Barbie Gets a Tattoo

Barbie has her issues, and parents of girls are no stranger to them. Add this one to the list: the newest Barbie features Tokidoki tattoos on her body.
Certainly tattoos are becoming more mainstream, and many parents I know and love have them. Something tells me that a toy that claims to serve as a role model for girls and whose marquee product now models large, visibly highlighted tattoos will receive a lot of attention. (BTW, Hello Kitty didn't get a tokidoki tattoo.)

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Best Lip Glosses For Tweens In Honor of the New Clique Book Release Today

"The Clique" book characters *heart* lip gloss, and Glossip Girl is sadly not a real product (if you are new to the series, Glossip Girl is Massie's daily delivery of lip gloss in yummy flavors). In honor of the release of the latest in the best selling tween series, "The Clique" ("My Little Phony" comes out today), here's our list of the best lip glosses for tweens:

• The Classic: Lip Smackers (great flavors; $2 in most major drugstores)
• The Funky: Tokidoki lip glosses (in funky colors like blue and green (don't worry, they go on clear); $15 from Sephora)
• The Retro: the Biggy Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker (the size of 4 regular glosses; $4 in major drugstores)
• The Free-Spirit: Hard Candy fortune lip gloss (with a fun Magic8-ball in the cap; $6 from Wal-Mart.com)
• The Sophisticate: Tarte Lip Stain (all natural in shades so pretty, moms may want one too; $24 from Sephora)
• The Hippie: Lip Shimmer by Burt's Bees (all natural; our favorite is Guava; $5 from WholeFoods)

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Love This! LeSportSac Newest Line is Called Snackville

We are loving this ADORABLE line of totes from LeSportSac called Snackville. It's designed by Artist in Residence Katharina Leuzinger and is sort of a cross between tokidoki (an earlier LeSportSac collaboration) and Hello Kitty - how cute is that?!? This collection is only around for a limited time, and once they're gone, they're gone - anyone need a new duffle bag for camp?

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Happy 35th Birthday to Hello Kitty!

She hasn't aged a day since her debut 35 years ago and still looks as cute as ever. Did you know that Hello Kitty lives in London with her parents and twin sister Mimi? The woman who created her is Ikuko Shimizu.

A special exhibition called "Three Apples" of Hello Kitty-inspiried art is at the L.A. theatre space, Royal-T until November 15th. There's even an entire apartment outfitted with Hello Kitty things, and tokidoki artist, Simone Legno, created a special poster just for the event (available for $20). The exhibit is open to the public and free. (BTW, "three apples" is how much Hello Kitty weighs.)



At the opening party on October 22nd, tween celebrity Miranda Cosgrove of Nickelodeon's iCarly was in attendance, as was Tarina Tarantino and Kimora Lee Simmons. The birthday party today included breakfast of Hello Kitty waffles and pancakes, artist workshop, temporary tattoo booth, and, of course, birthday cake.

Happy Birthday Hello Kitty!

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Tween Back to School Picks: First Things First - the Bag/Backpack

Ms Twixt has two recommendations for bags/backpacks for 2009 Back to School for your tween: an investment-in-her-posture backpack and an-inexpensive-but-oh-so-styling messenger bag. Deets below (remember, our reviews are 100% editorial - no pay to play here):
The Zuca
Our own dd's wheel around their classes with the posture-friendly Zuca rolling backpacks - technically, Zucas are not backpacks - they are lockers on wheels. Twixt has carried Zucas for a year now, and despite their steep price tag ($145 - but these will truly last you forever - they are made of the same alloy as airplanes), these sell out every year. Zucas were developed by a mom (who else?) whose daughter was diagnosed with scoliosis after lugging around a regular backpack. Have you weighed your kids' backpack lately?? Our children are carrying around WAY TOO MUCH stuff. Now, part of that is due to the tween pack-rat mentality, but part is truly due to the volume of books/binders/laptops/sports gear required. Our wake-up call was when yours truly had trouble hoisting the backpack from the car one day at drop-off - and we ordered our Zuca that evening. We found Zuca by researching backpacks and then expanding our search to sporting bags. Zucas are often used by ice skaters because their design allows for skates to be stored and transported easily. These "bags" are super lightweight, cannot be hoisted on the back (a plus in our book), have stair-climber wheels, can be used as a seat, and are roomy enough to fit a week's worth of school books, binders and sports gear. The frame has a lifetime warranty, and the bag can be swapped out as whims change (for the much more modest price of $45). Ms Twixt and clan are partial to the write-erase bag pictured here - it's like a walking yearbook for my daughters and their friends. The Zuca is perfect for all tweens and comes in a range of prints and colors. You can pre-order your Zuca at Twixt - orders placed by August 20th will arrive in time for the first day of class.

Tokidoki Messenger Bag from Target
We have been eagerly anticipating the release of Simone Legno's line for Target, and he did not disappoint. Mr. Legno is the cartoon/artist/wunderkid behind Tokidoki (who, incidently, is also doing a line with Hello Kitty in honor of her 35th birthday this year), one of our fave lines. Right now on Target's website you can pre-order this messenger bag. At only $19.99 (most other Tokidoki bags retail for $180-$250), this is a fun, recession-worthy purchase. Perfect for the hard-to-buy-for tween, Tokidoki's designs are modern, edgy and fresh. And you can also by paper goods/notebooks/pencils with Tokidoki motifs in Target stores (these are not available online).