Today we're taking a peek at the first wave of Minifigure blind packs from the movie which is forthcoming. This is a release similar to that of the blind bag collection released with the first movie, with both main, major characters and minor, obscure characters in the mix. This might well be the only place you're able to find some of these oddities - and they're all wild, of that you can be sure.
343 Industries has teamed with Limbitless Solutions to offer a new Halo-themed prosthetic created using 3D printing technology. The prosthetic is targeted at children, offering them a "cost-effective" artificial limb with an empowering, fun design. The non-profit organization, which also offers other stylish and fun prosthetic designs, donates its prostheses to the recipients for free.
Huawei has unveiled StorySign, a new free product that uses artificial intelligence to help kids who are deaf or hard of hearing learn to read. The app utilizes a smartphone's camera to follow along with the text on a storybook page, presenting an animated character who translates the words into sign language. The app is powered by Huawei AI.
Disney has revealed plans to create a series of short animated videos based on the original Star Wars trilogy. These animated shorts will be targeted at children and feature iconic characters from the first three movies, including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. The new series will be called the Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures and serve to introduce young viewers to the franchise's pivotal moments, classic themes, and more.
Verizon and Disney have teamed to launch a special Mickey Mouse 90th Anniversary version of the GizmoWatch for kids. The carrier started offering this wearable back in September; the new version features iconic Mickey Mouse artwork to commemorate the character's latest anniversary. The kid-friendly wearable is available through Verizon starting today.
Amazon's monthly FreeTime subscription for kids content has added support for audiobooks. The additional support provides access to kid-friendly audiobooks, adding it to the existing games, video content, books, and apps. The audiobooks are accessible through Amazon's Kindle Fire tablets, as well as Android and iOS devices.
Netflix has announced six new animated projects that'll usher in new original movies and TV shows for children. The content will be targeted at a wide variety of tastes and audiences, including viewers as young as preschoolers, older kids, and families. The projects include creatives from shows like Moana and Inside Out.
The Google Home speakers, except the new Home Hub, are a bit of a puzzle. While they are a font of knowledge and power over your home, you might think them pretty boring in terms of entertainment value aside from music. Especially when it comes to kids that seem to gravitate more towards the visual things in life. But both as a sort of counterculture and proof that you can make magic just with sounds, Google and Disney have teamed up to make reading bedtime stories out loud a more memorable and enchanting experience, complete with matching sounds for scenes and moods.
The LEGO brick set you're about to behold looks like and acts like a pop-up book. This set drops in on two classic fairy tales in a way dissimilar to every single LEGO set in the history of LEGO. This set, for lack of a better word, is completely bonkers. It not only features some awesome new LEGO mechanics, but a set of new minifigures (and a microfigure too!) This set is a LEGO Ideas set, the first one to appear at the 10-year anniversary of the LEGO Ideas program.
In an age of smartphones, tablets, and the Internet, there's almost a presumption that toys need to be smart in order to keep up with more tech-savvy kids. Kids, however, need more than just smart learning toys. They also need to have emotional and tangible ones. Last year, two designers from Disney, Pixar, and Apple teamed up to bring Animoodles to life through Kickstarter. Now they're back, on Kickstarter again no less, to bring a second batch of magnetic, safe, and imaginative plushies for kids to enjoy.
YouTube is tackling its inappropriate content issue by enabling parents to limit their kids to only pre-approved videos and channels. The new feature has launched in YouTube Kids, fulfilling a promise the company made back in April. As well, YouTube Kids now offers a new option created specifically for older kids, one that features a "less restrictive" experience than the version presented to younger users.
Earlier this year, Amazon introduced Prime Book Box, a box of curated books targeted at young children. The new offering was only available through an invitation at the time, but the company has officially opened it up to all Prime customers located in the United States. Buyers can choose to receive a box every month or only a few times a year, depending on their needs.