TONYKids blog

Go see this now!

Thu Aug 16

Last night, amid many empty seats, I laughed my head off watching the fantastic Fringe Jr. show, Myles the Hypoallergenic Superhero and His Superhero Friends. If there were justice in the world, the cozy studio at the Cherry Lane Theatre would have been packed. The storyline is both topical and gleefully silly: a floppy-haired puppet reveals his life-long battle with allergies through a series of flashback vignettes. Of course, there’s much more to the show than simple storytelling, due in large part to the comedic talents of actor Dave Horak. Through some very fast costume changes, Horak manages to play nearly every character in the show (aside from the nasal, loveable Myles). His romps across the stage as the coy, pink-haired love interest, Emer, a discoing cat and a devilish peanut are not to be missed; nor is his kid-pleasing turn as pollen, with a bubble shooter in hand. There are two performances left (Friday at 7:45pm, and Saturday at 6:45pm). Tickets are $10. Go, go,...

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Disney takes a stand for Baby Einstein

Wed Aug 15

About a week ago, we mentioned a recent University of Washington study that showed early educational videos—more specifically, Brainy Baby or Baby Einstein products—to hinder, not boost, the language development of toddlers. According to the study, six-to 18-month old children who had watched these DVDs knew six to eight fewer words than other toddlers their age. Now the Walt Disney Company, distributor of Baby Einstein videos, is lashing out at the university. “We welcome well conceived and well executed research of all kinds, particularly involving media products and children,” Disney president Robert Iger said in a letter to Mark Emert, president of the University of Washington. “Nevertheless, one may well question whether the study […] was indeed well conceived and well executed. Our assessment, based on what we have been able to learn thus far, is that its methodology is doubtful, its data seem anomalous and the inferences it posits...

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You (and baby) are what you eat!

Wed Aug 15

We realize we've been blogging about food a lot the last couple of days, but we have just one last thing to report before we stop making you hungry. Read on and control those cravings! Are you pregnant? Then put down the Oreos. And that pint of ice cream. And maybe that jar of Nutella, too. A study in the British Journal of Nutrition shows that expectant mothers may pass along their cravings for bad (but-oh-so-good!) food to Junior while baby is still in the womb. In the study, pregnant rats were fed unhealthy foods, such as biscuits, potato chips and muffins and doughnuts. In turn, the fuzzy newborns shared a predisposition for junk foods after birth. But don’t feel too guilty about that Dunkin’ Donuts binge yet; not all researchers are convinced by the rodent-y evidence. In a BBC article yesterday, Dr. Atul Singham, from the Institute of Child Health in London, said that “at the moment there is no data in humans to support this, and obviously it is very difficult to...

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An Apple a Day...

Tue Aug 14

At TONY Kids, sweets seem to wind up in our office on an almost daily basis. Having tasted just about every cupcake in the city, not to mention offerings from ice cream parlors in all five boroughs, we've become finicky connoisseurs of sugary delights. Last week the good folks at Max Brenner sent us over a slew of holiday candy, and while we ate it all (I mean, we're not THAT picky), we were genuinely impressed by one item. The candied apples cubes in white chocolate and cinnamon didn't last more than a few minutes in the hands of our small staff. They may not look as appealing as the decorative morsels in Brenner's boxes, but they pack a serious (and quite unique) dosage of sweet apple flavor. The bite-sized candies genuinely taste like candy apples, but they're about 10 times easier to eat (and much less likely to rot your teeth). We think your kids will like them too.

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