Nickelodeon Blazes Into May With Monster Machines Mayhem

Based upon the success of its television series BLAZE & THE MONSTER MACHINES which had ratings that placed it as best preschool show on television and number one for its time slot in the first quarter of 2015, Nickelodeon is launching a month of monster truck mayhem in May.  Blaze and the Monster Machines features the amazing monster truck Blaze and his eight year old driver AJ having adventures that explore the physics of how things move; tackle problems through scientific inquiry and mathematics; and discover the parts needed to make everyday technologies work.  The series which airs weekdays at 1:30 pm (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon is filled with monster trucks, humorous situations, and upbeat original songs with lyrics that highlight a designated STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) topic  for each show such as friction, trajectory, and magnetism.  Nickelodeon will be launching a brand new toy line, a special new episode titled "Dragon Island Duel", a companion game to Dragon Island Duel on the Nick Jr.website, and an update to the Blaze app.

Nickelodeon provided us an advance opportunity to watch "Dragon Island Duel" which my son really enjoyed.  As soon as the episode concluded my son jumped up and asked if he could watch it again.  When asked what his favorite part of the show is, he remarked he likes the songs which was reinforced by his humming one of them throughout the rest of the day.  While the show is aimed for 3 to 5 year olds, my 6 year old kindergartener had fun watching it and many of the educational points of the show were relevant to things he is learning about now in school.  He really got into interacting with the show yelling out answers to answers and problems involving STEM concepts that were addressed in its story.  The show will probably be too elementary for most kids though as they reach first grade and on, but the show is rated and marketed for a preschool audience and I believe most kids in that age range will appreciate and learn some nifty lessons from it.

"Dragon Island Duel" will premiere at 11 am (ET/PT) on May 25, 2015.  The episode features Blaze and his nemesis Crusher going up against one another in a one-on-one race to the top of Mount Dragon.  Although it is one of the toughest races their team has ever faced, best friends Blaze and AJ know they have what it takes to beat Crusher.  Despite Crusher's attempt to cheat and trap Blaze in a cave far off the course before the race begins, AJ manages to free his monster truck while overcoming larger-than-life obstacles along the way.  Crusher tries to cheat one last time along the route, but Blaze and AJ prove no one can beat best friends by winning the race in a thrilling finale.  Throughout the half-hour special, children will be introduced to the STEM concept of investigation.

Tied to this new episode, beginning May 8, kids can play a free "Dragons Island Race" game on the Nick Jr. web site.  Players must help Blaze get past all of the obstacles in his path as he races Crusher to the top of Mount Dragon.  The web site will also provide an exclusive five minute first look at the "Dragon Island Duel" episode from May 18 - 25.

Also as of May 8th, the Blaze and the Monster Machines app will offer users the ability to help Blaze and AJ compete on all-new jungle tracks when with parental approval kids purchase the Dragon Island location.  The new features allow kids to race against Stripes and has them contend with new obstacles like coconut and banana launchers on Crusher when they race against him.  The app, like the television show, introduces its users to STEM concepts as they race along preset courses or build their own race tracks.

Additionally, Nickelodeon and Fisher-Price, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc., is launching an all-new toy line based on Blaze and the Monster Machines at select retailers starting in May with a full nationwide rollout in August.  The toys will include a die cast collection of the monster trucks, talking and transforming vehicles, playsets, and plush of the show's characters.

Blaze and the Monster Machines gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval for being entertaining and educational for girls and boys alike encouraging them to explore the science and technology behind vehicles and race car driving.

Nickelodeon's Newest Animated Series Promotes Math, Science, Technology & Engineering Through Monster Truck Adventures

Monsters are coming to Nick TV (the Nickelodeon cable channel) during Halloween Month ( aka October) with the hour long premiere on Monday October 13th of its brand new animated series for preschoolers Blaze and the Monster Machines.  These aren't the spooky kind of monsters that hide under the bed though but rather monster trucks that will help introduce the exciting world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) to its viewers.  Nickelodeon is promoting Blaze and the Monster Machines as the first preschool show on TV to comprehensively cover all areas of STEM in every episode.  Combining Monster Trucks with Math and Science...this Geek Daddy LIKES the idea!

The series follows the adventures of the monster truck Blaze and his eight-year-old driver AJ.  Together they explore the physics of how things move; tackle problems through scientific inquiry and mathematics; and discover the parts needed to make everyday technologies work.  Each episode is filled with MONSTER TRUCKS, physical humor, and upbeat original songs with lyrics that highlight a STEM concept such as adhesion, friction, force, trajectory, and magnetism.  Blaze and the Monster Machines is created by the head writer of Team Umizoomi, Jeff Borkin, and the supervising producer of Bubble Guppies, Ellen Martin.

In its hour long premiere, on Monday October 13 at 12:00pm (ET/PT), Blaze and AJ are introduced to a world of racing monster machines in the town of Axle City.  When Crusher, a troublemaker truck, uses his dirty tricks to try to win the championship race, Blaze does everything he can to help his friends and beat him to the finish line.  In the show's "Blaze of Glory" debut the STEM concepts of buoyancy and trajectory will be focused on.

Following the series premiere, Blaze and the Monster Machines will feature three weeks of new original 1/2 hour episodes as the show is broadcast in its scheduled time slot of week day afternoons at 12:30pm (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.  I'm really excited to see a television show that highlights concepts such as buoyancy, friction and magnetism in a way that catches children's attention in an educational and entertaining way!  Oh and what dad wouldn't think the monster truck angle is just plain out cool!  There really is a lot of STEM concepts behind the scenes in the construction and racing of vehicles that many people don't think about so this show is taking a fun approach to hopefully getting some serious topics stuck in kids heads that will spur their imaginations, help with school work and encourage children not to be scared of pursuing careers that involve math, engineering or science.  Unfortunately because of some societal stigmas children have a tendency to want to stay away from STEM classes and careers because they consider them "geeky" but shows like Blaze and the Monster Machines demonstrate to children at an early age that geeky can be fun, interesting and cool and not something to think of in a bad way.  A Geek Daddy blog has to give a nod of approval to that!

Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure: a PaperCutz Fairy Tale

There is only one thing that trumps Disney Princesses when it comes to my daughter and that is Tinker Bell and her troupe of Disney Fairies. We have all of the DVD movies featuring the Disney Fairies and what is nice about them is my son gets as engrossed in watching them as my little girl.  These are great movies because they are entertaining for our kids and have content that as parents we don’t have to worry about being appropriate for our children to view. 

My kids are always asking to watch the Tinker Bell DVDs, but I don’t want them watching too much television.  So I was glad to see that the comic book publisher PAPERCUTZ has provided a great alternative, graphic novel adaptation of the Tinker Bell & the Disney Fairies movies.  Whether it’s for a bed time story, taking along to read in the car during a family road trip or to snuggle up with on a rainy day, my children can now enjoy the movies without watching more TV.  Another bonus is that these comics promote an enjoyment of reading and appreciation of art by having the kids flip through its pages following the adventures of a character they love and a story they are already familiar with.

TINKER BELL AND THE LOST TREASURE, the comic book adaption of the Disney Fairy animated movie of the same name, went on sale August 13, 2013.  Fairy-fans the world over know that Tinker Bell is the best there is at what she does — and what she does is fix things. In this story though, Tink may have a job that’s too big even for her: a broken moonstone that powers the Pixie Dust Tree itself. This volume of PaperCutz’s Disney Fairies also features the comic book debut of a fan favorite, Blaze the firefly. The incredible quest that follows is an adventure like none we’ve ever seen before in Pixie Hollow.  Whether you’ve seen the movie or not children, and parents, will enjoy reading through this story.

Tinker Bell & the Lost Treasure is Volume 12 of the Disney Fairy graphic novel collection which includes adaptations of the DVD movies as well as standalone Tinker Bell stories drafted and illustrated by the PaperCutz creative team.  CLICK HERE to view a listing of their entire lineup of Disney Fairy comics.  Volume 13 will go on sale in December, just in time for Christmas, and will be based upon the newest Disney Fairies movie Tinker Bell & the Pixie Hollow Games.  We have this movie on my iPad and take it with us to keep the kids distracted at places like the doctor’s office waiting room.  I’m sure a paperback version of this movie too will come in handy!

I have to compliment PaperCutz on the illustrations and layout of the Tinker Bell & the Lost Treasure graphic novel.  The script bubbles and other text are spread out so it doesn’t overwhelm the artwork.  The artwork itself is great.  The illustrations are bright, colorful, and pop off the page at you … it is like they took movie animation cells and transferred them into this book.  The artist behind these images is named Manuela Razzi and I guess you could say drawing sprites is a niche for her because she also illustrates another PaperCutz story line called SYBIL THE BACKPACK FAIRY.  If your children enjoy Tinker Bell you may want to check out this other magical pixie series. Take a look at her great artwork in Tinker Bell & the Lost Treasure:

 

Tinker Bell & the Lost Treasure is a 64 page paperback book that is reasonably priced at $8.  You can order it online directly fromPaperCutz or pick it up from your favorite comic book retailer.  It is recommend for children ages 6 – 11 though my 4 ½ year old children love flipping through the book and having me read it to them and I caught my wife snuggled up on the coach reading it by herself the other night.  I’d encourage you to pick up this read for the young children in your life, especially if your family has a little princess in it like we do.

Had you heard of PaperCutz before? I first discovered them when we picked up a few of their titles for my kids during FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, and was impressed by what we brought home.  Papercutz is the largest standalone publisher exclusively dedicated to children’s graphic novels, with books available at all major retailers, bookstores, and comic book stores, and e-books available on comiXology, Comics+, and all e-reader devices.  Papercutz graphic novels and comic books cover a wide range of genres, reading levels, and favorite characters including The Smurfs, LEGO® Ninjago, Geronimo Stilton, Nancy Drew, and many more including of course Tinker Bell and the Disney Fairies.  Whether your kids are in preschool or high school PaperCutz has something that will catch their interest.  

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary paperback copy of Tinker Bell & The Lost Treasure graphic novel to review (see picture at the top of this article).  The thoughts and opinions in this post though are my own.