a gold star for not using any fuck words in this post.

Shit.

In all our years, none of the Crew has ever seen Mickey shoeless…. until now.

Roen x Medicom Toy VCD Mickey Mouse due out early 2010.

via High Snobiety.

by Jonathan Burrello

Perhaps there is nothing remotely binding between the holiday in which we partake of turkey and welcome family fellowship with the 1934 Laurel & Hardy musical “March of the Wooden Soldiers” (a.k.a. “Babes in Toyland”). All I know is that at my house growing up, it wasn’t Thanksgiving without this odd comedy (it used to be a holiday staple on TV in the 60’s and 70’s). The film stars the legendary comedy team of the infantile Stan Laurel and the rotund Oliver Hardy and features an interesting—and sometimes dark—peek into the world of fairy tales and nursery fables.

My deep admiration of Laurel and Hardy clearly influenced my enjoyment of this twisted yarn, but even for the uninitiated this film has undeniable charm and an incorrigible sense of whimsy…but it wouldn’t hurt to enjoy some of their other work and funny shorts first. The duo’s shtick was a basic one: two grown men with extremely childlike sensibilities saunter in and out of trouble while the softer more naive Laurel inadvertently causes more duress for the more domineering Hardy. They would put these characters into many situations and milk the comedy out of any circumstance and, naturally, the darker the dilemma the funnier the solution. Like Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy were always funniest to me when they were up against monsters, killers, ghosts, gangsters, etc. and in “March of the Wooden Soldiers” (directed by Gus Meins and Charley Rogers) they bounce from delightful childhood storybook characters to an army of Bogeymen led by the conniving Crooked Man, Silas Barnaby (Henry Brandon).

Based on Victor Herbert’s 1903 operetta, Silas Barnaby is the wealthiest and meanest man in town (you don’t get rich by being nice to people), and he is in love with Little Bo-Peep (Charlotte Henry), but she loves the gallant Tom-Tom Piper (Felix Knight). Barnaby will not be beat so he frames Tom-Tom for pig-napping one of the Three Little Pigs and then furthers the deed by making it look as though Tom-Tom also ground him into sausage. Ollie Dee and Stannie Dum (Laurel and Hardy), two boarders with the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe (Florence Roberts) and friend of Bo-Peep, suspect foul play and so embark on a mission to find the truth…but get themselves arrested for burglary when they try to steal Mother Peep’s mortgage from Barnaby.

Screwball mishaps abound as the lovable duo rub elbows with Mother Goose, Rock-a-by Baby, Old King Cole, Mary Quite Contrary, Santa Claus, the Sandman, and many others. There are five musical numbers including the memorable “March of the Toys” instrumental piece that plays during the final battle when Laurel and Hardy unleash 100 giant Wooden Toy Soldiers on the vicious Bogeymen. The battle at the end is a lot of fun. All the characters band together to fight off the onslaught of monsters in their own unique ways. “March of the Wooden Soldiers” is a funny, entertaining, scary, bizarre, and fun Thanksgiving adventure for everyone.

Personal notes: The Bogeymen are actually not the scariest part of this film. My family and I have always been slightly perturbed by the weird rubber pig costumes and the glassy eyed cat playing the cello (pigs and cat all played by people in suits). Another spooky aspect (but somehow absolutely fantastic in an incredibly deranged way) is the presence of Mickey Mouse. I’ve heard that they couldn’t get the rights from Disney (little surprise), but they still have a black mouse character with round head and ears, white gloves, red trousers, and yellow shoes. The spooky part: Mickey Mouse is played by small monkey that has been freakishly adorned to vaguely resemble the iconic rodent. The Mickey Mouse creature scrambles around, throwing bricks at the cat and is easily one of the coolest parts of the Bogeyman Battle (I won’t ruin it), but is still slightly unnerving. Last note: This film is one of those rare movies that really benefits from the computer colorization process. Originally shot in black and white, the colorized version actually enhances the film and brings a lot more magic to this already special movie.

This celebrated classic may be strange, but I encourage you to invite Laurel and Hardy and the rest of Toyland into your home this Thanksgiving.

From the NYDailyNews.com:

Four new giant balloons — Spiderman, The Pillsbury Doughboy, Ronald McDonald and Sailor Mickey — debut at the 83rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Although crowds will see them for the first time on Thanksgiving morning (or at the balloon inflation event the night before), it takes months to design and launch a giant balloon.

The process starts with selection. “To get up in the sky you have to be instantly recognizable, everyone has to understand who you are,” says Amy Kule, parade producer. “The Pillsbury Doughboy is a great example. This is his first year in the parade and when we tested the balloons you just knew instinctively he belonged up there.”

Balloons start out at the Macy’s Parade Studio in Hoboken, N.J. where they are meticulously molded out of clay to be 100 percent faithful to their original character design. They are cut and sewn into balloons offsite, then tested a few weeks before the parade. It’s a painstaking process that requires an incredible amount of attention to detail to an enormous balloon.

Kule says that this time of year is both incredibly intense, but also a lot of fun, “I’m filled with anticipation and I don’t get much sleep on the eve of Thanksgiving,” she says. “But by the time I see that first balloon, with three million people watching it, instead of being uptight or nervous, I get a sense of calm.”

Even though Kule is thrilled to see so many new balloons in the parade this year, she has a special place in her heart for a returning favorite. “SpongeBob makes me laugh,” she says. “Balloons want to be round and he’s this big square body. That’s no easy feat.”

Spiderman

This year, Spiderman returns to celebrate both his second appearance in the parade and Marvel’s 70th anniversary. The first Spiderman balloon debuted back in 1987 and was a Thanksgiving regular for about a decade. The new design features far more defined muscles. Says Kule, of his time off, “Spidey’s been working out. We should all look so good in tights.”

The Pillsbury Doughboy

A total newcomer to the parade, The Pillsbury Doughboy promises to be a new favorite. The biggest problem with this balloon? Millions of people will want to poke that belly, but with the Doughboy clocking in a 46.4-feet tall, they won’t be able to reach.

Ronald McDonald

This is the iconic clown’s third parade appearance and this time he’s come back as an athlete. Ronald McDonald dons what may be the world’s largest pair of ice skates for the occasion to glide through Manhattan with ease come Thanksgiving morning.

Sailor Mickey

This will be the fourth Mickey Mouse balloon design in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Mickey was one of the first characters to appear in the parade back in the 1930s. This new Sailor Mickey recalls the classic Steamboat Willie version of the famous mouse, but with modern styling.

Muose

Santa?

Submitted by: dunno source via Engrish Funny Submissions

Random facts about myself that I figured out just recently…

- I have an unhealthy obsession with post-its. Especially pink or yellow post-its. But I don’t do anything with them. I just stare at them or smell them sometimes…creepy, I know.

- I love shopping alone. Whether getting lost in a crowd or figuring out which mickey stuff toy I have to buy, I love it! Which reminds me, I still need to shop for red shorts…hhmmm…

- I smile at particularly no one or nothing at times. Oh, wait. That’s not something new, is it?

- I discovered that I have been having conversations with myself in my head ever since I knew how to think. And I never once find it creepy until now when I know what “dementia” means.

Like Lindsay, our class on chimeras really got me thinking.  This field of genetic experimentation has so much promise… but should the distant goal of miracle cures allow us to do whatever we want with test animals?  Creating a mouse with a functioning, thinking, and feeling human brain would be cruel.  I went on to the nat geo website to learn more about this controversial subject.

In 2005, a mouse with functioning human brain cells was created.  But, only one tenth of one percent of all the mouse’s brain cells were human.  This is not enough to make the mouse have a “human” brain, but it proved that embryonic human stem cells can grow functionally in a foreign environment.  This information is amazing, as it illustrates the amazingly promising versatility of stem cells.  Scientists hope that one day stem cells can be used to cure many degenerative nerve diseases.  In order to prevent ethical debate, they carefully monitor the subject mouse’s brain activity, to make sure that it doesn’t display any “human” brain activity.

But even if a mouse does not have a totally functioning human brain, is it ethical to put even a small amount of human brain cells into a mouse?  Machiavelli would say it is.  But many bioethicists say it is not.  The opposition to this research dubs it “inhumane,” and that it “crosses the natural border.”  Is this overreacting? One researcher states that “A few thousand human brain cells will not turn a house pest into Mickey Mouse.”  Maybe this is true, maybe it isn’t.  I honestly haven’t formed a concrete opinion on this issue yet, because both sides have such valid arguments.  Are we impeding the progress of finding miraculous cures to life-threatening human diseases in defense of mice?  Or are we putting innocent creatures through insufferable pain and defying Nature itself?  There are definitely boundaries to how much science should interfere with the life of an animal, but I think this early brain cell testing is ok for the time being.  The mouse is still a mouse with a mouse brain, just with a few human cells thrown into the stew.  Just like Robin Williams with his new bovine-valve heart is still human, the mouse is still a mouse.  The genetic change in its brain hasn’t changed how it lives (as of now).

Mickey mouse hasn’t been created just yet, and hopefully never will be.  There are many laws setting regulations on research such as this, defining just how “human” you can make an animal.  In Canada, it is forbidden to create a human-animal “chimera.”  Are there loopholes in laws such as these though?  At what point does an animal become “too human?”  Everything is very subjective.  I expect even more debate to emerge in the coming years over this controversial issue.  My advice for the scientists: cure the sick and ailing parents of the bioethicists with the results of your stem cell research.  That should quiet them.  My advice for the bioethicists: Keep a careful eye on those scheming scientists, but actually learn about the research being done before you condemn it.  Come off as educated people, not hippie-nazis.

Blake flies solo this week with an in-depth look at the Boom! Kids line of comics featuring the Disney, Pixar, and Muppet characters. Blake looks at each of the series that has been released to date, gives his thoughts on the best and the weakest, and offers a few suggestions for the future of the line. In the picks, check out the Showcase Presents Ambush Bug graphic novel, and the Assault on New Olympus Prologue one-shot! Contact us with comments, suggestions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 146: Disney Goes Boom!
Inside This Episode:

Welcome to the site to go when you feel like a new Mickey Mouse story or two! Feel free to look around the site and leave your thoughts and ideas in comments!

Be sure to check back often for new stories!

Over the past few months I’ve seen an alarming increase in those family bumper stickers with one little cartoony person for the mom, the dad, all five kids and the puppy. Sometimes they’ve got Mickey Mouse ears or their names underneath but it boils down to one obvious objection I feel anyone with a BS* could see: YOU ARE PROVOKING PEDOPHILES AND RAPISTS TO ATTACK YOUR CHILDREN.

Grade A parenting there – the back of your car has every kid’s name, their schools and every sports team they’ve ever eaten orange slices at halftime with. You might as well add a signed field trip permission forms to the Catholic Boat.

The Catholic Boaaat, time to get some hot Christian action!

Congratulations Mom of the Year. Your Sienna is nothing short of a free peek into  your children’s… itineraries and an invitation into their orifices.

NV/R,

Maria

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*At this point, I feel you should all fully recognize how utterly worthless anyone with a humanities major is. You should never ever allow your child to be exposed to one or your 8 year old will be complaining about nihilism with about the same philosophical understanding that a senior philosophy major possesses (i.e. none).

Met de decembermaand voor de deur worden kinderen (en hun ouders) gebombardeerd met berichten over spannend speelgoed, vette games en coole consoles. Er is zo’n overdaad aan keuzemogelijkheden dat het opstellen van verlanglijstjes een nachtmerrie begint te worden. Producenten doen steeds meer hun best om de aandacht te trekken van de kleine consumenten. Heel soms zetten ze zelfs boemerangspeelgoed in met ‘oude-wijn-in-nieuwe-zakkenmarketing’.

Mickey zegt: koop mij! (c) Disney, Upper Deck International, Intertoys.

Uit de oude doos
Boemerangspeelgoed is geen speelgoed dat vanzelf bij je terugkeert hoe harder je het weggooit. Het is speelgoed uit de oude doos, dat weer terug is van weg geweest. De producent brengt het als een noviteit, maar als je in de geschiedenis duikt dan blijkt dat je te maken hebt met een opgepoetst oud stukkie speelgoed. Neem bijvoorbeeld de ‘interactieve’ pop die te koop is onder de noemer ‘Mickey zegt!’. Die pop wordt nu aangeboden als recent ontwikkeld. Milton Bradley (MB) kwam er echter al mee op de markt in 1989! Grote kans dus dat deze MB-Mickey (toen te koop als ‘Mickey Says’) nog op veel zolders is terug te vinden. De batterijen zullen nu onderhand wel uitgelopen zijn.

Fragment uit de handleiding van 'Mickey Says'. (c) Disney, MB.

Een pratende Mickey
Het was en is een pratende Mickey Mousepop die een kind opdrachten geeft. De kinderen moeten dan aan de slag met deze ‘educatieve’ commando’s. Mickey beoordeelt daarna hoe de kids het er vanaf brengen. Als  ze het goed doen krijgen ze punten als beloning. Grappig dat kinderen wel zouden luisteren naar een dood stuk speelgoed, terwijl ze in het dagelijks leven vaak Oostindisch doof worden als papa of mama hen een opdrachtje geven! Maar zoals zo vaak zal dit wel weer werken. Ik ben benieuwd in hoe veel huishoudens de Mickeypop in de schoen belandt.

De anatomie van Mickey in de handleiding uit 1989. (c) Disney, MB.

I would first like to say that I am in complete awe of this young lady. Kudos.

Anyway, Chanel Iman recently did a spread for Vogue Germany’s December 09 Issue. Credited to Mark Seliger, Chanel does a very cute, very simplistic, very high fashion, rendition of the classic Mickey Mouse! Who doesn’t love that?

Here are a few shots! Click on the thumbnails for larger pictures.

P.S. Check out her BLOG: Chanel Iman

I have learned to accept the Top Five Unspoken Rules of Disney Animals:

1) Without explanation, animals can speak to each other in English. (Even when they are native Africans: The Lion King).
2) Humans can talk to animals and vice versa.
3) Goofy can walk upright and talk, but Pluto is just a normal dog.
4) When Donald Duck gets out of the shower, he is embarrassed by his nakedness, covering himself up with a towel. However, he never wears pants.
5) As a cartoon, Mickey Mouse is pretty much the size of a real mouse. But at Disney World, he is around 6 feet tall.

It’s all fine as long as these rules are consistent which each other within the Disney Universe. However, I have recently been made aware of a rare exception. A hole in the Disney Theory.

This exception to the rules involves one of my favorite Disney cartoon movies, Robin Hood. I’m referring to the 1973 version where Robin Hood is a fox. It contains an ever-addictive whistling theme which I can’t describe in words and the melancholy ballad “Not in Nottingham”. The movie is full of adventure, action, and romance.
The weird thing about it, though, is that it’s the only animated Disney movie I can think of where there are no humans AND the animals assume the role of humans (in other words the animals are anthropomorphic).

For example, in The Lion King there are no humans, but all the animals act like normal animals (other than the fact they can talk and sing). They live out in the wild and kill and eat other animals. The characters are beasts, not mutants.

But in Robin Hood, the animals wear clothes, eat food at a table, and walk upright, to name a few distinguished human traits. While this in no way discredits the greatness of the film, there’s not an animated Disney movie I can think of before or after its release that follows this formula.

83rd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2009 has a new route! For the first time ever, the parade route will bypass Broadway and travel down 7th and 6th Avenue’s to Macy’s in Herald Square.

Stars joining the line-up include Bello, Grandma and the cast of the Big Apple Circus, Andrea Bocelli, Boys Like Girls, Alan Cumming, Billy Currington, DJ Lance Rock and the cast of Yo Gabba Gabba!, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Gloria Gaynor, Sarah Hughes, Kermit the Frog and Tiffany Thornton, Jane Krakowski, Cyndi Lauper, Ziggy Marley with Judah Marley, Katharine McPhee, Miss America 2009 – Katie Stam, the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, Mitchel Musso, Keke Palmer, The Pizzarelli Quartet, Jay Sean and Carly Simon.

Enchantment returns this November as Macy’s magical procession of pomp and pageantry ushers in the holiday season at the 83rd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. From the trumpeting of the time-honored phrase Let’s Have a Parade. to the first glimpse of one of Macy’s signature giant helium balloons, the march of whimsy will delight more than 3.5 million spectators lining the streets of Manhattan and more than 50 million viewers nationwide. America’s Parade steps to the beat of its own drums on Thursday, November 26th at 9:00 AM bringing with it 8,000 participants including the nation’s best marching bands, jaw-dropping performance groups, cheerleaders, clowns, giant balloons, fanciful floats and the biggest star of them all, the one-and-only Santa Claus.

From a small band of Macy’s employees gathered in 1924 to commemorate the holiday season to a tradition that has delighted millions for generations, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is truly an icon of American popular culture. Changing with the times from a Parade of floats, zoo animals, clowns and bands that marched down a more than 5- mile route to a Parade filled with giant helium balloon characters, celebrities, and more; the Macy’s Parade this year will mark yet another milestone moment. Having marched down parts of Broadway for 82 years, the 2009 procession will be the first to bypass Broadway in the history of the Parade. Over the years, the Macy’s Parade route has changed five times as it traveled through Manhattan. From the initial Harlem step-off site in the mid 1920s to its current 77th Street starting line, the Parade route has evolved with the city.

The 2009 Macy’s Parade will begin at 77th Street and Central Park West, travel down to Columbus Circle where it will turn onto Central Park South. Once the Parade reaches 7th Avenue it will turn once more and march down 7th Avenue through Times Square to 42nd Street. At the famed intersection, it will turn east to 6th Avenue and begin its final march down the Avenue of the Americas to 34th Street, where it will turn towards Macy’s famed flagship and end at 7th Avenue marking a 2.65-mile march.

“This is a milestone year for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” said Robin Hall, executive producer of Macy’s National Events. “Dramatic changes in the mid-town landscape will divert us for the first time from the fabled Broadway route we have followed since our first Parade in 1924. However, our course will remain true and the Parade will continue to entertain millions as Spider-Man returns to the sky and the first new Santa Float in almost half a century makes its debut.”

The 83rd Annual Macy’s Parade will be an unparalleled crowd-pleasing spectacle that features 1,500 cheerleaders, dancers, singers and performers; 800 clowns; 15 giant character helium balloons; 35 novelty/ornament balloons, balloonheads and balloonicles; 10 marching bands; 24 floats; and a host of celebrity performers.

Rise of the Giants
The sky above the streets of Manhattan will be alive once more filled with colorful friends as the Parade’s signature giant helium character balloons soar on Thanksgiving morning. The line-up of giants features a who’s who of children’s classic characters from comic book superheroes to the stars of television, films and American pop culture. New arrivals to the Thanksgiving Day balloonfest are everyone’s favorite neighborhood super-hero™, the web slinger himself, Spider-Man®; the ever cute and cuddly Pillsbury Doughboy®; America’s favorite clown Ronald McDonald®; and the top mouse on deck, Sailor Mickey Mouse.

Making a vaunted return to the Parade to complete the 15 giant balloon line-up are some of the nation’s most favorite characters including Abby Cadabby, Buzz Lightyear, Dora the Explorer™, Flying Ace Snoopy, Horton, Kermit the Frog™, Pikachu™, Shrek®, Smurf, SpongeBob SquarePants™ and Supercute Hello Kitty®. These giant balloons are only one portion of the buoyant procession; the Macy’s Parade also boasts 35 novelty/ornament balloons and balloonicles, which can range in size from 12 to 25 feet tall and give the line of march a tiered perspective. The Macy’s Parade features a team of Balloonatics – balloon experts who create, maintain and inflate the Parade’s balloon line up. A fun bunch, the Parade Balloonatics are known to give lessons in balloon speak to spectators every year. Two very important facts should be known when referring to the Parade’s giant helium characters. One is that although the Parade’s signature balloons seem to float in the air, they are indeed balloons – not floats. The second and most important is that Macy’s does not blow up the balloons – that would be very disappointing to millions who would not get to see them fly on Parade day…that’s why they are inflated!

Floating Scenes of Wonder
Riding down the street on Thanksgiving Day will be the Parade’s magical lineup of floats that feature landscapes of fantasy. These moving stages transport millions of spectators on unexpected journeys. The new float line-up includes a salute to the heroes in our everyday lives on the Local Heroes Helping Everyday float; a magical land where friends come to life to play and dance on the There’s A Party in My City float, and the first new Santa’s Sleigh in more than 40 years.

The dazzling stages that ride down the streets of New York City each year take months of painstaking work by the skilled artisans of the Macy’s Parade Studio. The gifted Studio team design and build each float from the ground up. Wood, foam and other materials are the skeleton that gives life to this fleet of fantasy. In addition to the three new stages, 21 floats will make a return appearance to the line up this Thanksgiving.

The returning float roster includes 123 Sesame Street, Big Apple, Bridge To The Future, Bountiful Harvest Cornucopia, The Care Bears™ Winter Fun-derland, Castle of Dreams, Cele-bear-ate Hugs Worldwide, Doodlebug, Jolly Polly Pirate Ship, M&M’s® Chocolate Candies on Broadway, Marion-Carol Showboat, Musical Innovation Bigger Than Life, Pep Squad, Shine On, The Smurfs™, Snoopy’s Doghouse, Spirit of Liberty, Tom Turkey, The True Spirit of Thanksgiving, Winter Wonderland in Central Park and Woodland Family Gathering. In addition, the famed Speed Racer Mach 5 will be making a special appearance in the line of march this year.

Drum Roll Please
Strike up the band and pump up the volume, as the Parade’s signature marching bands hit the perfect rhythm this Thanksgiving. The musical heartbeat of the Parade, the marching bands and students representing their home states in this year’s holiday spectacular are the nation’s highest caliber musical and marching talents. Ready to step to the beat are Adair County High School from Columbia, Kentucky; Frank W. Ballou Senior High School from Washington, DC; Choctawhatchee High School from Fort Walton Beach, FL; Franklin Regional High School from Murrysville, PA; Harrison High School from Kennesaw, GA; Morgantown High School from Morgantown, WV; Pickerington Central High School from Pickerington, OH; Pittsburg High School from Pittsburg, CA; Towson University from Towson, MD; and Macy’s Great American Marching Band featuring students from all fifty states.

Taking Center Stage
Adding pomp, cheer, spins, flips and dips to the holiday revelry are some of the nation’s best performance groups. From the cheerleaders to a one-of-a kind group of peddlers, the Parade features a host of unique performers. Set to wow the crowds are performers from the Big Apple Circus, Chinese American Community Center Folk Dance Troupe, Mike Miller Dance Team, NETSational Seniors & NETS Kids Dance Team, The Purple Peddlers, Varsity Spirit, Spirit of Long Island Mounted Drill Team, Stagedoor Manor, and USA Jump Rope.

Stars on 34th Street
Celebrating the start of the holiday season will be performers from stage, screen and music riding down the streets of New York City to Macy’s famed home on 34th Street. The stars joining the line-up include Bello, Grandma and the cast of the Big Apple Circus, Andrea Bocelli, Boys Like Girls, Alan Cumming, Billy Currington, DJ Lance Rock and the cast of Yo Gabba Gabba!, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Gloria Gaynor, Sarah Hughes, Kermit the Frog and Tiffany Thornton, Jane Krakowski, Cyndi Lauper, Ziggy Marley with Judah Marley, Katharine McPhee, Miss America 2009 – Katie Stam, the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, Mitchel Musso, Keke Palmer, The Pizzarelli Quartet, Jay Sean and Carly Simon.

Nationwide Star
From coast to coast, Americans will gather around the television to share in the magic of the Parade via the national broadcast on NBC-TV. One of the nation’s most viewed events, NBC’s Emmy® Award winning telecast of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be hosted by TODAY’s Matt Lauer, Meredith Viera and Al Roker. The telecast will air from 9:00 AM to 12 Noon in each of the four time zones in the continental United States. Star power on Thanksgiving morning will include performances from some of the hottest Broadway shows including Billy Elliot, Bye Bye Birdie, Hair, and Shrek. In addition, the world-famous Radio City Rockettes® will return to kick in the start of the holiday season.

A Holiday Treat for Children Everywhere, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’s finale features the biggest star of all, the one-and-only Santa Claus. As his sleigh comes into view, Macy’s will wish everyone “Happy Holidays” and a “Merry Christmas.”

Source and Photos: Macy’s

Enjoy!

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In 1921 un inginer german, Max Braun punea bazele unui mic atelier de produse electronice in Frankfurt pe Main. Cum perioada respectiva a cunoscut o explozie a radioului, specializarea atelierului era in componente pentru aparate radio. Aproape 30 de ani mai tarziu, in 1950, un medic stomatolog din cealalta parte a lumii crea prima periuta de dinti sub marca Oral-B. Modelul creat se numea Oral-B 60 dupa numarul firelor de nylon incluse.

Afacerea medicului Robert Hutson din California s-a extins rapid, de la afacere de familie, derulata in casa si portbagajul masinii cu care ducea periutele la posta pentru a le expedia clientilor, la un business solid care pana la sfarsitul anilor 70 exporta produsele in Europa, America Latina si Asia. Mai mult, periutele Oral-B au fost primele care au ajuns pe luna odata cu misiunea Apollo 11.

Intre timp, Braun crease un prototip de periuta de dinti electrica, numita “Mayadent” (1963), care simula miscarile unei periute normale. Produsul a fost initial unul de nisa, avand o raspandire redusa in primii ani. Orizontul s-a schimbat in 1967 cand Gillette a cumparat Braun care ajunsese deja unul dintre producatorii de top de aparatura electrocasnica mica. Din acest moment Braun a beneficiat de motorul de marketing al Gillette care a promovat si acest tip de produs. Insa abia in 1978 nisa a fost dezvoltata suficient incat produsul sa ajunga la productie de masa.

In 1984 Gillette a cumparat si Oral-B punandu-si serios amprenta pe acest segment de produse prin investitii masive in tehnologie si marketing. Acesta din urma a propulsat Oral-B in topul vanzarilor din Statele Unite si nu numai lansand prima periuta pentru copii sub licenta Star Wars in 1984. In acelasi an Braun, divizie separata a Gillette creeaza prima periuta electrica cu miscari pe 3 axe.

Ceea ce era de asteptat s-a intamplat in 1987 cand a fost lansata prima periuta in colaborare Braun si Oral-B, marcand un nou inceput de business. De aici marketingul si-a spus cuvantul ducand plasand Oral-B ca sub-brand al Braun si cucerind efectiv lumea cu produsele lor. Din 2001, capetele periutelor de dinti ii au pe Mickey Mouse, Winnie-the-Pooh si pe Buzz Lightyear prin semnarea unui nou acord cu Disney. Restul e business modern.

The L magazine came up with 22 least successful looks of mickey mouse’s career as yesterday was his 81st birthday of the second viewing of mickey mouse, in steamboat willie. Mickey first appeard in Plane crazy six months earlier but had been re-tweeked for Steamboat willie.

its all a matter of opinion on weather or not these were successful or not, as i kinda like some of these.

makes sure to go and check out the rest of the least favorite at The L Magazine  site.

Grumpy, mean, irritating at times but always adorable!

I was looking at the best sellers in our catalogs and came across the Mickey Mouse childrens books. These have been flying out of the warehouse ever since they were displayed in our catalog. It is easy to see why as these books come in a set of 12 and have 10 thick pages each and over 3″ wide, which makes it very easy for toddlers to turn and look at the pages. Best of all we also have these in the Disney Pixar Cars series along with Disney Clasicas like The Little Mermaid for example. Each set of 12 is a ridiculously low $8.95.