#a good picture of og noel

[yourfaveiskenough]

sorry for sending another Ride the Cyclone ask after you JUST got one but…

Noel Gruber is Kenough 🥺

Noel Gruber from Ride the Cyclone is Kenough!

[pokeani-fankid-daycare]

NamelessShipping for the meme (If they have a kid meme)

Sorry, this was sitting in my inbox. I was gonna answer it and then fell to sleep. I work in education so the past week I've just been working hard as kids come back. Anyway childhood OTP let's goooo!!!

Name: Noel

Gender: Male

General Appearance: Black hair (I miss OG Red's black hair in the games T-T), His eyes are a a goldish brown color like Blue's. He also has spikey hair that swoops more to the side instead of going up like Blue's or down like Red's (with the hat)

Personality: This kid has bad wanderlust. At least he remebers to contact his loved ones before disappearing on a MOUNTAIN- Noel studies Pokemon Myths.

Special Talents: He like's to doodle things he sees. He has a pretty good memory because

Who they like better: Red. Noel can go on and on about what he's seen and learned and quiet dad Red is a good listener. Of course, Red DOES talk to Noel but Noel feels comforted by that strong silence.

Who they take after more: Probably Blue. Can be a bit arrogant without realizing it, but other than that he is pretty chill.

Personal Headcanon: Not a headcanon per-say...but I just want you to know his whole team is built around internet legends surrounding Pokemon.

Face Claim:

Inspo's for each of his pokemon under the cut:

Dratini: Reference to that one issue of Nintendo Power that claimed you could evolve the Dragonite line into Yoshi. I chose Dratini specifically because it was featured in the article picture.

Marill: Remeber when bitches thought this guy was gonna be named "Pikablu"? I have the anime card where they call Marril "Pikablu"

Porygon-Z: Choosing this specific evolution is a nod to Porygon being banned in the anime (RIP) and Missino the popular glitch pokemon!

Barbaracle: Does anyone else remember the Albino Pokemon glitch from XY? I remember when I saw someone posted an all-white Barbaracle it made me think of the white hand in generation one which also kind of became it's own creepypasta. That's fun.

Marowak: Is my representative for not just Lavander Town and it's rumors but also for fan theories that connect pokemon together like Kangaskhan and Cubone.

Ravavroom: This pokemon can become a truck and the ultimate pokemon urban legend is catching Mew under the truck!

[thesassywallflower]

Top 10 Feel Good TV Shows...or at least in my opinion...today...

Because sometimes you need to take a break from the news, true crime docs, and cult shows...or maybe that’s just me.

1. The Great British Baking Show/Off: To those of you who haven’t watched,  I can hear you saying, but Manda, how can a competition show be “Feel Good”? My friends, this one is. You start with a lovely tent equipped with all the kitchen accessories your heart could desire, plunk it on a GORGEOUS British estate, add contestants who are actually decent human beings that willingly help out their fellow bakers when they need it, sprinkle in two judges who know what they’re talking about, and top it all off with two hilarious hosts (Mel and Sue will forever own my heart, but Noel has wheedled his way in there too) who encourage the contestants with pep talks, baking innuendos/puns and plenty of hugs. That’s how it’s Feel Good. 

2. Miranda: A sitcom about an awkward, hilarious woman in her late 30′s who’s  actually a normal human being aka she has cellulite, struggles to find clothes that fit, gets completely flustered at the thought of dating/*whispers*sex and loves to eat. Throw in some goofball side characters, Tom Ellis aka Lucifer himself as the main love interest and you have a show that’s “What I call...such fun!”

3. The Golden Girls: What can I say it’s a classic?! “Lanai!” “Shady Pines,Ma!” “Back in St. Olaf...” “Picture it. Sicily 1920...” “Mr. Burt Reynolds...” If you haven’t watched, just do. You won’t regret it, I swear. Plus the 1980′s aesthetic alone is worth the watch. ;) P.S. I’m just a Rose wishing she was a Sophia.

4. The Lizzie Benne Diaries: Teeeeechnically not a tv show because it’s a web series, but it’s close enough. Basically it’s if our girl Lizzie Bennet lived in 2013 and had her own vlog. So good and so funny. Each episode is only 2-5 minutes long so it’s super easy to binge. (Also I LIVE for that moment when we finally meet Darcy.)

5. The Vicar of Dibley: I’ve sung the praises of this show on many a Tag Game, but I’m doing it again! A smart, hysterical vicar comes to a small village in the English countryside and completely shakes up the villagers lives because...SPOILERS...the vicar is a woman *GASP* 

(Also American TV/Movie industry? How about y’all actually be brave for once and make a show about a plus sized woman getting the hot guy in the end too? And not make it the butt of a sick, cruel joke? That’d be greaaaaaat.)

6. Derry Girls: Five teens try navigate life at an all girls Catholic school while living in Northern Ireland right at the tail end of The Troubles. I know. I know. It sounds like it wouldn’t be Feel Good at all, and while there are moments that are heart wrenching, it’s wickedly funny and ridiculous with some truly tender scenes. Plus it has a killer 90′s soundtrack.

7. Pushing Daisies: Whimsical sets, colorful retro costumes, delicious pies, crime solving, and Lee Pace as the sweetest, woobiest baker who also happens to be a necromancer. What more could you want? (Just please don’t yell at me because there’s only two seasons.)

8. The IT Crowd: This show is just pure British comedy gold. If these three IT techs can’t make you laugh at least once, I really don’t know what will. It’s ridiculously quotable and the scenes with Moss and Roy at the football match is one of the best moments in tv history in my humble opinion. 

9. Sanditon: Think a Bridgerton that you can watch with your mom. It’s all about the  lives and loves of the Parker family set in a picturesque seaside town. Two warnings though. 1. You will fall in love with Sydney Parker. (JOOOOOIN MEEEEE) and 2. So far there’s only one season and those evil showrunners ended it on the worst sort of emotional cliffhangers.

10. Anne With An E: Okay yes, they took a looooooot of liberties with the original story, but I still feel that everything that we loved about the OG Anne is still there. You’ll still want to visit PEI as soon as possible, and you’ll still wish you had a Gilbert, Diana, Marilla and Matthew of your very own.   

So there you go! Please feel free to let me know what some of your favs are!

[blackberry-gingham]

ooh, def Toad!!🐸

Bless you 😭😭😭 also tagging @samatedeansbroccoli since she asked for the same character 😩

Favorite thing:

Probably his severe underdog status tbh. I am not joking when I say that literally no one genuinely likes this man or even gives him the time of day in the Marvel universe.

Which is just amplified when we consider that he's actually extremely powerful, assuming we take his toad powers to their logical and scientific conclusions and all

Least favorite thing:

Dnsjskskak the way that his creators can't settle on one design for him and so he constantly swings between "ok looking at best" to "literally the most hideous, uncanny thing you've ever seen in your life" 😭

Favorite line:

At the tail end of his run in the wolverine X-Men school comic, as he's being exiled for helping Paige do her nefarious stuff and the others are like "was it worth it" or whatever and he says

"All I did, I did for love"

Like..... Bro. Ouchie.

Especially when you consider that Toad's idea of love is kind of warped in that he is just soooo easy to take advantage of. Like, he's a willing dependent in a codependency relationship. He'll do literally anything you ask... Just as long as you at least pretend to give even a fraction of a fuck about him.

So all that to say, that while he may feel his actions are justified bc "he did it for the woman he loves" and all... That's really not even the case tbh, bc he never seemed to be truly loved by her in the first place.

But also in the invasive species mission in contest of champions during the little dialogue transmission, ronin is like "time to die, frog man" or whatever and toad is like "hey fuck you, that guys not like me, he's just a guy in a suit"

AND HES FUCKING RIGHT LMAOOOOO

Idk, not super profound or anything, but genuinely made me laugh so it deserves a spot

brOTP:

Oof, once again, Toad is another guy who doesn't really have friends lol. I'd say him and Spiderman tbh.

Two dudes who are losers irl, but also super smart and all that. They can commiserate over their girl troubles, I'm sure

OTP:

Me again, lmao. I will give him true love 😌🤲🏻

nOTP:

Probably like.... Magneto or something. Ugh, that's so foul. Just the concept hurts to type 😭

Random HC:

I'm trying to think of something I haven't said already lmao

Uuuuuh, he basically starts to fall apart once he hits middle age tbh, lol. He just wants to retire and live a normal life with his s/o after like... 43. Eating bugs starts to give him really bad heartburn and he really hates to crouch down and do that toad hop thing he's known for.

Age and dad bod weight come together for pretty shitty back pain afterwards if he does it for too long.

Unpopular opinion:

Well, there's not really many people to pitch against for me to even have a truly "unpopular opinion" tbh 😂😂😅

But I guess I'd say Todd kind of annoys me tbh. I think it's his diction style more than anything tho, so 😭 That, and it's like... I get why he's more of a popular choice in fanfictions, but also.... Idk. What about the og tho 😭😭

Song I associate:

Probably listen up by Oasis off of the very excellent The Masterplan album. One bc I just associate Liam Gallagher and his voice and image so hard with Mort, but also the mood is right and the lyrics are accurate.

That and the titular song off that same album. The Masterplan, the song, is sung by Noel, Liam's brother, but idk. I really love his voice for like.... Adult Toad.

The first is more about making up your mind to be your own man, even if it means you have to go at life on your own.

The second has a lot more to unpack tbh lmao, but basically it ties into the idea that "the plan for life is that there is no plan" and while that may sound scary, and sure it can be... But we should also realize the potential it has in that good things can happen too, even when we don't expect them.

Favorite picture:

Lmao am I wrong to post one of my drawings 😭

I'd say I'm caught between this panel of the comic, bc like.... W I D E. Plus, canon dad bod confirmed lmao

And this scene from days of future past just bc I literally died like LMAO. Even in an alternate universe, this man is forced into a crummy job. That, and the fact that a man who's poisonous enough to take out literally anyone in an actual fucking heartbeat...

Is cooking FOOD and with no gloves or anything. Like.... This is such an absolutely God tier FDA violation 😭😭

[dobriking]

Bend Into A Break (2)

Summary: Not one, but two vlog-squads came with the death of Vine. And the rumored beef between you two is absolutely true! So, you and David (begrudgingly) set up a month long-retreat among your groups to film team challenges and go against each other. Y’know. For views. Pairing: David Dobrik x Reader, Enemies to Lovers, living together. Warnings: Profanity, Arguing

1 | 2 | 3

“Sorry, what?” Heath’s the first before the outbreak.

With your hands hooked together in front of your stomach, you take in a breath but don’t find the courage to let anything out. He’s not mean — certainly not to you at least — but his voice is so harsh about it. You look to David thinking he’d have something to say to tame Heath but he looks back at you. He’s not smiling snobbishly or anything. He’s keeping the baton passed to you.

And inside his head, there’s nothing malicious about it. He admits despite what he knows about this whole thing that it’s best if you explain it.

“We — me and David uh…” one last look and this time he encourages you with a nod. Your two groups, sitting as scrunched together as can be on David’s living room couch, bond with looks over how peculiar this is. “We decided that…it would be really good in terms of content and material means to—“

He drops the supportive look and rolls his eyes, stepping up to shout (quite coolly), “We’re going to be living and fighting with each other for a little bit. No big deal.”

In a moment of worry none of David’s group has ever seen, your Cody breaks the silence with a strained, “What?”

And then hell breaks loose.

“I-I think,” Drew looks around, “I think this is a joke…or-or something…”

Cody crosses his arms. “Definitely not funny.”

“Cause I am definitely not living with him.” Zane snorts almost, pointing to Cody without sparing a look.

You smile, balls of your cheeks as high as you can raise them. “Well good! Cause you are!” David chokes on his laughter and that provokes everybody even more.

Heath jumps from his spot, betrayed and pointing to David with both hands. “You’re in on this?!”

Noel squeezes himself deeper into the armrest. “No shit he’s apart of this.”

Heath stops, looking to David (who gives him nothing) then Zane. He claps, stomps, and shouts, “The fuck you just say to me!?” He finds the amusement at how fast all of this blew up on Cody’s face too condescending, and Cody claps his hands to his knees while looking at Heath with a mocking glare.

"He said no shit he's apart of this, dumbass!"

Standing, Heath begins to yell at Cody and Noel. Poor Drew is stuck in the middle of it, as quiet as Scott, Corinna, Amanda, Toddy — everybody that isn’t Zane, Heath, Cody, and Noel. Zane even stretches over Drew to yell in Noel’s face, clapping periodically when his voice gets its highest.

David jumps seeing how far back your eyes roll into your head. He just about thinks he’s kickstarted a seizure — so he goes “HEY!” and shuts everybody up.

“Guys, stop. Look, me and Y/n agreed to this together, okay? So if everybody would just sit down…?” His hands fan down. Heath is wary but he does. Cody, however, can’t help but stick his tongue out at him like a child, squishing his eyes nearly shut. The only thing that keeps Heath seated is you and your piercing eyes.

David holds his hands to present you. “Y-you wanna…?” He stutters.

You step forward but resist looking at anybody. You only look to various points in the room that could classify as ‘staring into space,’ mostly to avoid catching an irritating set of eyes that discourages you.

“So…” you start. David nods. It’s a bit of a push to get you to continue, “everybody on this website knows we hate each other. Okay well not really. We know we hate each other, the fans think this is just a fun little rivalry. If we do this they’re going to go absolutely crazy—“

Corinna raises her hand. You’d say she’s a sweetheart as she’s never been too harsh with you but you can’t shake the feeling that she’s judging you whenever she looks your way. You point and she puts her arm down, crossing them and leaning back against the wall (Toddy by her side). “We don’t even know what this is. So can you like—“

“Yeah, can you guys explain it?” Toddy interrupts.

Corinna scoffs and distances herself a little bit.

Shame to say not everybody is in this room. Only the “OG” group is present. And OG in itself is a tricky thing. You’d say the people present are the most beloved of your two groups, the ones in your vlogs most consistently, and the ones that have been around the longest. It’s even more of a shame to say that Tom isn’t here because the damn Brit is off being British in Britain. Your group is outnumbered. Even though Gabbie isn’t here, the addition of Natalie still puts you at odds.

You sigh, knowing to deal with it later. “The idea is that our two groups battle each other over the course of a month."

“Oh.” Cody pipes. “Yeah, I’d be willing to beat up this guy.” A thumb points over to Heath.

“Oh screw you.”

“No,” you pinch your nose, “not that kind of fight. Fun fights like volleyball. Or dodgeball or hell I don’t know, tennis maybe — shit you’d do on Field Day in elementary school. It’d be great for all of our channels, good for merch, good for sales cause I know that’s all some of you care about.” Noel just has to gasp out loud at the diss you whispered. “TLDR; we host a team-event with goals and prizes and take over Youtube, basically.”

They all hum.

Chloe’s in thought squinting at the ceiling. Emily is in a similar state but comes to her conclusion earlier. “So wait we’re like…the Jake Paulers and Logang…ers, now?”

You blink. “No.” But technically, “Wait, maybe. Never-mind that!”

“Wait wait wait,” Heath holds up a finger. “You said we were going to be living together.” That finger points to David.

"That's like the Team Ten house!" In comes the overlapping chatter.

You smile. “Yes. That’s cause it was David’s idea that we do. So!” You pull an expandable metal pointer from your sleeve (to the surprise of many) and David steps to the side, revealing his television. He glares softly for calling him out but the transition was so quick there’s no chance for retaliation. Natalie (thankfully yet to be caught in the crossfire) starts up the same presentation you showed him. Though you took in the time to add some of his ideas.

“I got in touch with my agent and found two possible places we could all pack up and yes, live in together!”

A shared groan. The boys on the couch begin flailing about like grumpy babies without enough space.

David jumps with the picture that pulls up. He does a double take, one at the screen and the other at you. He’ll never not admit you work your ass off, that’s for sure.

“The first option is the Ella Rose Estate, second is the Houdini Mansion.”

As the soft name may suggest, the Ella Rose is beautiful. It's painted white with a dark grey, almost black rooftop (for contrast) and despite vines and moss eating up most of the front side, the pop of color is what adds to the beauty. Only $1,500 a night although that might change with twenty fucking people, but it has a medium sized pool in the back and a more contemporary to modern aesthetic. Its size will certainly be a hassle getting around in with so many people but maybe that’s a good thing.

As for the Houdini…you flip to the pictures of that (also white on the outside with dark roofing) and the whole room jumps. Cody buries the side of his body deeper into the couch, and Zane looks back to see if his group is seeing what he is.

David jumps as well. Quite the change indeed.

It’s a Victorian-esk mansion on the outside, beautiful and pristine, but the inside (while kept up) is dark with everything made of stainless, shining cherry wood, and decorations which also point toward the Victorian aesthetic.

“David! You tryna put us in a horror movie?” Zane shouts.

“We’re already in one,” you mutter.

Natalie keeps flipping through and everybody is very audible with their chills. The house is beautiful (as Erin and Carly note, lips pressed tight but impressed with the pictures you’ve picked) but everything without the lights is so damn dark.

Beautiful, but dark.

However, it is very spacious. The dining room (depending on how you space the chairs) could hold 10 people on a side. And for the bedrooms you explain, “Houdini Mansion actually used to be an orphanage—“

“Nuh-uh!” Zane jumps and pulls his legs under him. “Don’t even try to tell me that place isn’t haunted!”

You grin. “Actually tourists report—“

“HELL NAH!”

“Yeah no."

“Noooo no no no no!”

People actually have the audacity to start leaving the room!

You drop your hands to your side, speechless frankly. When you were in school and your teachers started boasting about how immature you were being you always thought they were being overdramatic. This is the equivalent of students leaving three minutes before the bell. If they would just sit and listen they’d know where you were going with this. There's a pang in your chest for all the teachers you underestimated.

Because here you are with a bunch of actual children.

David doesn’t pay attention to the escaping flock. He looks at the presentation carefully. It’s on a photo of the entrance room. The composition isn't centered but straight ahead there’s the staircase (one of two he assumes), to the right is the kitchen separated with a glass door, and past the stairs is a horizontal hallway and another room he can see. He never-minds the fear of any extra cost you’ll have to pay in damages, and with a giggle and his tongue poking out of his mouth he goes, “I’m in. I choose this one.”

Somewhere in everybody’s collective mind, a record-scratch can be heard. People look over their shoulders for him to repeat, “I've decided. We’re going.”

Chloe chokes. “You can’t make us go.”

David ‘pouts’ and you do too. It’s not even on cue but the way your heads tilt inward and your arms go limp by your sides is so coincidental it's frightening.

You grimace. “Oh, but I can.”

David clicks his tongue and sighs. “Guess it’ll just be Y/n and me.”

“For a month getaway.”

“I mean — I guess it's fine since we’re the only two that’ll have a share of the money, I dunno—“

“FINE!” Heath steps forward, and so does Zane. You find it strange how Cody and Noel only step forward when they do. They return to their spots on the couch but this time poor Drew has some air to breathe now that he’s decided it’s best to stand up.

“Yes,” Cody seethes, rubbing his eye, “Y/n…continue.”

You nod at Natalie and she goes to the next slide.

“David’s crew will be red, mine will be blue. Which means for a month the only color any of us will be wearing is our team’s.” Enya (Always looking damn good in red) grunts into her first and slaps her chair’s arm. You look solemnly at her but shrug it off knowing full well that girl can pull off blue.

Carly raises her hand. “Okay wait. What don’t you classify as ‘colors?’”

David picks at his lips and mumbles “Black, silver.”

You shrug, “White. Also, you could get away with wearing black the whole time if you dye your hair.” It’s true. She feels at some tuffs between her fingers, getting along with this idea.

“Me and David would come up with challenges and things that can be won from those challenges. David will keep uploading Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and I’ll keep uploading on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. And each day we will post a challenge spliced in with other shenanigans.” You look at him and keep eye contact. “And David and I can figure out what we’ll do on Sunday cause we agreed that we want a steady stream of content so whatever it is will probably be small or just between us like a uh…?”

“Q&A?” Cody suggests.

Bless Cody and his words which break your eye contact with David. “Uh yeah. That’s actually a good idea. We’ve also agreed it’s only fitting that David's his team’s leader and I’m my team’s leader—“

Corinna raises her hand, “What do you have in mind for merch?” but doesn’t wait for you to acknowledge before she lowers it.

“Well I haven’t gotten to—nevermind, we’ll get to that. Typical shirts, those like short-short 70s shorts, leg-warmers, headbands and uh…?”

“Bandanas,” David pipes up. He picks at the corner of his eyes. “Socks, backpacks, water bottles and stuff.”

“And how do we figure out where we’ll be staying?” Chloe asks.

You keep your lips shut.

David’s unsure if he should continue or not. But when his extended groan fails to jolt you out of your stasis, he steps forward and lazily gestures the presentation behind him. Natalie flips through it sporadically to match up with what he’s saying. You’re just shocked they’ve all become so accepting.

“Well Y/n said she’s already planned a photoshoot. So like, of individual teams, teams together, individual members, members together. And like members would be paired based on their stereotype or something?” He looks for assurance and you nod. “So Amanda and Toddy — you two would be paired I guess. Uh…Heath and Cody, Chloe and Carly, Erin and Emily — ha, that’s ironic. Right?” He nudges you. He’s actually concerned at this point. You look so flustered and he’s chewing on his cheek leaning forward to get a look at you. Thankfully you snap out of it before he looks like a creep.

“Uh yeah. Yeah yeah, that sounds right,” you say.

“Okay wait,” Zane purses his lips. “What kind of photoshoot?”

“We didn’t steal your 200th video idea if that’s what you’re asking.”

He sits back with nothing to say.

“Are we allowed to leave?”

You nod. “You can go do whatever you want in your free time.”

David sniffles. “We might leave to do some stuff too.”

You click your tongue and bask in the silence. But then it gets too awkward for your liking so you clap your hands together and open your arms to any more questions (physically and figuratively). But there are none. Matt perks up but deflates immediately, and the same for the others as they find questions but come to their own conclusions.

“So…” you clap, “sound good?”

The image of you and David standing almost as one, as leaders and together for once submits everybody else into something of children looking up to their apprehensive parents. So they act as such. Some cross their arms, others stomp but ultimately say nothing. And while most begin to pout there’s a select few who couldn’t care less, only thinking of the experience they’ll be able to say they had. They seem content: Carly, Erin, Natalie, Drew, Amanda, Scotty, and Toddy.

“Good!”

David puts his hands in his pockets and begins to sway. “Okay you can go now.”

They sluggishly leave the room and that leaves you two alone in semi-silence. Nothing is said but you react appropriately and together to the curses and hisses thrown around in the next room.

“Well…” you bite your lip, “this is going to be fun.”

David holds his hand to you.

“Yup.”

And you shake it.

TAGS

@wefracturedmotivation @blackhood5sos @i-heart-movies @sinfulmango @edalalalalalala @mostlydobrik @latelycrazy​ (Added the people who liked the original post asking to be tagged. Message me if you don’t want to be, or message me if you would).

[acuppellarp]

SECRET SANTA WEEK 3!

Thank you to everyone who signed up to participate! And remember if you missed signing up for this week, you have the option to join in for the final week!

Each character participating in this week’s Secret Santa has (at random) been given a holiday-inspired alias. Below the cut is an alphabetized list of aliases and their respective questionnaire answers.

In just a few moments you should receive via Tumblr IM and a Discord message letting you know which alias your character has been paired with to deliver a Secret Santa gift.

Remember that you have until 11:59PM EST on Friday to submit your gift to the Main or April for your assignee.

On Saturday all gifts and Secret Santa pairs will be revealed via April’s blog.

If there’s any confusion or you have questions, please let us know! Happy gifting!

BLIZZARD

Where are three places you’d like to travel? Greece, Bali, Amalfi Coast.  No other reason that they all look beautiful and I adore beautiful things.   What’s your go-to drink order? Soy latte.  Red wine.   Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Jasmine! Is there anything you collect? Criterion collection films.  Vinyl records. Shoes.   Do you have a favorite animal? Anything fuzzy and cute.

BLUE CHRISTMAS

Where are three places you’d like to travel? Australia, Ireland or Amsterdam. No particular reason. Maybe to see a kangaroo in Australia, but other than that, they’ve just always intrigued me. Oh, and accents!  What’s your go-to drink order? Water, usually. Coconut preferred. Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Is Mulan considered a princess? Mulan or Tiana.  Is there anything you collect? Not anymore but I collected seashells when I was younger that I still keep in a display case.  Do you have a favorite animal? I wouldn’t save favorite, that’s kind of mean…I love all animals but I am biased towards monkeys and sloths….just a bit but I LOVE THEM ALL!!

CANDY CANE

Where are three places you’d like to travel? Oh, gosh. I’ve never really thought about it. I’d love to take a road trip of the United States. There’s so much beauty here that I’d love to see. I’d love to go to Seattle, or the National Parks, or to Disney World. I’ve never been! What’s your go-to drink order? I’m a sucker for a good cup of cocoa. Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Rapunzel! Is there anything you collect? Knitting needles, vinyls, anything with an owl. Do you have a favorite animal? I’ve been told I’m like a bunny, but I love owls.

DOMINICK THE DONKEY

Where are three places you’d like to travel? I want to go to every single Disney park in the world What’s your go-to drink order? Long Island Iced Tea, what up. Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? My favorite Disney princess is Loki. Is there anything you collect? Funko pops! I have twenty seven! Do you have a favorite animal? Sloths. They’re so cute. I wanna snuggle them.

DONNER

Where are three places you’d like to travel? Los Angeles - I’d love to run into a celebrity or two, Grand Canyon - it looks so gorgeous in pictures!, Disney World What’s your go-to drink order? White Chocolate Mocha Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Ariel, Prince Phillip, Pascal the chameleon Is there anything you collect? Postcards Do you have a favorite animal?  Alpacas are just too cute.

ELSA OF ARENDELLE

Where are three places you’d like to travel? Greece, France, The Caribbean islands. I like sunning on warm beaches, art, and beautiful architecture.  What’s your go-to drink order? Vodka Martini.  Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Megera and Lilo.  Is there anything you collect? Old play scripts.  Do you have a favorite animal? Owls.

FRUITCAKE

Where are three places you’d like to travel? Zambia, Paris and Cuba. They’re beautiful places and a couple beautiful stages I’ve always wanted on. What’s your go-to drink order? Horchata with espresso or rum or both Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Aladdin and Maleficent. If I were Aladdin I’d be all up on Maleficent. Is there anything you collect? I used to collect sexy ladies but now just some good memories or whatever Do you have a favorite animal? All Jungle cats

JELLY

Where are three places you’d like to travel? Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, California because it has SO MUCH gorgeous sea glass and it just looks like a place of dreams. I’ve always been a fan of the beach. It’s my happy place! What’s your go-to drink order? Tequila shots. It’s a bad vice. Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Dug from Up! Is there anything you collect? I own WAY too many mugs. Probably pushing to 30 mugs, I’m not sure. But they can’t be just regular mugs. They’re really weird ones. My favorite mug that I own is one where you can stick legos on it! It’s fun on a mug!  Do you have a favorite animal? Llamas. So. Many. Puns.

JOY

Where are three places you’d like to travel? Nickelodeon Universe inside Mall of America, Universal Studios, and somewhere in Hawaii. Two places to have fun and one place to look HOT. What’s your go-to drink order? Roscato red wine.  Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Disney movies don’t come CLOSE to Dreamworks. So I’m gonna bend the rules and give you Dreamworks. Toothless.  Is there anything you collect? Other than my Ninja Turtles EVERYTHING. Does lingerie count? Cuz I got lots.  Do you have a favorite animal? Snakes or turtles.

KRAMPUS

Where are three places you’d like to travel? Dominican Republic, cause home. France, cause accents. Australia, cause koalas. What’s your go-to drink order? Grande iced caramel macchiato with coconut milk, one pump vanilla. Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Disney is stupid. Is there anything you collect? Do broken hearts count? Do you have a favorite animal? No.

MILKING MAID

Where are three places you’d like to travel? Scotland because it is most like Harry Potter, duh. What’s your go-to drink order? Tequila (shots shots shots) Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Goofy, he’s a clown. You gotta love a clown. Is there anything you collect? Silly strings, just can’t bare to part with them. Do you have a favorite animal? Is all of them an acceptable answer? Though I do love me some small dogs and cats.

NOEL

Where are three places you’d like to travel? The Maldives, Thailand, Bora Bora. I like anywhere tropical, or anywhere I can be in as little clothing as possible. My soul belongs to the ocean. What’s your go-to drink order? Mojito. Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Esmeralda or Kida. Is there anything you collect? Magazines, earrings, purses. Do you have a favorite animal? A fox, because I am one.

PARTRIDGE

Where are three places you’d like to travel? Hawaii, California, Europe. I’d like to live somewhere completely different from where I’ve been before, if that makes any sense. I think it would be nice to go somewhere tropical, or somewhere it’s always sunny. I’ve been to Europe twice and I love the energy there. What’s your go-to drink order? Medium drip. Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Megara or Elsa. Is there anything you collect? Original Cast Recordings of various Broadway shows. I also collect hand wraps for boxing. Do you have a favorite animal? I do! It’s a canary.

PIPING PIPER

Where are three places you’d like to travel? Iceland, Tokyo, Africa. Or Australia, maybe? And I’d love to see the Rocky Mountains. Basically, I want to see it all.  What’s your go-to drink order? Tea. English breakfast if I had to choose one. Or water. But on a night out I enjoy a cider or a nice cold amber beer.  Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Jane from Tarzan. Or Belle from Beauty and the Beast.  Is there anything you collect? Lots of things. Dice. Funkos. Board games.  Do you have a favorite animal? Hard to choose just one but I love badgers.

POINSETTIA

Where are three places you’d like to travel? Tbh I always go where I want to travel irl. So I’m going to pick mythical places to go which are for sure: Hogwarts (because it’s a school that’s a castle, how is that NOT 100% fab), Narnia (i’d be able to give them such good fashion tips especially for the snow), and Atlantis (who DOESNT want to see mermaids?!) What’s your go-to drink order? I love to be wined and dined, so duh, wine is a first choice p much always. Also Cosmos. But since it’s winter I also love a good cup of hot cocoa made with MILK (not water), has cinnamon infused, marshmallows properly melted, a NOT stingy amount of whipped cream + sprinkles. Legit the only alway to drink it. Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Princess: it’s a tie between Jasmine and ariel tbh. Prince: prince phillip bc he fights a dragon for his girl which is such lesbian behavior. Character: minnie, duh. she’s the OG queen of disney bitches!!! Is there anything you collect? movie props are such a major must collect, records, personalized celebrity autographs, followers… Do you have a favorite animal? I love ALL animals, even gross bugs. But if it was legal to own a Sugar Glider, then i’d have one of those because they’re a fave

SCROOGE

Where are three places you’d like to travel? This one really good deli in Brooklyn I haven’t been back to in a while. Their sandwiches are awesome.  Washington State because there’s some great camping spots. Hawaii. Going snorkeling would be pretty cool.   What’s your go-to drink order? Hot chocolate, beer, or water.   Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Hercules.   Is there anything you collect? I have a little record collection, but that’s about it!   Do you have a favorite animal? Every single dog in the world.

SNOOPY

Where are three places you’d like to travel? california, for the waves and the legalized activities there, hawaii, for the waves and the babes, and canada I guess, because why not eh? What’s your go-to drink order? i keep it simple— a regular cup of joe is the way to go Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? I don’t know what mulan counts as, but definitely her Is there anything you collect? batfam comics, ducktales comics, some anime funko pops, I might even have a state quarter coin collection but keep that on the DL Do you have a favorite animal? wolves… but also penguins might be a top contender if we’re being honest

STAR

Where are three places you’d like to travel? St. Simons, Georgia, Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, and Telluride, Colorado. There are plenty of places I’d like to go but I’ve heard those are some of the most beautiful small towns in America. I like finding the beauty in home. What’s your go-to drink order? Matcha Tea Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Tiana and Merida and Wall E Is there anything you collect? POPs Do you have a favorite animal? Hippocampus

TURTLE DOVE

Where are three places you’d like to travel? Bali. Simply because it looks gorgeous. Paris because who doesn’t want to go to Paris? And of course London, think of all the plays I’d get to see at the West End! What’s your go-to drink order? Chai Latté is my to go most of the time. But I do enjoy a good cocktail or two every now and then. My favorite is the Cosmopolitan. Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? I’m going to have to go with Tiana. Princess and The Frog is one of my absolute favorite Disney movies. The music is superb and I just love how driven Tiana is. She has a dream and she’s following it, no matter at what cost. Is there anything you collect? Playbills. Do you have a favorite animal? I love quite a few animals. I find Alpacas incredibly hilarious. Have you ever heard them make noises? But I’m really also just a classic cat person.

TWINKLE LIGHTS

Where are three places you’d like to travel?  would love to visit Spain. I think the culture is beautiful and so romantic! What’s your go-to drink order? Latte, any day, all day, heck I’d even settle with espresso. Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Rapunzel. I like her hair and she’s headstrong. Is there anything you collect? Coffee mugs, rocks, erasers. Do you have a favorite animal? Dogs, for sure.

VIXEN

Where are three places you’d like to travel? Europe, I guess? Idk, everyone does Europe after college, right? What’s your go-to drink order? Black coffee or vodka soda. Who’s your favorite Disney Princess/Prince/Character? Tinkerbell. Or Marie from Aristocats. Is there anything you collect? Enemies. Do you have a favorite animal? Horses.

[allisonswrittenwords]

Or, “hey, look what my dad lets me do for his company!”

Previously, On Allison’s Written Words…

The booming home video market meant lots of smaller companies vying for those video store rental (and purchasing) dollars by releasing content through their own companies.  Major studios had major movies, and smaller companies released special interest and B-grade films (or worse).  However, those smaller companies had one thing over the major studios – their own children/family sub-labels.  During the mid-1980s, Children’s Video Library and Hi-Tops Video competed for the interests of kids who liked films and shows featuring their favorite licensed characters.  Both companies also had a hand in releasing “instructional” and “informative” videos.

Heck, they even shared a likable teen actor for those purposes.

Those companies, for a few years, were successful in their missions, but off in the corner, waiting to strike with its own content, was a company known for B-grade and soft core films…and its own children’s label.

The label even came with a child spokesperson of its very own.  If he was likable…well, that’s debatable.

From Soft Core To “Just For Kids!”

Businessman Noel C. Bloom founded several home video distribution companies during the course of the booming 1980s home video market.  Some of them are likely familiar to you – Artisan Home Entertainment (starting as U.S.A. Home Video in 1983, then International Video Entertainment in 1985, then LIVE Entertainment beginning in 1988), Family Home Entertainment (1980-2005), and Celebrity Home Entertainment. Celebrity had soft core adult films in its catalog, which was nothing compared to Bloom’s Caballero

It was this company through which a sub-label was created to distribute children’s films, both of the obscure and well-known kind.  You could say that Family Home Entertainment had the children’s market covered, but this was a market saturated with competition.  And besides, Celebrity was good for distributing obscure content, so there was a need for a children’s company to do the same.

Enter Just For Kids!

“The Name To Remember In Children’s Entertainment!”

Celebrity’s Just for Kids label was established in 1985, and distributed children’s programs and films, many of obscure nature, some international movies (including the Gamera movies, and many European and Japanese cartoons), and some very well-known content at the time, including Bravestarr, GI Joe: The Movie, COPS, and Filmation’s Ghostbusters.  the animated series capitalized on the live action show from the 1970s, which has nothing to do with the 1980s films and cartoons that are more commonly known and embraced.

Related: List of content released through Celebrity’s Just For Kids (it is a lengthy list!)

The “Just For Kids” videos were book-ended with segments featured Noel Bloom Jr., the son of Noel Bloom.  Beginning about 1987 or 1988, Little Noel (and his braces) introduced the video and reminded kids about how to adjust the tracking on their VCR for the best picture quality, and to stick around for the end of the program, so you – yes you – could find out how to receive a free “Just For Kids” videocassette!

Be jealous kids.  His dad owned a company made him the spokesperson for it before he was in his teens.  What were you doing at eleven years old?

But before all of that (including braces), there was…

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This, my friends, is everything 1980s.  The furniture, the television, the clothes, the hair.  I remember watching this video during the earliest days of YouTube (about 2007), and was just…wow.  I was into nostalgia at that time, but it took years to fully appreciate what made certain aspects of it super special.

Everything about this is just top notch cheese, my friends.  Right down to the bang up acting.  I had no clue that the starting of a home video in the family VCR could have a tractor beam-type effect, but the 1980s were a different time.

This was about 1987-1988, and by 1989, the introductions with Noel started.  I’d say these probably went through 1990, 1991 at the absolute latest.  Content was released by Celebrity through the early 2000s, but the Noel Jr. intros seemed to stop by 1991 itself.

Marvel in the collected works of Noel Bloom Jr.!

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All of his girlfriends love Maxie’s World.  Remember that, kids.

I will say though, seeing this clip and him talking about The Noozles brought back memories of watching the show on Nickelodeon in the 1980s and 1990s.  Pinky was super annoying!

Hey Kids, Want A Free Video?

Well, yeah.  Who doesn’t like free stuff?

Noel’s promises of a free Just For Kids video could be yours, if you send in the Proof of Purchase from six of their videos.  From what I’ve gathered over the years, that “free video” is really a sampler of trailers for different Just For Kids releases.  So if you were figuring on getting a copy of GI Joe: The Movie, and bought a bunch of Gamera and Maxie’s World videos just to bask in the glory of a freebie…you would be very disappointed.

Image: Anime Hell

Admit it, you really want something with animated Little Noel on the cover.

But hey, here’s the address.

Because I wouldn’t be doing my best job ever without researching this PO Box, I Googled it.  Nothing comes up.  At all.  I mean, something about the UPS Store in Woodland Hills, California as a way to get a secure private mailbox comes up, but that’s pretty much it.

The videos were usually dubbed in EP, sold at budget prices, and were usually selected episodes of television shows, as well as compilation films of episodes.  Television series never saw completed releases.

Noel really should have taken up a complaint with his dad about that.  Kids don’t like to be left hanging.  Heck, his girlfriends (all of them!) don’t want to be disappointed!

Did “Just For Kids” Actually End?

Well, not really.  The parent company for Just For Kids, Celebrity Home Entertainment, filed for bankruptcy protection in 1991, but it didn’t officially close down until 2001.  To say that the Noel introductions pretty much went away by that time is accurate – Noel would have been 13-14 by that time, so I’m sure he wasn’t talking about Beverly Hills Teens and Maxie’s World and drawing in his “friends” with a opening logo tractor beam by then.

Celebrity Home Entertainment closed down for good in 2001, and Noel Bloom Sr.’s other companies – Artisan Home Entertainment (and its previous incarnations, as well as Family Home Entertainment), are all owned by Lionsgate as of 2003.  His company Caballero Home Video still operates today (and has since 1974, one of the oldest pornographic film studios still operating.  Another label, Monterey Entertainment (established in 1979, the second sub-label of his company) is now under the ownership of BayView Entertainment as of 2019.  This company originally was a home video distributor, but these days, has expanded into independent theatrical distribution, film festivals, and other venues including television, digital delivery and home entertainment markets

As for Noel Bloom Jr. played basketball, and coached a high school team in California, though there isn’t muuch to be found for him.  We’ll wish him well – he probably was a nice kid that was lucky enough to promote kiddie videos. Who wouldn’t want to be able to do that?

But Wait, There’s More!

I’ve tried (in vain) to find the full video of the Sampler Collection (60 minutes of glory!), but alas, it is no longer on YouTube.  However, this little collection of clips is basically that, but without the funny in between segments of 10-year-old Noel in a Lakers uniform.

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As for this video, this is from 1990 and clearly features an older version of Noel, trying to do his best British accent.

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*facepalm*

And Now, You!

Did you ever watch/rent/own a “Just For Kids” video?  Do you remember Little Noel and his braces, introducing the company’s offerings?  Or do you just remember that gloriously cheesy segment that was clearly filmed in a 1980s living room?

So, in the course of my research, I realized I would be remiss if I left our Family Home Entertainment – this was the OG of children’s home video companies.  And since it has an oh-so-special connection to Just for Kids, it will be next week’s heavily-researched article.

Exciting, right?

Until then, have a great day, and, um…bow before your Dark Underlord of Quality Children’s Entertainment!

"Hey, Look What Celebrity's Doing Just For Kids!" - The story of yet another children's home video company, in a sea of budget sub-labels in the 1980s! Or, "hey, look what my dad lets me do for his company!"