Toy Fair 2010

The toy fair is an event in which different toy makers get the chance to exhibit their products. The event takes place in New York, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and showroom locations from February 14 -17, and is the largest of its kind in the western hemisphere. The show is put on by the TIA, Toy Industry Association, a non-profit which “association for producers and importers of toys and youth entertainment products sold in North America, representing over 500 companies who account for approximately 85% of domestic toy sales”. The show is not open to the public and no one under the age of 18 is allowed to go to the fair, but it is a place for buyers and sellers to come together to show off the hot new toys this year.

Here are pictures of some cute toys and costumes taken by those covering the event from woot.com:

Tushems

Here are some adorable erasers:

A limited number of these erasers can be purchased at Hallmark stores, but there are a few different ones here that I have never seen in person and would love to buy!

Here is a My inflatable Buddy:

This company makes these plush stuffed animal covers which go over a plastic, air filled bladder. This way parents can afford to buy large toys for their kids, but they are easy to store by deflating and easy to play with by quickly inflating. the coverings are also very easy to wash should something happen to them. Another plus is that the animals are light weight for kids to carry around.

An adorable little backpack:

Giant stuffed animals on display:

Here is a creative setup of perfect petzzz:

These are super realistic sleeping animals that offer all the cuteness of a sleeping animal without any of the problems associated with a real pet. These little guys “breath” as well while they sleep. They offer many different dog and cat breeds, as well as pandas and accessories.

Here are some cute examples of products from peace toys:

The bunny and other stuffed animals are made from organic cotton, and the globe the bunny is on is one of the company’s hugg-a-planet line. The globe is the hugg-a-planet earth, while they also offer hugg-a-planet with moon, hugg-a-planet mars, and hugg america soft map.

MerryMakers had this stuffed toy of their character Skippyjon Jones:

Skippyjon is is a children’s book character – a Siamese kitten which pretends to be a Chihuahua superhero. Sounds cute to me!

Here are Totem Tribes:

These little guys are designed like animal spirits and can be stacked. They have a website, but it simply has a video of them and it says that the full sight will be coming in March.

Here are Pancake Puppies:

These little guys remind me of pound puppies, but mixed with pancakes. They should have their own cartoon…

Vamplets

Year of the Tiger!

Saturday was the Chinese New Year, and this year is the Year of the Tiger. To celebrate, here are some cute tiger pictures:

These cubs were born at the Honolulu Zoo in 2008.

Tiger cubs from a Romanian Zoo in 2007.

Here are a couple images posted in a gallery for this year’s celebrations on the telegraph.co.uk:

This is a performance at the zoo in Qingdao City.

These tigers are in a zoo in Fuzhou.

Valentine’s Day Cuteness!

After contemplating two different things to post, I decided to post something completely different.

To honor this weekends holiday I figured I would post a few more cute animals wishing you to have a happy Valentine’s Day!

Animals “dressed up” for the occasion:

Animals kissing:

This last picture is of a digital greeting card that you can send to your friends:

Hope that you all have a wonderful weekend and a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Big Cats

I was looking online for pictures of lions when I happened across a blog entry on webecoist that features amazing pictures of 10 different big cats. I have posted some of my favorites:

Tiger

Black Panther

Snow Leopard

Visit the original entry for more pictures and information about the big cats.

Baby Anteater

At Discovery Cove in Orlando Florida a baby lesser anteater was born a few days ago!

The little boy is so cute!

Here he is with his mom:

And another adorable shot:

The lesser anteater is also known as the tamandua, and is native in South America and Mexico.

Super Bowl Commercials!

Yesterday I watched the adorable Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet, and then I watched the Super Bowl…mainly to see the commercials.

The Puppy Bowl was so cute! I loved watching the puppies and the different camera shots gave more interest to it. The bunny cheerleaders who just sat on the sidelines were very comical, as were the hamsters “flying” the Twizzlers’ blimp. Even better was that they replayed the “game,” so I got to watch it before the Super Bowl started and again after it was over!

There were not that many commercials featuring cute animals, but there were many funny ones that contain cute stars. Here are the cutest commercials that I saw this Super Bowl:

1. Doritos: Underdog

2. E*Trade Baby with Girlfriend

3. Monster.com fiddling Beaver

4. Coca-Cola – Sleepwalker

5. Kia Sorento

6. And of course, Budweiser had another cute commerical about their Clydesdale horses:

Wonderful Wildlife Photography

The 2010 Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is open and receiving entries.

This is the 46th year of the competition which is owned by the UK Natural History Museum and the BBC Wildlife Magazine.  This is a contest which wildlife photographers aspire to enter and win. The competition features an adult and youth competition. If you take wonderful wildlife photos, consider entering the contest.

Here are some of the best images from the 2009 competition:

Young Overall Winner: Clash of the Yellowhammers by Fergus Gill

11 to 14 year old Highly Commended: Snow Bath by Sander Brostrom

Winner for Animal Behavior – Mammals: Boto Water Polo by Kevin Schafer

A Runner- Up in the same category: Hare Spat by Morten Hilmer

Urban and Garden Wildlife Winner: Respect by Igor Shpilenok

Highly Commended in Nature in Black and White: Lone Lion by Britta Jaschinski

Happy Groundhog Day

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, so sadly there will be six more weeks of winter. Not that I have ever thought that a groundhog’s advice was sound, but it is a fun tradition.

This tradition has been ongoing since 1887, and for the years on record, Phil has seen seen his shadow 98 times and not missed it 15 times. In any event, the offical start of spring is about six weeks away…no matter if he sees his shadow or not. Not to mention that where I live the snow is falling outside and it looks like temperatures for the next couple of weeks will be cold…

For anyone who wants winter to be over sooner rather than later, here are a couple videos to cheer you up:

Two Baby Moose and a Sprinkler

And if these little puppies can love the snow, maybe I can for a few more weeks:

Puppy Bowl!

If you have nothing else to watch before the Super Bowl starts, why not watch Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl? I have never watched it before, but I want to try this year.

The Puppy Bowl features puppies from shelters that need homes and provides information on how to adopt them. You just get to watch the puppies play and interact with each other and toys in a model football stadium. There is commentary on the puppy play as well as replay shots. There are cameras to watch the puppies,  a “bowl cam” which looks up at puppies drinking through the bottom of the water dish, and this year will also feature aerial shots from the Twizzler’s blimp. Football terminology is used to describe the puppy play, touchdowns are called when puppies make it to the end zone, and time outs are called when puppies fight. New this year are bunny cheerleaders on the sidelines.

The program also has a half time show called the kitty half-time show.

Here are pictures of some of this years starting line up:

Addison

Bandit

Bear

Coco

Eenu

Jersey Boy

Duncan

Puppy Bowl airs on Animal Planet, February 7th from 3 to 5 pm e/p.

Top 10 Dog Breeds

The top five dog breeds in America were presented on the Today Show this morning, so I thought I would post the top ten dog breeds today:

10. Shih Tzu

The name Shih Tzu means lion, and as the name suggests these little dogs can stand up for themselves. But the breed’s temperament is loving and playful.

9. The Poodle

Poodles come in three different sizes: toy, miniature. and standard. The breed is incredibly smart and easy to train. They are energetic and require daily exercise. They also have hypoallergenic coats that require professional grooming to maintain.

8. The Dachshund

Dachshund means badger dog, and they were bred to hunt badgers leading to their long, low bodies. The breed comes in three different coat varies (wirehaired, smooth, and longhaired) and has a playful and loving temperament.

7. The Bulldog

Bulldogs are often loved for their unique appearance with short wrinkly faces, but they also have a loving and gentile temperament.

6. The Boxer

Boxers make great pets for families because they love attention. They are patient with children, protective, and loving. Boxers are athletic dogs that require daily exercise.

5. The Beagle

Beagles have great temperaments, easy to clean coats, and are a good size. Originally bred to hunt rabbits, these dogs make good pets because they are so friendly. The most famous Beagle is Snoopy from the Peanuts comic strip.

4. The Golden Retriever

Golden Retrievers are loving, friendly dogs, that make amazing family pets. The breed is energetic, requiring daily exercise, and loves to please.

3. The Yorkshire Terrier

Yorkshire Terriers were bred to hunt rats, but make wonderful pets. The small size of the breed, combined with its loving personality that make it so popular.

2. The German Shepherd

German Shepherds make loving pets and good guard dogs. They are energetic and loving. These dogs are incredibly popular as police and military dogs.

1. The Labrador Retriever

Labs are the most popular breed in America because of their loving and upbeat temperaments and for ease of training. These dogs are also good as hunting dogs.