Get Your Cape On! The DC Super Hero Girls Are Here

As a superhero loving geek-dad of a daughter, I couldn’t be happier about the launch of DC Super Hero Girls.

The lack of content and merchandise featuring female superheroes has been obvious to me ever since I became a dad 4 years ago, and have written about it regularly.

My daughter, while enjoying the likes of Batman and Superman craves content with female heroes such as Wonder Woman and Batgirl, and even villains like Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy – all of whom are part of the DC Super Hero Girls.

The set up is this – the girls (they are all school age characters) attend the exclusive Super Hero High, and we follow their teenage misadventures – with the added complication of super powers.

As well as the aforementioned Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy – there is also  Supergirl, Katana, Bumblebee, Cheetah, Hawkgirl, and Catwoman! There is a character for everyone from the honourable Wonder Woman, studious Batgirl, to the mischievous Harley Quinn.

My daughter doesn’t only want to engage with superheroes fighting each other either – some of her favourite stories involve the relationships between the characters. This is an important aspect of the DC Super Hero Girls cartoon.

I’ve written about this line before. I wasn’t sure about it then, and perhaps my concerns remain just a little. But that is now overshadowed by my enthusiasm for what this. It is a major progression in the kind of content and merchandise created for girls, and specifically the idea that superheroes can be for them too.

For many girls I also believe it will be a gateway into the wider world of superheroes and comic books, as well as an inspiring and empowering line in its own right.

The toys are coming to the UK soon, but in the meantime you can check out the cartoon on the DC Super Hero Girls dedicated YouTube channel:

You can also head over to the website to find out more about the specific characters, play games, download free printables, and more!

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DC Super Hero Girls animated series giveaway!

To celebrate the launch of DC Super Hero Girls in the UK, DC Entertainment are offering you the chance to win a £100 VISA Gift Card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

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This is a sponsored post. However, I am genuinely excited about DC Super Hero Girls!

 

4 Great Star Wars Books For Kids

There are so many great Star Wars books for kids out there that it’s tricky to choose which ones your children will enjoy the most. Well here’s a selection from Egmont Publishing that have  gone down well with my 3-year-old daughter (as well as me).

Continue reading 4 Great Star Wars Books For Kids

LEGO Star Wars – Rey’s Speeder and General Grievous Playtest plus Giveaway

With less than a month to go until the release of The Force Awakens, Star Wars continues to dominate our leisure time. As well as enjoying watching Episodes IV – VI in anticipation, checking out trailers, speculating what may happen in the new movie (my daughter already predicts that Kylo Ren will get both hands chopped off), we’re also working our way trough the six season Clone Wars animated series. So it was great to receive two terrific LEGO sets that encompassed these strands of the saga. Continue reading LEGO Star Wars – Rey’s Speeder and General Grievous Playtest plus Giveaway

Review & Giveaway: Karate Lottie, Ballet Lottie, plus Sweet Dreams Accessory Pack

We already have a varied collection of Lottie Dolls. We love them for many reasons, but particular because it’s easy to see similarities between them and the kid.

Well, this week we were sent a suitably eclectic trio of items that my daughter had chosen to complement the likes of her Rockabilly Lottie above.

The first of these items was the Sweet Dreams Outfit Set.

This is an accessory set, so there’s no doll just the clothes – but it’s great to have more outfits for them. Our daughter has always liked putting her toys down for naps and sleeps, and this accessory set gives her a chance to do that while at least one of them is dressed and ready for bedtime.

It comes with all-in-one pyjamas, a dressing gown/robe, and fleece slippers – all perfect for making sure your Lottie doll is nice and snug.

Next up was the first of the two dolls – Spring Celebration Ballet Lottie.

Our daughter has been going to dance class on Saturday morning for a while now, and loves it. Like this Lottie, her outfit is also all pink (the choices for children’s tights and leotards for dancing seemed to be pink or pink), plus she has a tutu she wore last term too – so this Lottie is one she definitely associates with her experience of dancing.

Ballet Lottie is nicely decked out in her special ballet costume (with a 3-layer tutu), a sequin leotard, ballet slippers, and a drawstring shoe bag.

My daughter’s final choice is my personal favourite – the Kawaii Karate Lottie:

As mentioned on this blog previously, Kawaii essentially means ‘cute’ in Japan, and as well as providing a handy instance of alliteration, it’s an accurate description of this doll (although Kickass Karate Lottie would’ve worked too).

Kitted out in full karate gear, plus a choice of white or yellow belts, a rising sun headband, a helmet, plus some collector cards displaying how to hit and kick like a girl, this is a great set.

Playing with her new Lottie Dolls
Playing with her new Lottie Dolls

We are a multi-racial family, and we have toys around us that reflect that diversity. Lottie have dolls of various skin tones, and I was glad that our daughter has chosen a brown skinned Lottie to add to her collection.

The choice of Ballet and Karate Lotties is not as random as it seems. Our daughter’s been very interested in Batgirl of late, and often picks out my Batgirl of Burnside trade paperback to look at (I’ve read the whole thing to her – dating apps, transgender villains, evil algorithms and all).

There’s a page showing the pre-Batgirl Barbara Gordon doing ballet (pink outfit) and martial arts (white training gear), and I think that’s made an impression.

Karate + Ballet = Batgirl. And now Lottie too.

This selection of dolls displays yet again why Lottie is such a great product. Her range of outfits and interests continue to reinforce the message that being a girl shouldn’t limit your aspirations – and you can like frilly pink skirts while also being kickass at karate.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway


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Lottie doll retails at £16.99 (USD $19.99); accessory sets and outfit sets retail at £7.99 (USD $9.99)

Lottie is also available online at www.lottie.com.

In the UK, Lottie is also at Debenhams, Ocado, Natural History Museum, Jo Jo Maman Bébé, and independent toy stores.

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Disclaimer: While I was not paid to write this piece, my daughter did receive the featured dolls and accessories free of charge.
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Which Lottie doll is your favourite? Check out the range at www.lottie.com, then head back here and tell us!

Check Out These Great New LEGO Scooby-Doo Stop Motion Videos (plus Giveaway)

I grew up with the animated adventures of Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and of course Scooby. I’ve started showing them to my daughter too (my all time fave remains when Batman and Robin were guest stars).

In their latest way of taking my money, LEGO have released some great new Scooby-Doo sets.

As you probably realise, I love sharing photos of our LEGO, but have a look at these – they’re going that extra mile with a collection of great LEGO Scooby-Doo stop motion videos.

Additional videos will be uploaded weekly, so head over to ScoobyDoo.com for more, and if you like the look of these then why not subscribe to the WB Kids YouTube channel too.

To celebrate the launch of these LEGO Scooby-Doo sets and videos, we’re offering you the chance to win a £150 Gift Card from Smyth’s – perfect for you to snap up some LEGO Scooby-Doo sets for yourself.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

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This is a collaborative post.