Bandai America ONE PIECE Action Figures

Ahoy mateys! Bandai America has created a new lineup of action figures that will allow you to imagine pirate adventures inspired by the popular ONE PIECE anime television episodes and manga comics. Cisco Maldonado, Senior Director of Brand Strategy at Bandai America, devoted some time from his busy schedule for a one on one interview with a Geek Daddy to share some highlights about this new addition to the company's Anime Heroes toy collection.

The story of One Piece is an epic adventure about treasure hunting pirate, Monkey D. Luffy, who is on a quest to become the King of the Pirates. Luffy and his friends journey through the treacherous waters of the Grand Line and beyond in search for the legendary treasure, One Piece, that once belonged to Pirate King Gol D. Roger. Before Gol D. Roger’s death, he revealed to everyone that his treasure, the One Piece, was hidden at the end of the Grand Line. This inspired people to become pirates themselves and sail toward the treasure, beginning what has become known as the Great Age of Pirates. 

Bandai America's 6.5-inch scale ONE PIECE action figures are a great way for people to engage in imaginative play recreating their favorite moments from the anime show that can be seen on Netflix or the pages of the manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. Each of these Anime Heroes action figures feature over 16 points of articulation providing a multitude of posing possibilities making them wonderful for both playing and displaying. Every figure also includes two sets of switchable hands and character-specific accessories. 

Bandai America ONE PIECE action figures will be hitting Target store shelves by mid-April and Walmart's toy aisle in June. They are also available online via amazon.com. Other toy retailers are also expected to begin selling the Anime Heroes ONE PIECE action figures in 2021 so keep an eye out for them at your favorite stores. Fans of the tv series and comics as well as those who appreciate cool looking action figures are sure to be geeked about these new toys.

LUFFY

Luffy, Captain of the Straw Hat pirates, has set out to be the King of the Pirates. Luffy goes on adventures aiding those in need and collecting more friends and members for his crew along they way. Luffy is also regarded as one of twelve pirates who are referred to as the "Worst Generation" with a bounty of 1,500,000,000 on his head.

ZORO

Zoro is a former bounty hunter and the first crew member of the Straw Hat Pirates. His dream is to become the greatest swordsman in the world. 

SANJI

Sanji (also known as Black Leg), is the Straw Hat pirates chef as well as their third strongest fighter. It is his dream is to find the rumored chef's paradise, the All Blue, which is where the waters of East Blue, West Blue, North Blue, and South Blue meet, along with their wildlife. 

Which action figure is your favorite? Mine is Zoro. You know a great pirate has to be able to be a master of the cutlass! That being said all three (Luffy, Sanji and Zoro) get a Geek Daddy nod of approval for these toys replicating the anime characters' in such detail it seems as if they've jumped off television screens or out of comic book pages when holding these action figures in your hand.

For more information about toys from Bandai America check out their website and social media accounts on Instagram and Twitter. If you are going to be on Twitter and Instagram make sure to follow @Geekdad248 too!

HALLOWEEN IN GREENFIELD VILLAGE

A Geek Daddy received complimentary tickets to this event

My family had a TERROR-ific time attending the first night of 2019's annual Hallowe'en in Greenfield Village event at The Henry Ford. This year's festivities take place on the weekend evenings of October 11 - 13, 17-20 & 24-27, 2019 leading up to Halloween. You are sure to enjoy wandering through a haunting landscape filled with costumed characters and Halloween decorations illuminated by more than 1,000 hand-carved Jack-o-Lanterns. Don't hesitate to make advance reservations if you want to go because the dusk to 10 pm time slots for this ticketed event do sell out.

Children and parents alike are invited to follow a pumpkin-lit path that weaves through the historic structures that makeup The Henry Ford's Greenfield Village. There are ten stations doling out goodies to trick-or-treaters along the Jack-o-Lantern trail which takes about an hour to traverse. Candy including Dum Dums Suckers, Laughy Taffy, M&M's, Milky Ways, Skittles, Snickers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and Twizzlers are what is primarily given out.

My wife and I sorted through everything before the kids dove into their trick or treat bags to filter out what they couldn't have due to their food allergies and this dad blogger ate whatever wasn't safe. Sometimes you just have to take one for the team! We all agreed the favorite treat given out during the evening were the bags of Better Made Potato Chips. We love Better Made because their products don't have any issues for us to worry about for our kids' food allergies and taste great.

Ever wonder if any of the buildings in Greenfield Village are haunted? The ghosts and ghouls emerge from the shadows for Halloween fun! Scarecrows come to life, specters try to scare you, monsters go bump in the night, dancing skeletons provide some merriment and a headless horseman gallops around during Greenfield Village's Halloween festivities. Spirits even take over the classic carousel!

This year parts of the trick-or-treating trail had a Wizard of OZ theme. You could get your picture taken with Dorthy, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, or the Wicked Witch. A haunted forest filled with flying monkeys had to be walked through before you could get to the city of OZ for a chance to chat with the Wizard himself in his throneroom. Instead of following a yellow brick road for your adventure it was an orange path of pumpkins.

There were a variety of interactive elements to participate in during our evening of spooky fun at The Henry Ford's Green Village Halloween. The clairvoyant Madam ZaZa told our fortunes while she gazed into a crystal ball. We walked across a troll bridge filled with fog and lit up with black lights. Had a chance to try on Dracula's coffin for size. My daughter's favorite part of our Greenfield Village Halloween was the Broom Hilda's flying lessons. She had a good time jumping on a giant sized broom and getting some tips about how witches fly on them.

In addition to the scares and treats being given out for Halloween at The Henry Ford's Greenfield Village there was also plenty of entertainment going on throughout the evening. The Top Hat Side Show was amazing filled with magic tricks, sword swallowing and fire spitting. I could have spent all evening hanging out there but my kids dragged me away because they didn't want to miss out on trick or treating. My son's favorite part of the night, beyond getting candy, was watching 1930s era Halloween cartoons that were being shown on a silver screen near a Gobblin' Stop that was selling deserts and beverages. Those cartoons really were a treat to view!

At other spots they had Halloween themed musical performances by groups with names such as The Transylvania Trio and Potion Sisters.  There also were sessions where spooky stories where being read by flashlight in the dark of night to audiences who braved these dramatic presentations of Hansel & Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood and The Tell-Tale Heart. Even the Grim Reaper got in on the action making an appearance at a bon fire.

My favorite part of the night though was The Pirate Revue. A rowdy bunch of drunken pirates were hanging around by Greenfield Village's lagoon.  They were telling jokes, singing and engaging in some sword play. Ahoy mateys, if ur ever wanted be a pirate this was the place to be! Definitely a highlight of our Hallowe'en in Greenfield Village that this dad blogger really appreciated.



The best part of Hallowe'en in Greenfield Village though was seeing my children having a lot of fun while the whole family was having a good time together. This event at The Henry Ford is an evening out where everyone in the family can enjoy themselves. While there are some scary aspects of this Halloween event for the most part it is more light hearted spooky fun than horrifying so that all ages should be comfortable participating.

Have yourself a Happy Halloween with a visit to Greenfield Village! Tickets for Hallowe'en in Greenfield Village are $17 for anyone over 2 years old for general admission or members of The Henry Ford get a discounted price of $14. For more information, go to thehenryford.org 

Talk Like a Pirate Day: 5 Pirate Myths that are Actually True

Avast! my mateys today 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 started off 22 years ago 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 our friends at the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY:


 #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. 

 A Geek Daddy Blog is participating in the National Geographic Kids Insider brand ambassador program for the 2015-2016 school year. During this time, the “Insiders” will get a behind-the-scenes look at National Geographic’s resources, activities, content and projects for kids and families. National Geographic Kids Insiders review books, magazines television shows and toys, and will be offered interviews with authors, explorers and editors. 

Picture Yourself as a Disney Character with new Show Your Disney Side App

Transform yourself up as one of your favorite Disney characters through a new free virtual reality app available on iTunes.  Snap a selfie and you'll be pictured as a Star Wars X-Wing pilot, a zombie pirate, villains like Maleficent or Captain Hook, or one of the princesses from Frozen among other Disney characters. The app features four selections of characters you can choose from: Frozen Fun, Star Tours, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Villains of Disney Parks.  Plus you can unlock a fifth option with characters from the Haunted Mansion by visiting either Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort, or by sharing three of your Show Your Disney Side app creations with friends and family.

My kids and I had some fun playing with this app and were really impressed by the representations on the screen of my iPhone.  The images have a mirroresque appearance to them that make them look like a real time video of yourself versus a static photographic.  There are a number of costumes, background scenes, and special effects you can play with as well.

My daughter showed off her #DisneySide by portraying Anna from the Frozen Fun section, a Pirate Lady from Pirates of the Caribbean, and Maleficent from the Villains of Disney Parks.

 

My son enjoyed seeing himself as Captain Jack Sparrow, Kristoff from Frozen, and  as an X-Wing pilot.

 

So how do you think I look as Darth Maul, Jafar, and a zombie pirate?

 

Here are a few tips on using the app:

• Smile big – but without your teeth showing.
• Make sure your hair isn’t blocking your face.
• Try to take your photo in front of a plain background.

Note that while this is an ios app it doesn't appear to work on iPads just iPhone and iTouch devices.  It also doesn't appear to be available for Android and is exclusive to Apple devices at this time.

This app is completely FREE, no in-app purchases to worry about here, and fun to play with for kids and adults alike.  Have a blast showing your Disney Side and if you tweet your images generated from the app to @Geeky_Dad we'll RT them to share with all our A Geek Daddy followers.

CLICK HERE to download the #FREE Show Your Disney Side App.

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.