July Update
Hey Jewel Fans!
Welcome to our sizzling summer update! We have another round of great stuff for you this month!
~ Twelve Inch Treasures
First though, we wanted to alert you to a new blog we think you’ll find interesting! Greg Autore, toy industry veteran and the main designer for the Jewel Riders toys, has started a blog! Twelve Inch Treasures is Greg’s personal history of his work in the toy industry as well as his personal collecting story.
We all have our favorite toys. Toys are how we first explored this world. Whether we acknowledge it or not, our favorite toys helped to shape us into the adults we are now. You may have played with toy balls very early and become a professional ball player, a little league coach or a life-long baseball fan. Some people make a decision to “Turn away from child-ish things” which is still an influence from a toy.
Kids and their toys are the focus of my life. My professional work for the last three decades has been designing, developing and marketing children’s products. When not engaged in raising my own kids, much of my free time is spent as a youth leader working with children. Typically, I am teaching them something while they think they are only playing a game.
Nothing defines a child more than their toys or games. Therefore, since toys are SO impactful – let’s talk toys!
The blog has three articles up so far, hopefully with many more to come! As you have no doubt gathered from the interviews we have hosted here with Greg, he is a great storyteller and a wealth of interesting information! http://www.jewelridersarchive.com/posts/greg-autore-and-the-toy-design-of-jewel-riders-part-two/
~ Avalon Updates
Speaking of a wealth of information, our sister site the Avalon Archive @avalonarchive has been a veritable treasure trove of information regarding the upcoming Avalon: Web of Magic @avalonwebofmagic series. Some important things gleaned are that Robert Mandell’s company Voyager World is now working with two animation studios: Animagrad out of Ukraine, and Futurikon out of France. Also, they are apparently working with both EU and Canadian partners, which means that they will be able to approach US broadcasters with finished episodes. This should be a huge advantage. Distributors like Netflix and Amazon Prime have both picked up international productions of things like Winx and Angel’s Friends. Fingers crossed!
~ Lyric Videos & French Music
Ronnie has been hard at work on more videos for you all! He has compiled “Lyric Videos” of the songs from the show, in an homage to the old sing-along tapes of yore. There’s even an adorable little rolling Sun Stone to keep you on track with the lyrics if, for some reason like us, you just can’t help yourself from singing along with “Circle of Friends” or “Feel the Magic.”
Also, we have gotten a hold of the French soundtrack for the show, and wanted to make sure you were able to listen to the beautiful tracks! You can also find these in individual videos on our YouTube channel.
~ Toys “R” Us
On a final note this week, we wanted to wish a fond farewell to a stalwart titan of the toy industry. Toys “R” Us was a truly magical place, not only because in 1995/96 they carried Jewel Riders, but because they were a place you could go as a child and truly feel a sense of wonder. Sure, with hardened adult eyes, it was row upon row of plastic; but as a child? It was a doorway into your favorite worlds. He-Man, She-Ra, Jem & the Holograms, Jewel Riders, Tenko & the Guardians of the Magic, Winx Club, Monster High, Ever After High. Beloved properties all, and Toys “R” Us the mecca that allowed children and collectors the opportunity to take home a little piece of their favorite flight of fancy. Future generations will never be able to have that experience, and we think they are poorer for it.
So farewell Geoffrey, thanks for the memories. We’ll always be Toys “R” Us kids. xoxo
Read the complete blog at The Jewel Riders Archive!