Have A Berry Good Time Enjoying Strawberry Shortcake Dolls & Videos

** A Geek Daddy received the featured products for free to review **

My daughter always has a "berry" good time watching the Strawberry Shortcake videos that are released by Fox Home Entertainment.  So when we got our hands on the newest one, "Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Hi-Tech Fashion," she couldn't wait to jump on the couch with her Lemon Meringue rag doll and a bowl of popcorn to enjoy herself watching the DVD.  This 66 minute animated presentation is divided into three sweet adventures that have Strawberry Shortcake and her friends showing off their stylish sides while demonstrating the importance of always trying your best in the challenges life throws your way.

When I was a kid, all the girls in my neighborhood collected Strawberry Shortcake dolls that smelled like each character's personality -- blueberry muffin, lemon meringue, raspberry tart, and of course strawberry shortcake.  These were all the rage with my sister and all her friends as we grew up in the 80's and now parents can share these same dolls that provided so many great playtime memories thanks to The Bridge Direct Inc.  They've created special reproductions of these classic dolls from the 1980s that include all the original details -- including their berry sweet scents -- in both the vintage action figure and rag doll designs.  These Strawberry Shortcake dolls are available at a variety of retail locations across the United States including Kmart, meijer, RITE AID, Spencer's, Target, Toys R Us, Walgreen's and Walmart.

The Bridge Direct's rag dolls are great for little girls to snuggle while enjoying a Strawberry Shortcake video from Fox Home Entertainment.  After watching one of these videos, my daughter likes to reenact or expand upon the adventure she watched on DVD or Digital HD  by playing with her classic Strawberry Shortcake dolls.  These dolls with the original 1980's design also have some fun accessories available (The Berry Bake Shop, Berry House Playset & Strawberry Shortcake Scooter) which can further immerse children within the world of Strawberry Shortcake as they play.

Children can help Strawberry Shortcake create delicious cakes and pies with The Berry Bake Shop.  What treats will your child want to imagine making and baking in the playset's oven with the included mix and match cakes and pies kitchen accessories? A vintage inspired sweet-scented doll is included to inspire kids imaginary baking creations.

Take Strawberry Shortcake's pet cat Custard for a spin around Berry Bitty City in the scooter created for these classic dolls.  Safety first so make sure the rider is wearing the included helmet.  A Custard cat figure with the strawberry themed scooter.  Dolls to ride it must be purchased separately.

Party like it is 1980 with the Strawberry Shortcake Berry House playset.  This retro-inspired doll house is not just great for inspiring kids to be creative in playing with their Strawberry Shortcake dolls but is a convenient way to store them as well.  It includes party accessories like balloons, cakes and drinks.  Plus it comes with a classic Strawberry Shortcake doll in a party dress along with a cat figure of her pet Custard.

To celebrate the release of STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: BERRY HI-TECH FASHION on Digital HD and DVD, A Geek Daddy has a berry special prize pack to giveaway to one lucky blog reader or social media follower courtesy of Fox Home Entertainment and The Bridge Direct.  The prize pack includes the Digital HD version of the Berry Hi-Tech Fashion video along with a Strawberry Shortcake rag doll and Berry House Playset from The Bridge Direct Inc.  To be eligible for this giveaway you must follow @Geekdad248 on Twitter and retweet our original contest tweet embedded below before November 13, 2016 @ 11:59 pm EST.

RT & follow @GeekDad248 before 11/14/16 for chance to win a STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE prize pack courtesy of @TheBridgeDirect & @FoxHomeEnt #ad pic.twitter.com/hLaaqkTV33

— A Geek Daddy (@GeekDad248) November 9, 2016

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: BERRY HI-TECH FASHION is now available from Fox Home Entertainment on DVD at retailers across the USA and via Digital HD Internet downloads.  The hour long video features three short stories: "Berry Double Trouble," "Berry Bitty Adventure," and "High Tech Drama."  When Strawberry Shortcake and her friends' favorite "berrynet" show announces a fashion tech contest, the girls put their heads together to show off their sensational style!  But with the pals busy with their designs, there's "Berry Double Trouble" as two bickering twins, Sweet and Sour Grapes, try to keep the Berry Bake Shop running smoothly.  The arrival of Strawberry's traveling cousin, Apple Dumplin, also throws things off-balance as everyone works to make their unexpected guest feel welcome in "Berry Bitty Adventurer." And as they prepare to unveil their berryriffic work, a little "High Tech Drama" threatens to unravel it all.  Good thing these berry best friends know that sweet rewards come to those who work together!



 DISCLAIMER & GIVEAWAY RULES

A Geek Daddy has not been financially compensated for this endorsement or hosting the giveaway but has received the featured items free to review and  for our family's personal use. The prize is provided by Fox Home Entertainment and The Bridge Direct Inc.  A Geek Daddy is hosting the promotion as a benefit to our readers. Must be a US  resident over the age of 18 to participate.  One entry per person and winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries. Winner when notified by DM to their Twitter account has 48 hours to reply by providing a valid email and valid mailing address within the United States to accept the prize. The provided Email address will only be utilized by A Geek Daddy for providing a digital download code for the video to the winner. The Bridge Direct Inc. will be responsible for shipping the doll portion of the prize pack to the winner. By participating in this promotion you waive any liability of any kind against the publisher of this blog. 

TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS

There is a new game available for iOS and Android devices featuring the TRANSFORMERS and I have to say its imagery takes me back to the 1980 toys and cartoons of my youth featuring these characters that transform between warrior robots and various types of vehicles.  Over the last 30 years there have been various updates and redesigns of the TRANSFORMERS in their Hasbro toy line, comic book series, movies and television shows; so I was wowed how in this app they resemble the original TRANSFORMERS of my childhood giving this real-time combat strategy game for mobile devices a cool retro vibe.  It even features the voices of the original Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and Megatron (Frank Welker) from the 1980s cartoon that first made the Transformers a pop culture hit. While TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS may be filled with iconic characters and classic imagery from the Transfomers Universe it also is full of the newest generation of features desired in video games for mobile devices, such as vibrant 3D animations, which makes it great to play for both kids and kids-at-heart.



Published by Backflip Studios (DragonVale, SpellFall, Paper Toss) and developed by Space Ape Games (Rival Kingdoms, Samurai Siege), TRANSFORMERS: EARTH WARS has players must choose to fight with Optimus Prime and the Autobots or Megatron and the Decepticons in a battle to decide the fate of planet Earth. Once allegiance has been sworn, gamers assemble a powerful team of playable characters, raid enemy bases for Energon stockpiles, and construct the Space Bridge to add reinforcements from Cybertron, all while playing in real-time against other players around the globe. The game is available now for FREE download on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on Google Play for Android devices. There are in-app purchases within the game that allow players to speed up getting through the stages of the game or to enhance the characters to improve the game play experience for people who are into going beyond free-mode in apps like this.

Penguins for the Holidays

Win a MGM Movie Classic "The Pebble & The Penguin" on Home Video

We were watching a holiday special on television the other day that featured some penguins at the North Pole helping Santa Claus save Christmas.  My daughter turned to look at me and said "this is so unrealistic daddy...penguins don't live up at the North Pole!!! They live in Antarctica!" Well I'm glad she is learning when we go to the zoo because every time we go visiting the penguin exhibit is a must see for my kids.  A trip to the zoo is one of our favorite family outings so when I saw this playmobil toy set featuring penguins at the zoo I had to pick it up for a holiday present for the kids.

Since my kids love penguins we'll also be incorporating them into our holiday by enjoying the classic animated movie THE PEBBLE & THE PENGUIN while we have some down time next week with them off of school and my taking some time off work.  This movie which is based upon the real-life habits of Adeli penguins in Antarctica just recently came out on Blu-ray as part of MGM's 90th anniversary celebration.  It features Hubie (Martin Short) a hopeless romantic who is in love with Marina (Annie Golden) the most beautiful penguin in all the land.  The evil penguin Drake (Tim Curry) stands in the way though as he also wants her affections and will stop at nothing to make her his love.  With the help of his new friend Rocko (James Belushi) -- a penguin determined to fly -- Hubie must thwart Drake's plan and win Marina's heart!

In honor on MGM's 90th Anniversary, A GEEK DADDY BLOG is giving away a THE PEBBLE & THE PENGUIN home video prize pack to one lucky reader because it is one of my children's favorite movies from the MGM library of family classic movies.  For a chance to win this  movie prize pack you must be a US or Canadian resident over 18 years old and enter prior to 11:59 pm EST on Sunday December 21, 2014:

UPDATE: Congrats to Pat S. from Virgina who won THE PEBBLE & THE PENGUIN on Blu-ray

Entry: E-mail thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com your name and mailing address.  Email subject line should be Christmas Penguins.

One email will be randomly selected to determine the winner.  E-mails will only be used to contact the winner and deleted following the selection of a winner.

Still looking for stocking stuffers? Consider buying THE PEBBLE & THE PENGUIN.  Click here to own it.  MGM also has a variety of family friendly movies to select from for holiday gifts such as All Dogs Go To Heaven, The Princess Bride, The Secret of Nihm and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  How well do you know these movies? Can you match these film quotes? So how many did you get right?!
For more information about MGM's 90th anniversary and its catalog of movie classics, visit  http://www.mgm90th.com/

DISCLAIMER:  A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible for selecting the winner of this contest, but Fox Home Entertainment is responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize.  By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion.  If you win this prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Prize will be delivered by UPS or FedEx so no P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses. A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive any financial compensation but did receive a review DVD for the blog and the prize that is being awarded to one of our readers for this contest.  A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this contest as a benefit to our readers. The opinions in this post are my own.

#MGMINSIDERS

Internet Arcade Brings 900 Classic Video Games To Your Web Browser

I recently took some time to visit the Internet Arcade and it was like a time warp to the after school hours of my elementary school and junior high years when my friends and I would rush over to the ice cream parlor that also served as our town's arcade and spend hours playing video games.  The Internet Arcade is a web-based library of more than 900 arcade (coin-operated) video games from the 1970s and 1980s.  Wow! you can really see how far technology has advanced when you spend some time playing these classic games that were state-of-the-art during their time and compare them to those we can play now on home video game consoles, tablets, or even our phones.  Still while the games in the Internet Arcade may not have high def graphics or dazzling special effects, they can still provide you with a lot of fun. Oh, and by the way did I mention they are also all FREE to play!

Capcom's AVENGERS

One of my all time favorite video games was called AVENGERS and I spent countless hours and an unimaginable amount of quarters enjoying brawling through its levels with my friends when I was in eight grade.  I haven't seen this game since junior high though I've always kept in eye out for it over the years...even considering looking to maybe buy one of the original arcade machines for my house if I could fine one.  Lo and behold the first game I stumbled across on the Internet Arcade was the AVENGERS! how about that...I just blew through an hour before writing this post having a blast fighting my way through Paradise City feeling like I was twelve years old again.

The game that was right next to AVENGERS at my local arcade hangout is also on the Internet Arcade: INDIANA JONES & THE TEMPLE OF DOOM.  I thought that game was so cool at the time and you look at the graphics now and just winch, but it is still fun running around a maze on the screen snapping at snakes and bad guys with your whip in one level and racing through tunnels in a mine car through the next one.

Atari Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom

These games work through emulating the original software through the processing power of an Internet browser.  While they work on most browsers the most effective ones to use are Firefox and Chrome to obtain the best game play.  Also these games don't work on tablets or phones even if you have Internet access...at least not when I tried to access them via my iphone and ipad...so you'll need to access them through a PC.

A nice feature is that if you have a game controller for your computer the games will recognize it and you can play like you are using an arcade machine's joystick.  If you don't have a video game controller for your computer...like me... than most of the games use the arrow buttons, Ctrl, Alt, and Space Bar tabs on your keyboard to control the action.  Each game is different though and unfortunately they don't do a good job of informing you of what the control buttons are so lots of time it is learning by just pounding keys til you get a grasp of things...which can be very frustrating.

Taito Jungle Hunt

I wish I had a game controller because the keyboard controls just aren't as much fun but they are doable, especially for games like Burger Time, Frogger, Jungle Hunt and Pacman.  I had a good time playing these games with the arrow buttons as my primary controls.  Unfortunately, I found not every game works with the keyboard. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi just would not work!  On the other hand the racing game Outrun worked great!

SEGA Outrun

For some retro fun take a moment to swing by the Internet Arcade to play some video games old school style.  Visit  archive.org/details/internetarcade for all the fun of going to an arcade without the expense of the quarters.  These games are all FREE to play but you do have to click on an insert coin button to start each game just to keep the experience legit.

For more information on exactly how these game platforms work through your web browser or if you are having trouble getting them to work CLICK HERE for "A Quick Guide on How to Play on the Internet Arcade"

Play DONKEY KONG for FREE on your Internet Browser

I'm dating myself but when I was a kid the new high-tech toy was going to the arcade in my hometown to play DONKEY KONG.  I spent a fortune in quarters jumping barrels trying to rescue the lovely Pauline. This game featured the first appearance of Mario who later rose to fame with the video game Super Marion Brothers, for its time had better gameplay than the other games out at that time and was the best selling arcade machine of the early 80s.  As we play Playstation 4 in our living room, my kids don't believe me that when I was a child we had to go to places to play video games rather than just sit on your own coach and turn on the tv.  I try to use Chuck E. Cheese to explain it to them but that pizza chain has really become more about mechanical rides and skee ball than video games so they didn't really get the connection. Oh how the times have changed, but I still have fond memories of warm summer evenings watching the neon lights flicker on the video screen as I took on the evil Donkey Kong trying to save the day.

Nintendo who produced the game and owns its rights to boost its home video game platform sales so far has been reluctant to allow its classic games like Donkey Kong and Super Mario Brothers to turned into apps that can be played on smart phones and tablets.  That is a bummer but probably helping me stay productive and not losing track of time while dodging barrels and grabbing coins on my phone's screen all the time.  You can though now play DONKEY KONG for FREE on your Internet Browser by visiting ArcadeYum.com.

Time warp back to the 1980s with this online game that provides the basic controls of left-right-up-down and jump as you try to make your way up the construction site to rescue your kidnapped girlfriend from the dreaded Donkey Kong.  Here's a screen capture of a game I recently played on my PC on the AracadeYum website.  Note you have to use Flash to be able to play the game but this may work on some tablets and phones that have compatibility.

CLICK HERE to play DONKEY KONG!

Be aware that ArcadeYum doesn't charge any money for you to play the games on their website but they do download some software that allows them to target you with advertisements when you are online. I've found that if you click this link the website doesn't download this software but if you visit this link it won't allow you to play without downloading the software.  For more information about ArcadeYum's software downloads, what they do and how to remove them, click here.  So far I haven't seen the ArcadeYum software listed on my computer or seen any advertisements generated by it so I think you're clean if you use the flash version of the game in the first link I posted. Just be alert to click cancel or no if you are prompted to download anything when you visit this website unless you are OK with receiving advertisements from them and having some of your Internet browsing habits tracked.