Fun & Entertainment
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Fun & Entertainment
April Fools Day
April Fool's Day is traditionally a day to play practical jokes on others, send people on fool's errands, and fool the unsuspecting। No one knows how this holiday began but it was thought to have originated in France.
The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. New Year's was celebrated on March 25 and celebrations lasted until April 1st. When New Year's Day as changed from March 25 to January 1st in the mid-1560's by King Charles IX, there were some people who still celebrated it on April 1st and those people were called April Fools.
Pranks performed on April Fool's Day range from the simple, (such as saying, "Your shoe's untied!), to the elaborate. Setting a roommate's alarm clock back an hour is a common gag. The news media even gets involved. For instance, a British short film once shown on April Fool's Day was a fairly detailed documentary about "spaghetti farmers" and how they harvest their crop from the spaghetti trees. Whatever the prank, the trickster usually ends it by yelling to his victim, "April Fool!"
April Fool's Day is a "for-fun-only" observance. Nobody is expected to buy gifts or to take their "significant other" out to eat in a fancy restaurant. Nobody gets off work or school. It's simply a fun little holiday, but a holiday on which one must remain forever vigilant, for he may be the next April Fool!
Each country celebrates April Fool's differently. In France, the April Fool's is called "April Fish" (Poisson d'Avril). The French fool their friends by taping a paper fish to their friends' backs and when some discovers a this trick, they yell "Poisson d'Avril!".
In England, tricks can be played only in the morning. If a trick is played on you, you are a "noodle". In Scotland, April Fools Day is 48 hours long and you are called an "April Gowk", which is another name for a cuckoo bird. The second day in Scotland's April Fool's is called Taily Day and is dedicated to pranks involving the buttocks. Taily Day's gift to posterior posterity is the still-hilarious "Kick Me" sign.
Fun & Entertainment
Friday, March 7, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
Disney says to produce anime 'made in Japan
US entertainment giant Walt Disney said Thursday it would produce cartoons in Japan in tie-ups with the country's famed animation industry in a rare bid to adapt to regional tastes.
TOKYO (AFP) - The company that turned Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck into global icons has traditionally distributed the same US-made films around the world.
Walt Disney Company (Japan) Ltd. said it would start by making a short children's animation series in Japan using three-dimensional computer graphics.
The series, entitled "Fireball," will feature robots in the distant future and start airing in April, company officials said.
"We aim to provide products that match the taste of the local market," said Mariko Hisamitsu, a Disney Japan official in charge of the television business.
"We have few precedents for localisation," she told AFP. "Disney characters are well recognised in Japan and we believe providing contents catering to consumers is necessary to expand the market."
Joining hands with mid-sized studio Madhouse Ltd., Disney will also launch a Japanese version of the popular US "Lilo and Stitch" series in October, Disney said.
The original series related the bonding between the orphan girl Lilo and a little blue alien named Stitch on the lush Hawaiian island of Kauai.
The adaptation will feature a Japanese girl and be set on a fictional island in Japan's subtropical southern chain of Okinawa.
While the main market is Japan, Hisamitsu said it was possible that the productions would be exported to other Asian countries, although nothing had been decided.
Films will be produced in Japan using local animation creators and computer graphics specialists and will not be outsourced to other Asian countries, she said.
Despite the international reputation of "anime" or "Japanimation," Japan's rank-and-file animators are facing growing workloads and stagnant wages as they face stiff competition from cheaper labour elsewhere in Asia.
Japan's top art school, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, is to open a two-year graduate course in April in a bid to "nurture revolutionary creators" for the nation's animation industry.
The course, the first at a state-run Japanese university focused on "manga" cartoons or animation, drew more than twice as many applications as the maximum 16 seats available, according to the university.
The most celebrated maker of Japanimation is Hayao Miyazaki, whose "Spirited Away" won the Academy Award in 2003 for best animated feature, Japan's first Oscar for a full-length work in nearly half a century.
Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli -- which also produced international hits such as "Howl's Moving Castle" -- said it was aware of the move by Disney but had no comment.
Disney has a longstanding fan base in Japan. Tokyo Disneyland opened in 1983 as Disney's first theme park outside the United States and visits there have almost become a rite-of-passage for Japanese children.
Seeking to take advantage of Disney's popularity in Japan, the company entered the tough cellular phone market this month in cooperation with Softbank Corp.
The mobile service, which features Disney characters, comes even though Disney withdrew from the cellular business in the United States.
Hisamitsu said Disney has yet to decide on any cooperation between the localised animation series and mobile business.
Fun & Entertainment
Monday, March 3, 2008
Monday, March 3, 2008
Holiday Parties!
Holiday Parties!
Holidays are special occasions to share with family and friends। Family customs add meaning to your holiday parties। Planning and entertaining are easy with our selection of paper goods, party accents and decorations Set the scene with the latest in "Scene Setter" decorations!
The Luck of the Irish!
Its your lucky day when you find all you need in our St Patrick's Day section for a special party.
Lots of Green!
In Your Easter Bonnet!
Decorate for this celebration and don't eat too much candy। We have a great Easter Basket that can be shipped to your friends or family.
Star Of David 9"plates
Shimmering Star!
Make sure to celebrate the holidays and Judaic celebrations with this beautiful silver trimmed pattern. 9" plates
Cinco de Mayo
Party all day long on the 5th of May. Serve Margaritas in our Glow Margarita Cups. Choose from our great selection of paper goods, decorations and accessories. Don't forget the sombreros and maracas and dance the Mexican Hat Dance!
Have a great celebration।
Happy Mother's Day!
Show Mom how much you love and appreciate her! Make this an extra special day with our Paper Goods and Decorations made especially for her!
Happy Mother's Day!
Proud to be American!
From Memorial Day to the 4th of July to Veterns Day, patriotic holidays are a great reason for a picnic or barbeque. Watch the fireworks and light up the night with Glow and LED's.
Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue
Halloween is on it's way!
Looking for items that go bump in the night? Serve your treats in Jack'o'lanterns or monster mugs,with glowing goods and creepy bugs! Make your costume pop with silly wigs and fun props. Keep little ones safe and put on a show with our LED lights and colorful Glow! Great for Masquerades and good fright, Our selection will have them screaming all night! Happy Halloween! 
Introducing the Latest Craze in Fabulous Decorations!
Be creative and decorate your party room, school, restaurant, cafeteria or office with our oversized demented decorations। Add this supersized scenery to your room. Scene Setters are made of heavy vinyl and cling to windows & walls, mirrors & doors. Mix & match with all of our decorations. "Set your own scene for Halloween".
Turkey Day!
Thanksgiving traditions include the parade, football and great food। Make clean up easy with our selection of sturdy paper plates। Decorate with Pilgrams and enjoy your family and friends.
A Thanksgiving Without Dishes!
Large family gatherings are great, but the dishes stack up in the kitchen. Decorate your table with any of our beautiful Thanksgiving paper goods and make entertaining easy.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Dreidle! Dreidle! Dreidle!
We have plastic dreidles, paper goods, decorations and gifts for a very nice holiday celebration.
Happy Hanukkah
"We Wish You a
Merry Christmas"
The holiday season is filled with parties and festivities with family and friends, Decorate your office and home with our beautiful new "Scene Setter" decorations. Make entertaining easy with paper goods. Dress up as Santa and find a great selection of little gifts.
"And a Happy New Year"
Set The Scene for the Holidays!
Decorate your home, office or classroom with the latest and greatest. We proudly introduce this fabulous group of mix and match "Scene Setters" to your Christmas decor. Now you can design your own scene for the holidays!
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Waving 8' Snowman
Happy Holidays!
Our 8' self inflating nylon snowman is not the Famous Frosty, but close enough to add to your holiday decorations। Perfect for indoor or outdoor, just plug in and watch him light up and wave.
Countdown to 2008!
New Year's is a 24 hour party. Whether celebrating New Year's Eve or a brunch on New Year's Day, we have a great selection of Hats, Horns, Paper Goods and Decorations to countdown to midnight.
Make sure to see our exclusive theme New Year's Kits for a special celebration .
New Year's City Scape
New Year's Eve City Scene!
Accent your room for New Year's Eve with our City Scape Room Roll. Each roll is 48"x 50'. Our Add-Ons will create your perfect New Year's setting,like you were in the middle of Times Square! Don't forget AP240555 Sticky tack to hang them up!
Happy New Year! 
Strike Up the Band
Mardi Gras signifies the ultimate party. Paint the scene in purple, green and gold and party all night long. Choose from our decorations, paper goods, beads, masks and accessories to bring Bourbon Street to your event.
Have a great party!
Mask 18" Centerpiece
Metallic Masks!
Decorate your table for Mardi Gras with our Comedy and Tragedy metallic mask centerpiece. Easy
to assemble and stands 18" tall. 
1.5" Gold Coins
Find the Treasure!
Cover your tables, fill your loot bags or hide our 1।5" gold plastic coins for a Treasure Hunt. The perfect coin to accent your Pirate, Casino or Mardi Gras party.
Chinatown 10.5" Plates
Say I Love You!
This special day for LOVE is certainly a time to party.
Happy Valentine's Day
Valentine Table Decorama
Will you Be Mine?
Our Bear and Heart Decorating Kit is a great way to say I Love You on Valentine's Day! Great for your table or classroom! Includes (2) 5" Heart honeycomb centerpieces, (1) 12" Bear honeycomb centrpiece, and (12) Fabric Hearts to scatter!
Mini Heart Candles
Be My Valentine!
Say I love you 5 different ways with our mini Candy Hearts molded votive candles! Great as gifts or for a romantic night at home!
Size:1 ।5"
Sweet Memories!
Celebrating a Milestone Event? Our Customized candy bar wrappers make a memorable hand out for your celebrations!
We have unique wrapper designs for Special Occasions, Themes, Corporate Events and Holidays। 
New Year's Candy Gram
Boss's Day Candy Gram
Thank You Candy Gram
Thanksgiving Candy Gram
Love Candy Gram
My Valentine
Banners are tear and water resistant vinyl with metal rings for hanging. They ship in 48 hours.
Fun & Entertainment
Kid Party Ideas For Entertainment
Kid Party Ideas To Help Make Your Child’s Birthday Amazing!
With 20 years experience as a birthday party magician, I’ve accumulated tons of kid party ideas and party tips to make your birthday party stress free and fun। I’m sure the following kid birthday party ideas will aid you in your birthday party planning. It’s a very important day in your child's life and they deserve our very best!Kid Party Ideas and Party tips
Birthday Party Idea #1
Tie a bouquet of balloons around your mailbox or front of your house. A lot of parents already do this, but for those who don’t, it’s makes it a lot easier for anyone trying to find the house if they have never been to your home, (Not to mention the entertainer if you have one!)
Extra kid party idea: let the birthday child select the colors for the balloons. Anything you can do to get your child involved in the birthday party planning is great for their self-esteem and self-confidence. Kids really want to help out.
Birthday Party Idea #2Protect your pets! Keep dogs, cats etc. separated from the party area. All it takes is one child to be bitten to ruin the birthday party and cause injury to a small child. (Not to mention a possible lawsuit.)
Birthday Party Idea #3
Involve the entire family in your birthday party planning. Siblings can sometime feel left out, neglected when it’s not their birthday. Perhaps an older child can be in charge taking pictures. Maybe one of the siblings can introduce the entertainer when it’s time for the show. Another might hang up coats or collect all the presents as children arrive. Another could help prepare refreshments, invitations etc. Be creative with your kid party ideas!
Birthday Party Idea #4
What to serve for food? Easy to handle food such as hot dogs or the kids favorite, pizza! Apple juice is still the all time 
parents favorite. If your having an outdoor party, a really fun idea is to buy all the ingredients to make banana splits or sundaes and let the children create their own and let the kids run through the sprinkler or get hosed down after-wards. This is a favorite kid party idea with the young ones.
Birthday Party Idea #5
Since it’s a birthday party, “you gotta have games.” Here’s a clever idea: dress up all the kids with extra large clothing. The children stuff their cloths with balloons and then have a very funny, silly relay race. Great photo opportunity! If you do have games and decide to have a reward or prize for the winner, make sure that; “everyone did so excellent that you're all winners” and give each child a prize. (A party tip worth it's weight in gold!) The key here is making the party memorable for everyone and not just the birthday child. Parents will thank you.
Birthday Party Idea #6
Here's a popular kid party tip: prepare your child for the party. You might play act or rehearse how you would like your child to answer the door, greet the guests and receive the presents. Discuss good manners and acceptable behavior for the party. It’s also important to give your other children a little extra love on the day of the party, remembering the limelight is on the birthday child.
Birthday Party Idea #7
Entertainment? Hiring an entertainer for your child’s party can really make the party experience for your child a memorable one. But how do you find an entertainer that will do an excellent job for you? The days of looking in the phone book are obsolete. With the explosion of the internet, your best bet is going on-line. All the top pros have a web site which contains valuable info about themselves and their entertainment... all at the click of a mouse. Here's a great kid party idea... try a internet search under kid party entertainment or birthday party entertainment.
Make sure to ask for testimonials and references for the age group of your child. This will separate the pros from the amateurs. If the entertainer is full time or if it’s a part time hobby, could make a big difference. For full time performers it’s their profession, their business, so generally they are more professional. Ask how long their show is and if they have different packages or extras etc. Most party entertainers shows run 30 to 45 minutes. Remember this is your chance to relax! Hey, mom needs a break too! (Best kid party idea of the day.)
Birthday Party Idea #8
When you schedule a performer, try and have all the children ready to watch the performance at the time you agreed on. Some magicians, puppeteers etc. may be doing more than one birthday party that day and need to stay on schedule. (At times I’ll do 3 or 4 on a Saturday or Sunday, so scheduling is very important). Also make sure the children have nothing in their hands. Toys, noisemakers, and party gifts can be a big distraction in your birthday party planning. If your performer has done a great job and the children really loved him/her, then tipping is appropriate and appreciated.
Birthday Party Idea #9
It’s very important, not to mention common courtesy to send thank you notes or cards to all the guests. One of the best kid party ideas is to have a picture taken with the birthday child and each friend. When you get the film developed, order double prints and include a snapshot of the birthday child and each guest with the thank you note. You can even have the birthday child help make the thank you notes/cards. Your child will learn from an early age the importance of thank you notes and the parents of all your guests will love them.
Birthday Party Idea #10
I shouldn’t have to mention this kid party idea, but if you’re having an outdoor party, definitely have a back up plan in case of inclement weather.
Birthday Party Idea #11
Presents - You might want to consider having a large cardboard 
box handy to put presents in. The birthday child could decorate with bright colorful wrapping paper or simply color it. This adds a nice festive touch to the party and also shows off your child’s creative skills!
Birthday Party Idea #12
Parents ask me all the time, in what order should activities be planned. In the thousands of magic shows that I’ve done for birthday parties, I’ve found that the ideal order of events is to have the entertainer first, (The kids are so excited about having a live show, making them wait would not to a good thing. They would get to hyped up waiting.) After the entertainment most parents like to have the food if any followed by games. If you feed the kids before the magic show, some slow eating children might not be finished eating and this could be a distraction for the performer.
At this point your birthday party planning could go either way: have the presents opened followed by the traditional happy birthday singing and cake and ice cream. Or you could reverse it and have the presents last. I feel it’s best to have the cake and ice cream last. Why not have the inevitable “sugar high” when it’s time for all the children leave to go home. Trust me on this kid party idea :-)
Birthday Party Idea #13
This is a day that your child will always cherish. Don’t forget to give him/her a big hug, thank them for being such a great helper with the party and tell them how much you love them. (Best kid party idea of them all!)
BONUS TIP:
Plan a free evening for yourself after the party. Buy a pre-cooked meal, a beverage of your choice and choose a good film to watch. Then when the party has finished and the children are in bed, you can relax and enjoy the peace and quiet without having to think about cooking! You’ll have just thrown a fantastic party – and you deserve a relaxing evening!
Fun & Entertainment
1st Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
The 1st year marks a special milestone. Make sure your child's favorite characters are there to decorate your table.
Have a Happy 1st Birthday!
Hooray 4 Elmo 9" Plates
It's Elmo!
Invite one of your favorite Sesame Street friends to your party! Elmo is so happy to help you celebrate!
Happy Birthday from Elmo!
Pink 1st 7" Plates
Sugar and Spice!
And everything nice that is what little girls are made of. What is more special than a little girl's 1st birthday. Celebrate in pink.
7" Square Plates
Blue 1st 7" Plates
Frogs and Snails!
And puppy dog tails, that is what little boys are made of. What is more special than a little boy's 1st birthday. Celebrate in blue.
7"Square Plates
Pooh 9" Plate
Cars 7" Plates
Speed on Over to Route 66!
Our hotshot racecar Lightning McQueen is out to win the Piston Cup Championship at your party. 7" Plates
Barney 9" Plates
Trucks 9" Plates
Construction Zone!
Our colorful construction trucks will brighten your table. Great to mix with our Bob the Builder stickers and construction hats. 9" plates 
Dora Star 9" Plates
Let Dora Come to Your Party!
This colorful new Dora the Explorer pattern will excite your table decorations. 9" Plates
Cupcake Bday Balloon
Animal Paddle Game
Diva Bendable Girls
Mickey 9" Plate
Mickey's Clubhouse!
Celebrate your birthday with Mickey and the gang!
M I C ...see you real soon, K E Y,
M O U S E!
9" Plate
Wiggles 7" Plates
The Wiggles Crew!
Have a musical party with the Wiggles. Sing along and have a colorful birthday party. 7" Plates
uperman 20oz Bowl
Superman!
Our Superman bowl is available for your favorite snacks or cereal। These unbreakable bowls are dishwasher and micro-wave safe. Great for favors, too.
Sesame Smiles 9" Plates
And It's Big Bird!
Happy Birthday from your favorite Sesame Street Characters. Use this ensemble to brighten your child's meal. 9" plat
Party Pups 9" Plates
How Much is that
Puppy in the Window?
The best in Show is this adorable Puppy Pal pattern for your party. 9"plats
Prehistoric 7" Plates
Dinosaurs Over Time!
Kids love dinosaurs. The mystery of the prehistoric creatures come to life in this colorful new metallic pattern to decorate your party table. 7" Plates
Madagascar Lunch Napkins
Be Part of the Jungle!
The Madagascar paper goods bring the characters to your party table. Hear the Roar of the Jungle.
Madagascar Thank You's
Be Part of the Jungle!
The Madagascar paper goods bring the characters to your party table. Hear the Roar of the Jungle.
Thank You Notes
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