October 8th is National Walk to School Day

 

Put on your walking shoes and take a stroll to school with your children on Wednesday, October 8, 2014 for National Walk to School Day.  Whether your children already walk to school each day or they are driven or ride a bus, National Walk to School Day is something everyone can participate in.  Devote yourself that morning to invest in some quality parenting time talking with your children while you walk with them to school which also provides an encouraging message about engaging in physical activity for the kids and demonstrates support for safe walkable communities.  According to the National Center for Safe Routes to School, which organizes this annual event, the goal is to increase awareness and support with parents, community influencers, and government officials regarding accessibility and safety issues involving allowing children to bike or walk to school by getting a mass number of people doing it at one given time.

If your child normally takes the bus or is driven to school you can still participate by taking them a few blocks from school and walking the remainder of the way with them that day or participating in a specific gathering of parents and students being organized by your school.  My kids' school with the support of the PTA  is encouraging parents to bring their kids to a park that is a half mile away from the building and having everyone walk together that morning to classes as one big group.  If you haven't heard from your school about this event give them a call or CLICK HERE to see if your school district has listed any activities on the National Walk to School Day website.  This website has a national map where you can search by state and city for local programs taking place on October 8. My home state of Michigan for example lists 289 events taking place, although my kids school isn't included on that list so if you have time calling your own school directly would probable be more dependable.

What is the emphasis for holding this event? Well according to the National Center for Safe Routes to School 66% of the communities that participated in National Walk to School Day in 2013 indicated the event had an impact on making a policy change or engineering improvement that made walking or biking to school either safer or more convenient for students. A majority of schools participating though gave the primary reason for being involved as an educational opportunity to get parents attention toward addressing obesity prevention for their children.  Whether its policy makers or parents the goal of this event is to grab people's attention and try to use that to make positive changes.

So what are the goals for this year's event? 

INCREASE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY - walking and bicycling are great ways to foster a healthy lifestyle for students and families.  Even if you can't walk or bike to school every day if this one day can encourage parents and students to do these activities more frequently that would have positive health benefits for families.

ENCOURAGE SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO IMPLEMENT FORMAL SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAMS -  These SRTS programs help make walking and bicycling to school safer and a more appealing option often compared to communities that don't have a sustained effort and plan.

IMPROVING SAFETY FOR WALKING & BIKING - providing education, changes to physical environment, increasing police involvement, and slowing traffic around routes to school are policy and infrastructure changes this event can impact.

So lace up those shoes and get walking on October 8th.  Our family will be walking for National Walk to School Day! Will you join us?!

For more information visit: www.walkbiketoschool.org

An Autumn Road Trip to the Potter Park Zoo

We decided to get out of town and take a family road trip to someplace we hadn't visited before on the last weekend in September traveling to our state capital to visit the Potter Park Zoo.  Lansing is centrally located in Michigan's lower peninsula about an hour and a half drive from our home in Metro Detroit on the state's east side and 1.5 hours from Grand Rapids on the state's west coast.  It was a nice sunny 75 degree fall afternoon when we arrive to take a 2 hour leisurely stroll through the zoo. Sunday's in autumn must be a nice time for a visit as we essentially had the place to ourselves as my family wandered around the exhibits and gardens that make up the zoo.

While the Potter Park Zoo doesn't have an extensive list of creatures to view or expansive grounds to wander, it does have a quaint scenic layout with enough animals to keep your attention for a few hours.  For a smaller zoo it also has an impressive array of larger creatures to view and admire including lions, tigers and rhinos.  While it may not have as many animals and amenities as larger urban zoos, I found that it provided a more intimate opportunity to observe those creatures by allowing people to get closer to the exhibits than they normally can get at larger zoological parks.  My kids and I were able to get much closer to many of the animals than we ever can at the Detroit Zoo which is just down the street from our house.

While I was impressed by the visual vantage points for watching the animals at the Potter Zoo, it wasn't the most ideal location for taking photos.  While glass walls and metallic cages allow for great views with your naked eyes they don't work as well for capturing the images you are enjoying with a camera.  In comparison, at the Detroit Zoo you can't get as close up of views to the animals but they have more displays that are buffered with trenches rather than fences to give unobstructed viewpoints for taking photographs.  As this was a special trip, we appreciated the differentiation and the chance to observe animals from a different perspective.

The Potter Park Zoo also differentiated itself from the Detroit Zoo, where we have an annual membership and visit frequently throughout the year, with some different animals on display.  Potter Park has a rare snow leopard, spider monkeys, ravens, and a moose which we can't see at our local zoo. In addition to the exotic animals, Potter Park Zoo also has many local animals for people to enjoy including a petting farm with goats, llamas, pigs and chickens and a duck pond where you can feed the birds.

The grounds of the zoo are filled with nice artwork that was fun to check out.  Plus they had numerous cutout photo ops for taking some zany pictures.

Other things to do, for an extra fee of course, are taking pony rides (or if you want to be more adventurous camel rides), feeding a room full of parakeets with a seed covered stick in "Wings Down Under" or taking an electronic train ride around the zoo's picnic area.  Prices for these extra activities aren't bad ranging from $1 to $3.  In fact, admission into the zoo was very reasonable costing us $5 for parking and $2 per kid and $10 per adult for entry.

The zoo is essentially a loop to follow that starts off going past river otters, bald eagles and a wolf leading up to the farmyard.  After passing the farmyard there is the impressive feline and primate exhibit area followed by rhinos, mongoose, meerkats and a display building filled with small mammals, birds, and reptiles.  The final lap takes you past magellanic penguins, the duck pond and some tufted deer.  Of course there are a few other animals filling in the gaps as the zoo is home to 160 species.

 

Now they warn people not to pester the animals, but it appears no one instructs the animals to be nice to us humans as the funniest part of our trip was watching a mandrill approach my daughter as she was quietly looking at it through the glass and start imitating and taunting her in a friendly way.

If you are going to be in the Lansing area, I give A Geek Daddy nod of approval to making an effort to stop by the Potter Park Zoo for an enjoyable family outing.  My family had a great time on what will be a memorable road trip to check out this very nice zoological park.

The Potter Park Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums and operated by the Ingham County Parks & Recreation Commission.  For more information, visit www.potterparkzoo.org

Horton and the Kwuggerbug - the Video Game

Seussville.com is featuring a brand new video game to celebrate the publication of Dr. Seuss's newest book: HORTON AND THE KWUGGERBUG.  While Dr. Seuss passed away in 1991, Random House is still publishing new books that are compilations of short stories that were originally published in the magazine REDBOOK between 1950 and 1955 and than were never seen again.  The newest of these books, HORTON AND THE KWUGGERBUG, was released this month featuring 4 short stories with original writings and artwork by Dr. Seuss.  One of these short stories, "Horton and the Kwuggerbug,"  which is also the title of the newest book, tells the tale of how Dr. Seuss's popular elephant character, Horton, confronts a crafty and manipulative insect known as the Kwuggerbug.  These two characters are also highlighted in a video game bearing their names that is embedded in the official Doctor Seuss website and is playable on PCs, tablets, and mobile phones.

I often find that games embedded in websites don't work well on my iPhone or iPad and really need to have their own independent apps to download for the games to work well so my kids and I tried out this Horton and the Kwuggerbug game on all three platforms to see how well it worked.  I have to give the game a lot of credit in that it worked very well on all three and there was seamless integration when accessing the website from my iPad and iPhone on Internet browsers (we used Chrome and Safari) to play the game.  Thumbs up to the development team that is managing the Seussville.com website for doing an exceptional job.

This game is designed for preschoolers with a focus on helping with color identification, counting and sorting skills.  Players must shoot over to both Horton and the Kwuggerbug equal amounts of the same colored beezlenuts through the spring loaded sling shot on the screen so they must sort out and count the appropriate number to give each character to win a level.  While this game was way too simplistic for my 5 (soon to be 6) year old twins to have much interest in and enjoy when we were monkeying around with it, I'm sure they would have loved it when they were younger.  I would recommend this game for children 2 to 4 years old who will enjoy the Dr. Seuss theme and get some benefit from the basic skills incorporated in the game that assist with dexterity (players have to aim the sling shot), problem solving (players have to sort and think out how they are going to deliver the beezlenuts to finish each level) and math (players must count out the appropriate number of beezlenuts to deliver to both Horton and the Kwuggerbug).

CLICK HERE to play HORTON AND THE KWUGGERBUG on SEUSSVILLE.COM

This website also has an overview of the catalog of Dr. Seuss's work, an interactive gallery that lets you explore Dr. Seuss' office to learn more about the author, a hall of characters to explore, and a variety of other activities and games to play with.  If you haven't made a trip to Seussville, A Geek Daddy recommends you give it a visit.

New Chewbacca Action Figure is Hyper Jump Beyond the GI Joes & Barbie Toys of my Youth

Being a Star Wars fanatic, I'm always coming across interesting things related to the Sci-Fi franchise through the blogs and social media accounts that I follow.  The newest item to catch my attention and make me go WOW! is the 1/6th scale Chewbacca action figure being produced by Hong Kong-based HOT TOYS and distributed in the United States by California-based Sideshow Collectibles.  When first observing pictures of this Chewbacca action figure I thought it was a piece of artwork or Star Wars promotional material, but no it is a very detailed toy!  This action figure isn't anything like the GI Joes I had or the Barbie dolls my sister played with when we were kids, this toy looks like it could be the actual Chewbacca if a fictional character could be real.

Hot Toys recently acquired a license to produce Star Wars 1/6 scale collectible action figures and they've gone all out to make one of the best toy reproductions ever of one of the Star Wars universe's most beloved characters.  Chewbacca is over a foot tall ( 14 inches / 36 cm) covered in fabric that provides the illusion the Wookiee is covered in fur and features 30 points of articulation so that the figure can be posed to replicate poses from almost any scene in Star Wars.  I've never seen a toy that has done a nice job attempting to replicate Chewbacca's fur until now and from these preview images it appears that Hot Toys has done exceptional work.  The action figure also comes with some excellent replica accessories to compliment it including Chewie's cross bow, satchel and the head set he wears while co-piloting the Millennium Falcon.

Chewbacca's not flying solo though as his infamous smuggler partner Han is also getting his own figure as Hot Toys kicks off its new Star Wars line.  Han Solo is a little shorter than his Wookiee compadre, keeping these toys movie accurate, at a foot tall (12 inches / 30 cm) and is dressed in his outfit from the original Star Wars movie A New Hope complete with the laser pistol that he shot first with at that friendly chap named Greedo in that well known neighborhood cafe on Tatooine.

There is nothing "cheap" about these toys, including the price tag. Both figures will be available in April 2015 but can be pre-ordered now on the Sideshow Collectibles website with Chewie being priced at $254.99 and Han at $229.99...or both can be purchased together as a package deal for $479.99.  At this price and level of detail these action figures really are toys for adults that would be especially great for decorating a home office, game room, or man cave with. While these aren't cheap to purchase they are definitely unique pieces that would be excellent for any Star Wars fan to show off and enjoy. 

For more information about these very movie accurate and articulate posable toys visit Sideshow Collectibles website.

Is Superman & Wonder Woman's Romance DOOMED from the Start?

I have to admit that I'd been passing on purchasing DC's Superman/Wonder Woman monthly serial when I've seen it on the stands at the comic book store because I really wasn't interested in reading something that seemed like a soap opera in print.  That was my loss as I learned when reading SUPERMAN / WONDER WOMAN VOLUME 1: POWER COUPLE the graphic novel compilation of the first seven issues of this monthly comic book series.  I found this series to actually be very impressive and enjoyable to read with a tidbit of romantic elements but also very action packed.  It has a storyline that hooks you in complimented with decent artwork that provides nice visuals that have a classic comic book feel to them (not the artsy sketchy work that has a hand drawn feel but often leaves you squinting at drab images nor the CGI visuals that seem too glossy and cartoonish rather this artwork strikes a balance somewhere between those styles that really brings the characters to life off the pages of the book).

I still have a 20th Century mindset when it comes to thinking of Superman (His secret identity works at a newspaper, changes into his costume in a phone booth, Lois Lane is the love interest he longs for but can't have) but this comic book clearly is a 21st Century product for today's generation (Clark Kent is now working at a "blog", there are no more phone booths and people around the world can get obtain information almost instantaneously through smart phones, social media and cable tv...oh and he's not chasing Lois Lane anymore he's hooking up with Wonder Woman now).  This comic book series is part of DC's NEW 52 effort which reset all of their characters stories back to a fresh start in 2011 when they were restarted at Issue #1.  In this new 21st century timeline it's not Lois and Clark but rather Superman and Wonder Woman to provide some romantic angles and twists to the DC Comics universe.

The premise of the story is that Superman and Wonder Woman share a kiss which begins to transform into something more.  Can two of the Earth's mightiest super heroes be boy friend and girl friend? Can they have a romance and relationship without it interfering with their super hero responsibilities or without those responsibilities tearing them apart from one another?  They decide to give a relationship a try but want to keep it a secret, but in today's paparazzi world the secret doesn't last long.  A photo of Superman and Wonder Woman kissing is leaked to a blog and suddenly a post that shows the picture is trending across social media and everyone on the planet knows the big news.  Some people are thrilled, some are scared and others will do whatever it takes to kill this romance.  Of course who breaks the news, it is Clark Kent's own blog when his business partner is mysteriously provided the photo she jumps on promoting it, and the blog, without happening to tell "Superman" in advance...oops!  She of course doesn't know his secret identity and spills the beans on her partner without realizing the connection.

While the romantic elements are a big part of the story they are well balanced with the NEW 52 era of DC Comics introduction of two of Superman's most dreaded foes General Zod and Doomsday who provide a lot of action and suspense.  These villains have escaped from the Phantom Zone and may be too much for Superman to handle.

In a nod to the classic Superman film SUPERMAN II and forty-something fans like me, General Zod and his wife are portrayed in this comic book more like the characters from that 1980 movie compared to other incarnations of the characters such as the recent Man of Steel movie directed by Zack Snyder.  First General Zod escapes the Phantom Zone and Superman doesn't know if he is friend or foe only that the man is from Krypton.  Superman places Zod in a cage within the Fortress of Solitude but doesn't realize in a funny twist that these aren't cages but storage containers that Zod knows the way to easily open.  He than uses the technology in the Fortress of Solitude to help his wife escape to Earth.  The Kryptonian couple than tackle Superman and Wonder Woman in a battle to determine whether Earth will be enslaved by the newest arrivals from Krypton.

Beyond just having to deal with Zod and his wife though Superman and Wonder Woman have to fight off the threat from Doomsday - the character who originally "killed" Superman in a DC Comics storyline back in the 1990s.  Will this villain be the one thing that dooms their love?  Doomsday isn't bundled together with Zod in his involvement in the story which is nice in it expands the script and gives each villain their own time to be in the spotlight.

The only thing I really didn't like is that in this NEW 52 reboot they've given Wonder Woman the ability to fly around in the sky just like Superman (what happened to the great invisible plane) and is painted more like a female superman than an amazonian warrior with her own unique abilities and talents.  That aside, SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN VOLUME 1: POWER COUPLE has this geek daddy's nod of approval.

You can pick up a copy of SUPERMAN / WONDER WOMAN VOLUME 1: POWER COUPLE on Amazon.com or at your local comic book retailer.

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary time limited access reviewers pdf edition of this publication to utilize for this review.

Arrr! It's Talk Like a Pirate Day - September 19th

Avast! my mateys September 19th is that grand ole day of the year when all the land lubbers of the world stop to pay homage to the spectacular vocabulary skills of those scurvy band of corsairs we've come to know as Pirates. Talk Like A Pirate Day has been celebrated since 2002 when syndicated humor columnist Dave Barry promoted the idea created by two wise-cracking buddies John Baur and Mark Summers. It's now become a globally recognized day of fun that takes place every September 19th where people across the world debate the usage og Arrr! versus Arrgh! What's the main message of this special day...life is short take a break and have some fun being silly from time to time.

 In honor of Talk Like A Pirate Day, I'm going to share 5 Pirate Myths that are Actually True courtesy of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC:

#1  Pirates Flew the "Jolly Rogers" over their ships;

#2  Pirate ships were rowdy, boisterous vessels full of drunken rogues;

#3  Pirates had hooks and peg-legs;

#4  Pirates would maroon crew members on deserted islands;

#5 There was such a thing as a "Pirate's Code"

Take a moment to watch the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC video posted above, it is pretty good with lots of interesting information.  For example many ships' crews primarily drank rum because as they were traveling across salt water oceans and seas where they couldn't guarantee their supply of safe fresh water to drink so the drunken sailer image may not be too far off.  So yo ho ho is the Pirate Life for you?

For myself next to trying to remember the proper usage of then verus than the next biggest the next biggest vocabulary challenge is the properly using Arrr versus Arrgh.  Fortunately the good crew over at TalkLikeAPirate.com have an answer for that within their official pirate language dictionary.  Arrgh is the sound you make when you get a poke in the eye or a kick in the butt.  Arrr means YES, I AGREE, I APPROVE , or SEND ANOTHER BEER MY WAY PLEASE.

So lift your grog you bilge rats on this occasion and give toast to those who made this day be.  Cheers to John, Mark and Davey!  Thank you for making sure we all know the proper use of Arrr versus Arrgh and creating a day that always provides smiles and amusement to us land lubbers one and all.

Nickelodeon Goes Dark to Encourage Kids: Get Out & Play

You'd think that a multimedia company that makes its money by providing children focused television programing and online services would be the last ones to pull the plug on their content to encourage kids to get outside and play; but Nickelodeon is doing just that!  In an effort to promote that children's television viewing, video game playing and online use should be balanced with outdoor active play time, Nickelodeon is going dark on September 20, 2014 in recognition of Worldwide Day of Play.

Beginning at 9 a.m. through Noon on September 20th, Nickelodeon will air special messages featuring stars from some of its most popular live-action series, including  Sydney Park and Tylen Jacob Williams (Instant Mom), Curtis Harris and Breanna Yde (The Haunted Hathaways) and Paola Andino and Nick Merico (Every Witch Way), that will encourage children and teens to take time to be more physically active.  Than at Noon, Nickelodeon will sign-off, not just the main Nick cable channel but all of is television and online outlets Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nick.com, NickJr.com, Nicktoons.com, TeenNick.com, and the Nick App for mobile devices, until 3pm.  While the network is turned off a message encouraging TV viewers and online visitors to go out and play will appear.  When Nickelodeon's channels, websites and app resume normal operations at 3pm, messages promoting getting outside and playing featuring highlights from "Road to Worldwide Day of Play" events that Nickelodeon sponsored in my hometown of DETROIT, MICHIGAN, San Diego, California and Virginia Beach, Virginia over the summer will continue for the remainder of the day.

If you didn't make it to one of the three summer kickoff events to Worldwide Day of Play, there will be thousands of events across the country taking place on September 20th hosted by Nickeldeon's national partners, including Afterschool Alliance, the Association of Children's Museums, the Boys and Girls Club of America, Girls on the Run, the Girl Scouts of the USA, Key Club/Kiwanis, the National Environment Education Foundation, NFL PLAY 60, Playworks, Right to Play (USA Gymnastics), Roller Skating International, Save the Children, the United States Tennis Association, Up2Us, USA BMX and the YMCA, to encourage kids to get off the couch and out of the house to spend some time playing.  Click here for a list of links to all of these national Worldwide Day of Play partners to check and see if they are hosting any events in your area.

The United States Tennis Association is probably one of the most active partners this year in holding and promoting events tied to Worldwide Day of Play.  Visit their website and you can enter your zip code to find an event near you.  I found one of their events going on 5 miles from our house.  You may also want to keep an eye out for other local tie-in events being promoted in your own community by various organizations.

What are some of the reasons why it is important to get kids outside playing?  Playing outdoors helps build up immune systems, provides exercise, stimulates imagination, promotes problem solving, and provides Vitamin D.  Check out a nice article from Mommies Magazine on this topic.  Add to this list that our family likes to get outside and take a few trips to our local zoo throughout the year to get a good dose of Vitamin Z too!

So how are you going to get out and play for the Worldwide Day of Play?  I know that we'll be out playing soccer that day.

What if we could make a Star Trek Tricorder a Reality? Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE Competition is Attempting to Make it So

In the Star Trek television shows & movies, the tricorder is a handy device that allows doctors to scan patients and receive an instant medical diagnosis. Called a "tricorder" because it is used for sensor scanning, data analysis and recording data; wouldn't it be nice if instead of this device just being a SciFi prop or a toy you can buy from ThinkGeek it was a real life medical tool?  Think of the possibilities of how this could help people.  Well now Qualcomm has partnered with the XPRIZE Foundation to try and make the Tricorder a reality!  Ten teams have been selected to compete for a $10 million prize awarded to the first to create a functional tricorder.

Imagine a portable, wireless device in the palm of your hand that could monitor and diagnose your health conditions.  That's the technology envisioned by this competition and will allow unprecedented access to personal health metrics.  The end goal of this competition:  Radical innovation in healthcare that will give individuals far greater choices in when, where, and how they receive care.  I thought the laser thermometer in my kids pediatrician's office used to take there temperatures by scanning their foreheads with a laser was incredible; this competition looks to push high-tech to make that device I considered futuristic look simplistic.  Qualcomm and the XPRIZE Foundation are asking for our help to assist these competing teams get over the finish line.  Are you up to lending a hand?!

Qualcomm is asking people to visit the competition's website tricorderfederation.org to learn more about this effort and help spread the word about it so that world encouragement will help keep these teams motivated to accomplish the goal of making a tricorder a reality.  As part of the campaign to promote awareness of the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE Competition there is also a contest the rest of us can participate in.  People are encouraged to upload a Star Trek inspired photo on the website for the chance to win prizes.  Some photos will be randomly selected to win and other prizes will be awarded to those entries that get the most votes from the public.

As a parent, just think of how helpful this would be in the middle of the night when you have a crying baby or a young child throwing up or complaining of pains.  Every parent has to admit they've been in a medical situation with their child at some point where they really don't know what to do.  Do you page the pediatrician at 1am, take a trip to the emergency room or wait things out to the morning? A tricorder scan could alert you to what the problem is, suggest treatment options, or warn you that this is a situation where you really do need to rush to the emergency room.  How wonderful would that be!  J.J. Abrams who directed the recent Star Trek motion pictures addressed some of the practical applications of a real life tricorder in this interview posted by the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE Competition:

Let's wish these teams Warp Speed in completing their mission!

Pigs In Space: The Star Wars Themed Muppet Show Episode that Predicted the Future

 

Wow! I stumbled across a Star Wars themed episode of The Muppet Show the other day finding myself amazed that the original series is as good as I remember it being as a kid and that Jim Henson had the insight to know way back in 1980 that someday in the future The Muppets and Star Wars would all be a part of the Disney family. Kermit the Frog & cast are joined in Episode 417 of The Muppet Show by Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (in C3PO costumer), Peter Mayhew Mayhew (Chewbacca) and R2D2 (listed as played by himself in the show credits).  The Star Wars quartet go on a variety of missions behind the scenes of the show and on stage wrapping up with a foreshadowing song number that has the Muppet and Star Wars characters singing together "When You Wish Upon a Star" in front of a prop that looks very much like a Disney amusement park castle.  Freaky!!!

There are some nice Star Wars skits in the show including a "Pigs in Space" feature and a Fred Astaire inspired dance number by C3PO.  It is also funny that at this point in his career Mark Hamill was really concerned about being type cast as Luke Skywalker in Hollywood so he insisted that if he appear on the show they do something that differentiated Mark Hamill the actor from Luke Skywalker the character.  So the show has a gag where Mark Hamill is portrayed as Luke Skywalker's "cousin" who is showing off various talents in an effort to get his own skit on the variety show.  While I was hooked into the watching the episode by the Star Wars connection, I have to say I was truly impressed by the  non-Star Wars related performances in the The Muppet Show which reminded me of just how great this family friendly show was in its time. I highly recommend sitting back for a half hour and enjoying this classic original episode of The Muppet Show:

Here are a few easter eggs from the show you may want to look out for while watching it:

Hanging on Scooter's bedroom wall during his "Six String Orchestra" number are posters of Luke Skywalker and an upside-down Star Destroyer.

This episode of The Muppet Show was released prior to Empire Strikes Back appearing in theaters but Hamill is wearing Luke Skywalker's never before seen Bespin costume from the movie.  Hinting that this may be tied to the upcoming Star Wars sequel, the Muppets refer to his costumer throughout the episode frequently pointing it out and asking him "Who's your tailor?" which the audience wouldn't get the connection to until watching the movie in theaters and seeing him wearing it.  Even Mark Hamill says to Luke Skywalker "Who is your tailor? I love that outfit" in the high-tech for its time ending of the show that has the two of them appear with Kermit the Frog at the same time.

Similarly at the time of the show's broadcast, the audience wouldn't have known that Darth Vader's identity is revealed in Empire Strikes Back but The Muppet Show episode teases that the true identity of Dearth Nadir (Gonzo) would be revealed during the "Pigs in Space" skit. Was this a hint to the audience that Darth Vader's identity would be revealed in Empire Strikes Back?

Frank Oz was the puppeteer and voice on this episode for Ms. Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Animal.  He also was the puppeteer and voice for Yoda in the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi movies.  At the time this episode aired people wouldn't have known who Yoda was as the character first appears in Empire Strikes Back.

The space ship piloted by Ms. Piggy and her crew in "Pigs in Space" is named Swinetrek, a nod to Star Trek.

Disney purchased the rights to The Muppets in 2004 and Star Wars in 2012.  This episode that aired in 1980 foreshadowed that with its final number that has the characters sing one of Disney's trademark songs "When You Wish Upon a Star" with a castle behind them which are often combined to promote the company's theme parks and media products.  Now you can purchase Muppet / Star Wars co-branded items like these toys we picked up at Disney World.

New STAR WARS television show debuts in October

 

A brand new Star Wars animated television show titled Rebels will be debuting in October.  Star Wars: Rebels is scheduled to premiere on October 3rd with a one hour special Star Wars: Rebels- Sparks of Rebellion on the Disney Channel.  Half hour episodes will than routinely air on Monday nights each week on the cable channel Disney XD beginning on October 13th.  The premise behind the tv series that is set 5 years before the original Star Wars move "A New Hope" is that a motley crew of a spaceship called the Ghost begins harassing the Empire in an effort to spark a rebellion.

In an attempt to recapture the vibe of the original trilogy of movies the artwork in this animated series will use the Star Wars concept art that was created by artist Ralph McQuarrie in the 1970s & 80s for inspiration.  One specific example of McQuarrie's impact on the show is the character of Zeb Orrelios.  The appearance of this alien who serves as the muscle for the Ghost's crew utilizes McQuarrie's original concept for Chewbacca to create the character.  I remember as a kid spending hours scouring through Ralph McQuarrie art books my aunt had given me and imagining all sorts of adventures inspired by those wonderful sketches; so I'm really looking forward to seeing his influence in Star Wars: Rebels.

Other characters in the show include:

Kanan Jarrus a survivor of the Empire's purge of the Jedi. After barely surviving Order 66 he went underground hiding in obscurity until discovered by the owner of the Ghost, Hera Syndulla.  He is now the leader of the Ghost's crew doing his best to inflict harm against the power of the Empire.

Hera Syndulla is the Twi'lek owner and pilot of the Ghost.

Sabine Wren is a Mandalorian warrior who is an expert in combat, weapons and explosives.  She fancies herself as an artist who loves to tag Imperial facilities with graffiti after an attack.

Ezra Bridger is a 14 year old pickpocket and con artist who the crew of the Ghost find living on an Outer Rim world.  Unknown to him one of the reasons he is able to get out of so many jams is that he is gifted with the ability to use the Force.

To help up the excitement for Rebels, Disney has released four short youtube videos to promote the excitement for this new series:

In “The Machine in the Ghost,” the rebels’ Ghost starship is under attack by a wave of TIE fighters. Hera pilots the craft, while Kanan tries to blast the Imperials from the Ghost’s gunner. While they do evade and shoot down several TIEs, it’s up to astromech droid Chopper to finish the job – even if he’s reluctant to do so.

 In “Art Attack,” Sabine sneaks into an Imperial compound, looking to create a diversion for her friends aboard the Ghost. Spotted by stormtroopers, she proves too quick to be captured – and leaves behind an explosive surprise.

 In “Not What You Think,”  Ezra finds a downed TIE fighter on the plains of Lothal. The young rebel opens the ship’s hatch -- pretending to help the ungrateful Imperial pilot -- and leaves with a few souvenirs.

In “Entanglement,” Zeb fails to meet with Kanan at a specified rendezvous point…and instead finds himself joyfully battling many, many stormtroopers.

 

For more information about Star Wars: Rebels CLICK HERE