Hasta La Ideas

Put yourself in the virtual driver’s seat with the latest tech-enabled racecar toys

In 2010 Mattel put kids in Barbie’s shoes when they introduced a built-in camera. Now, with their Hot Wheels Video Racer, amateur car racers can put themselves in the driver’s seat too. Equipped with an LCD screen on the bottom and a built-in memory chip, the car functions as a low-res camera, capturing up to 12 minutes of footage at 30 frames per second.

The cameras mount to any computer via USB port and, using Hot Wheels software, kids can choose from a range of music, scene transitions and special effects when editing. The cars also come with adhesives and Velcro mounting straps so that budding filmmakers can attach the car to any surface—such a helmet, skateboard or remote control helicopter.

The Video Racer is track compatible, a feature that will be even more fun with the launch of Hot Wheels Wall Tracks, a mountable system coming out Fall 2011. With the car camera offering a 1:64 scale point of view, taking the car from the floor to the wall as it rounds loops and zooms down straightaways will allow kids to safely engage with the thrill of racing first-hand.

Hot Wheels Wall Tracks span $17-30, and the Video Racer will sell for $60. Both will be available online and in toy stores Fall 2011.

Top image via Engadget

Griffin partners with classic crayon maker to digitize the timeless act of coloring

The excitement of attending the annual Consumer Electronics Show often has us feeling like giddy school kids, with its overwhelming display of new technology and gadgets. For 2011 this sentiment is seemingly right on with today’s announcement of the new partnership between Griffin Technology and the revered color masters at Crayola, who will be on hand at CES with their Crayola ColorStudio HD.

Updating the timeless activity of coloring for today’s tablet technology, the ColorStudio is an interactive drawing application designed for the iPad that works by using their Crayola iMarker digital stylus.

While the iMarker acts as a marker, crayon, pen and paintbrush, the application’s intuitive technology can differentiate between the iMarker and a finger, which is used to control the rest of the sound effects, animations and challenges the ColorStudio offers alongside simple coloring.

The Crayola ColorStudio HD and iMarker will sell as a set beginning Spring 2011 for $30.

A Brooklyn-based zine for creative kids

An aptly-titled children’s zine, R.A.D. (aka Read and Draw) gears its publication toward creative children and their parents in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg and Park Slope neighborhoods. Each clever issue takes up a particular seasonal or educational theme, packing more imagination than a Pixar holiday party into every page. Recent installments include a trip to the zoo, astronauts in space and Thanksgiving.

By engaging kids with a range of activities like building a tepee, identifying endangered species, writing poems and more, R.A.D.’s biggest contribution may be its dedication to programs and creative content for kids in NYC (where the public school arts budget will be cut by 31% in 2011).

Published bi-weekly, R.A.D. is a free zine distributed through a network of children’s boutiques and schools around Brooklyn. (We spied it at Sweet William in Williamsburg.)

The literary t-shirt label launches a line for kids and new designs

Turning classic book covers into inspirational t-shirts, Out of Print recently added a kids line to its collection of “intelligent” literary fashions. Tykes can don soon-to-be-favorite reads like “The Catcher In The Rye,” “Moby Dick,” “Pride and Prejudice” or “Brave New World” with their distressed, 100% cotton tees.

Out of Print also launched its first collection of Originals—a series of re-imagined graphics designed to inspire young adults to read classics like “The Great Gatsby,” “The Outsiders,” “Animal Farm” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Designed by Ohio native and Philadelphia-based designer Mikey Burton for a graduate thesis project, the illustrations reflect his penchant for ’70s rock ‘n’ roll posters (past projects include gig graphics for Wilco, Spoon and Joanna Newson), as well as his talent for visualizing each story’s essence.

Burton explains, “The whole reasoning behind my project was simply to get young adults interested in reading. I was never a big reader myself and it was something I regret every day of my life. Maybe if I thought reading was cool when I was a kid, I would have done it more. Also, in a time where people are doing less reading, I think it’s more important now than ever to make reading seem more appealing.”

For every shirt (or now, sweatshirt) Out of Print sells, they give one book to Books For Africa. October 2010 saw the altruistic label send a 40-foot sea container of 560 boxes with over 20,000 books of donated text and library books to schools and libraries in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Kids tees sell online from Out of Print for $22, with mens and womens designs available for $28 each tee and $38 for sweatshirts.

Freaky fun abounds from childrens author Calef Brown’s newest book

A contemporary Dr. Seuss, Calef Brown‘s childrens books are as an exciting read for kids as they are adults. His catchy rhymes put his self-illustrated book “Flamingos on the Roof” a place on the NY Times bestselling list and his latest edition “Hallowilloween: Nefarious Silliness” is no less entertaining.

Filled with tongue twisters and short poems, Brown says “Since childhood, Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. Costumes, candy, and as an artist, the spooky color palette is a revelation—brick reds, oranges of every hue, deep blues, sour greens surrounded by overripe purples. I loved immersing myself in this eerie family of color while creating the paintings for Hallowilloween.”

Brown continues, “I wanted the poems to be funny and engaging but also have an edge and touches of darkness.” His slightly sinister take on standard Halloween creatures—ghosts, vampires and mummies—is perfectly spooky and a great read year round.

“Hallowilloween: Nefarious Silliness” sells online from Amazon and Powells for $17.