Podcasts about Big Cheese

watch the video below   listen to the podcast below Have you ever wanted to mooove through time and space? Well, you’re in the right place because in this episode of the Dandy Fun House, we’re going to unbox, assemble and play and review the game… COWS IN SPACE! Let’s step into the Fun House! Hello and welcome to the Dandy Fun House. I’m your host, Neil Dandy, and this is the place for your favorite retro pop culture, toys and games and all the fun stuff. And today we’re doing toys and games. Toys and games, yeah, yeah, yeah. What do you call it? a toy with a game, a TWAG! That’s what they say in the industry, baby! But first, I want to show you our Dandy Fun house t-shirts! They are woven from 100% heifer fur, and they’re guaranteed to keep you warm on cold nights, or at least lukewarm nights. So yeah, buy one or be square. We cut four holes in them, one to crawl your body into, two to put your arms through, and one to stick your pokey little neck out of. What do you want from me? I’ll tell you what you want from me! You want some of the new designs at the Dandy Fun Shop, that’s right. Like LED ROBSTER, BODY BY DONUTS, and of course, SODIUM SUBSTITUTE LIFE! Just get over to the Dandy Fun Shop today! Okay, COWS IN SPACE! Let’s take a look at it. Groovy box, baby. I’m liking this. All right, you got a couple of kids. They don’t look too young. They look kind of like preteens with grandpa over here. Grandpa looks kind of like me. What the? What’s going on with that? I’m not sure I like that, but anyway, the front, cartoony, colorful. It’s just popping real nice. Yeah, you see the game there. It shows it, and these guys are wearing headbands with flying saucers on it, and it looks like they’re picking up cows, I assume magnetically. And the sides are all the same. They didn’t really go hog wild on that. Nothing on the bottom. Let’s check out the back. Okay, we’ve got slimer aliens here, and they’re showing the game. “Use your magnetic UFO headband to quickly pick up cows from the spinning base.” Oh, the base spins! “It’s the best game in the universe, and out of it! The out of this world head to head race to capture as many cows as possible.” Now, what is it with aliens and cows and crop circles? I don’t get it. Motorized spinning base, we already know that, ages six plus… Two players… Ten plus minutes. How many rules could there possibly be to this thing? Oh, and What Do You Meme Family? So this game, even though it doesn’t really say the manufacturer… oh, it DOES say the manufacturer! I was looking all over for it, and I just now found it, and now it’s too late for me to research the company. Usually, I like to do something about the company that makes it, and apparently the company is, it says “RELATABLE” at the bottom for the brand. Very understatable, but somehow they’re affiliated with What Do You Meme apparently, but What Do You Meme is more of an adult-oriented game, but I think there’s a family version of it as well, to the best of my knowledge. Well, okay, we’ve had a look at the box. Let’s unbox it! UNBOXING I did PRE-slit the tape on it, just so I wouldn’t have to fumble with it. And… okay, there’s not much to see from the top there. Let’s just go ahead and do a big slide out. Oh, and you can see pretty much everything! You slide it out and there’s nothing left in the box, so we’ll just go ahead and lose the box. And this is what we’ve got. We’ve got the game itself, and you got the parts of the magnetic headband. You got the UFOs here. This looks like it’s going to be real simple. This might be a short review today. A “Cows in Space” instruction booklet. How many instructions could there possibly be? We’ll look at these if we have to. I’m thinking we don’t have to. I think this thing’s pretty self-explanatory. You got a bunch of cows in these little bags here, spotted on the top, pink on the bottom. Looks like you got seven in each bag, three bags, that’s 21 cows. And then we have a barn in a bag which apparently clicks right into the middle of the game field. Now I’ll probably never get the box closed again. Thank you very much. Oh, and the headbands! That means I’m going to have to take off my cool cow hat. It does look like the headbands are adjustable. And I guess I really only need one headband. There’s a little notch here, and you just kind of put your flying saucer link in there and kind of shove it down there. And then you adjust your headband and strap it on. It’s a plastic headband. It’s not stretchy or spongy, but that’s good because if it were stretchy, it’d be made out of fabric. And then you’d have everyone’s sweat building up in the fabric, and you’d have to wash it. Since this is plastic, you can just wipe it off and you’re good. So I guess I’ve got to lose the cow hat on my head so I can play this thing. THIS ladies and gentlemen, is why I make the big bucks. Oh, that–oh, wow. That most certainly is uncomfortable. The notch where you attach your springy-springy for the UFO? That digs into your head! And it’s obviously made to curl in this way, so that side’s supposed to be on your head. I’m going to opt for turning this thing around because I don’t think they thought that through very well. I’m going to go in reverse on this headband otherwise, that protrusion is going to dig into my forehead and leave a square dent. All right, how’s this? This is why I do this show. Okay, I need a couple of batteries for this game. My understanding is that this takes two AA batteries, and of course, they put a screw over the battery compartment. Why? Why make this difficult? You could just have a little finger release on there. But fortunately, I have a Leatherman tool right here on my person. I guess the object is to collect more cows than your opponent. And there are some different rules in the rulebook of different ways to play from the little tiny bit of research I did. And these two batteries should be enough to power it for at least a little bit for me to do this review. Oh, the barn is an on-off switch! Well ok! We’re ready to put some cows in our field and see if we can abduct them with our UFO! I don’t really like the term UFO. It’s a pet peeve, and I’ve talked about it on this show before, but… UFO doesn’t really mean an alien spacecraft. It just means that it’s a flying object that hasn’t been identified. Is it time for me to rethink my life choices? Well, without further ado, I believe these cows are ready for abduction. So let’s play some COWS IN SPACE! GAME PLAY One cow abducted. (…) Two cows abducted. I guess it’s a lot harder when you’ve got another person fighting for cows against you. (…) But yeah, this is super easy. (…) Maybe a little too easy.   But it’s just so absolutely absurd, though. This is like the stuff I live for. (Cows Mooing) All right, I’m going to keep going until I’ve got all these cows. And then I’m going to let you know my final thoughts. And I’ve got all 21 cows. Look at this.(…) All right, let’s do the wrap up here. FINAL THOUGHTS ON COWS IN SPACE Okay, COWS IN SPACE. What do I like about this game? What do I not like about this game? Let’s start with what I like about the game. It’s just ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous! Who could not love this thing? I mean, if this isn’t entertainment, I don’t know what is. I love the fun graphics all over the box. I love the whole cow abduction thing. This is just a whole lot of fun. What do I not like about the game? Well, I don’t like the fact that I have to turn the headband inside out in order to use it. You naturally want to put it on with the natural curvature, but I had to put it on in reverse because the thing that you put your sproingy doingy for the UFOs would otherwise dig into the middle of my head. Also, I would have liked for it to have been a little more prominent as to who makes it. I did look on the box and it’s just so understated. I overlooked it and I would have loved to have found out more about this company. But I’ll tell you what, you want to have a good goofy time? Get yourself some COWS IN SPACE! And watch your step! SUPPORT THE DANDY FUN HOUSE! By the way, if you like what we do here and you want to help me buy more stupid games like this, maybe I’ll do COWNADO next. Maybe I’ll do a whole cow theme! Maybe every game I review this year will be cow themed. Anyway, if you like what we do and you want to help me buy more stupid games like this, I encourage you to visit the Dandy Fun House website where you can visit our patronage page and support future productions! Supporters will get exclusive access to bonus features not available to the general public and… Super Supporters will get all that. PLUS, I’ll mail you something really special from right here at the Dandy Fun House Studios. But you got to send me your mailing address if you do that. Podcast Listeners can support through the donation button in their listening app of choice if the app offers it… and your five star reviews anywhere you can leave them always get my undying gratitude. All right. I’m going to play more COWS IN SPACE and we’re going to hit the outro right here at the Dandy Fun House where everything is always FUN AND DANDY! Neil Dandy is the creator of The Dandy Fun House and the alter-ego of Neil Smith, the Big Cheese at Neil Smith Entertainment, follower of Jesus, musician, Emcee, Paratransit Driver and Author. Aren't you impressed?

Best of Manny Navarro talking Canes Recruiting & NIL 020126

watch the video below: listen to the podcast below: It's time to close out yet another year of the Dandy Fun House. While all those “other shows” are slacking off and giving you retrospectives of everything they've already done in the past year, it is instead our tradition here at the Dandy Fun House to leave the past exactly there… in the past and instead look ahead to the brand spankin' new year coming at us like Frehley's Comet and take a glimpse at the coolest stuff we've been able to find that's waiting for us in 2026! We're going to look at theme parks, movies, pinball and of course the TOTY AWARD NOMINATION picks for the upcoming 2026 Toy of the Year Awards! Are you ready to get your kicks in 26? Then LET'S step into the FUN HOUSE! Hello and welcome to the Dandy Fun House 2025 year-end extravaganza where we wear the hats and blow our hooters about the very best in retro pop culture, toys and games and all the fun stuff! I’m your host Neil Dandy and in this episode we're going to look ahead at WHAT’S HOT ON THE HORIZON FOR 2026 in the worlds of theme parks, movies, pinball and my personal picks for the 2026 TOTY AWARDS (Toy of the Year). BUT FIRST! I have to show you these amazing DANDY FUN HOUSE T-Shirts before time runs out! Perfect for swaddling the baby new year, They have a front and a back so you don’t get cold and we even cut 4 holes in them! One to crawl your body into, one to stick your head out of and two to poke your arms through! Find them in the Dandy Fun Shop at the Dandy Fun House website at dandyfunhouse.com before the Dandy Ball Drops! Alrighty, hold on tighty and let’s get right into what's hot on the horizon for 2026 starting with… THEME PARKS! And up first is going to be UNIVERSAL STUDIOS, HOLLYWOOD (which isn't actually in Hollywood, it's in Studio City kind of like the LA Angels baseball team is actually in Anaheim and how they call the Embassy Suites here in Murfreesboro, Tennessee “Nashville South” which we absolutely are not. But anyway that's a rabbit hole rant for another day.) Anyway, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS in the greater Los Angeles, California area is breaking ground on a new roller coaster where each individual car experiences its very own 360 degrees of rotation. The coaster is called FAST AND FURIOUS HOLLYWOOD DRIFT themed after the Fast and Furious movies obviously. This one is expected to peel out in 2026! And Legoland California is busy building the Lego Galaxy space-themed land including an indoor roller coaster. Over at Kings Island in Ohio they're opening what they are calling a new “dark ride” in 2026 called “PHANTOM THEATER: Opening Nightmare.” It's in the location that has most recently held an attraction called Boo Blasters but is apparently the site of a previous attraction also called PHANTOM THEATER and this is apparently the return of that attraction with some various upgrades. I went to the Kings Island website to get more information and there's just a teaser video showing two girls walking into Boo Blasters and ending up in the Phantom Theater which appears to be a very loose sendup on the Phantom of the Opera. The cartoon phantom character they show in the teaser graphic is obviously based on the classic Lon Chaney silent film character, and visitors ride inside cars that resemble opera boxes. So… yeah. Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (my neck of the woods kinda sorta) will be undertaking a $50 million expansion and also opening the world's first ever hybrid indoor family coaster and whitewater river raft ride called the “Night Flight Expedition.” Then under at Sea World, Orlando Florida they're diving into a new dark ride called SEAQuest: Legends of the Deep. If you don't know what a dark ride is, it basically means it's indoors and you get moved from scene to scene. It doesn't necessarily mean it's actually dark. Anyway, this new dark ride at Sea World Orlando will be what they are calling a suspended dark ride. The only information about this ride currently is that the rider will “discover dazzling ecosystems, legendary sea life, and breathtaking stories of resilience and wonder.” NEW MOBILITY DEVICE POLICY AT SEA WORLD! And speaking of Sea World, they have a controversial new policy which has been making the news lately that has just rolled out regarding mobility devices for the disabled. It appears that rollator walkers with seats are no longer permitted. The official updated policy from the Sea World website is as follows: “For the safety of our guests and employees, rollator walkers with seats on them are not permitted at SeaWorld Orlando. Alternative personal transportation options, including standard wheelchairs and Electric Convenience Vehicles (ECVs), are available. Walkers without a seat are permitted.” I'm guessing that more than a few guests were using their rollators like wheelchairs and it was causing some sort of safety concern in the parks. As someone who transports disabled people as my profession and handles mobility devices all day long, I can tell you from personal experience that a wheelchair itself is something you need to exercise caution with while pushing someone around. A rollator walker would be very, very easy to tip over if someone were attempting to use it as a wheelchair. So while I am disappointed at the inconvenience some disabled guests are going to face with this new policy, I want to be very careful not to demonize Sea World too quickly on this new policy. Guests can still borrow suitable mobility devices from guest services. Ok, time to work our flippers over to the world of PINBALL! Here are the rumored pinball releases expected in 2026 that caught my eye during the research for this episode. Please keep in mind these are only rumors… AMERICAN PINBALL is rumored to be releasing a CUPHEAD pinball machine in 2026 based on the wildly popular video game featuring some amazing vintage animation styles. I'll admit I'm not familiar with the character or the video game but I do love this vintage cartoon style! SPOOKY PINBALL is said to be working on a MOTORHEAD pinball machine for 2026. NO offense to guitarist Wurzel or drummer Mickey Dee (now playing with the Scorpions) who were crucial to keeping the band going in its later years, but I'm really hoping it honors the original lineup of Lemmy, Philthy Phil and Fast Eddie! BARRELS OF FUN PINBALL appears to be cooking up some GOONIES pinball for the new year! RAMPS PINBALL will be coming out with LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS! Oh please let the carnivorous plant eat the ball! And last but not least in our pinball 2026 rumours we have PINBALL ADVENTURES bringing us SUSHI MADNESS! Ni Ohashi Kudasai ! And if you're REALLY a pinball nut as we know you are, you'll want to put March 20th through the 22nd on your calendar because that's when Frisco, Texas braces itself for the annual TEXAS PINBALL FESTIVAL! Over 440 games. One incredible weekend! The website says tickets go on sale October 4th 2026. I have to imagine that's a typo and they really mean 2025 otherwise only those with the ability for reverse time travel will be able to attend. There will be tournaments and challenges, special guests and panels, exhibitors, parts, memorabilia, new games and there will be a special tech day for those trying to upgrade and/or fix their own machines. That's the TEXAS PINBALL FESTIVAL 2026! Rope you a ticket today! Yeehaw! Alright, I think we're ready to “steer” away from pinball and “drive” this herd into… MOVIES! First I'll start with letting you know a few of my favorite movies of 2025 before we get into what's ahead for 2026: JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH: Ok, it was pretty much par for the course but it had Scarlett Johansson carrying the entire movie on her shoulders alone and she pulled it off amazingly! MICKEY 17: This is a movie about a guy who signs on to do very dangerous grunt work in space for a corporation and every time he gets killed, the company just prints out a new copy of him with all his same memories. The crux is that the new copy never knows if he's actually the person being reborn every time or if he really dies and the new copy just has his memories and merely thinks he's the same person. Weird stuff. THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS – After many fantastic fails at trying to make this work on the big screen, they finally got the Fantastic Four right! The retro future vibe was spot on and all the actors were perfect! SUPERMAN: I was really upset about losing Henry Cavill as Superman, but James Gunn came back with a fresh new fun feel on this one starring David Corenswet, even bringing in Supe's dog Krypto! This movie was just a great time! More please! THE SMASHING MACHINE: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in a dramatic role co-starring Emily Blunt. It's the story of Mixed Martial arts and UFC Champion Mark Kerr and how he conquered his biggest opponent: addiction. And finally in my roundup of my favorite movies of 2025 I bring you… BUGONIA! This movie was a crazy trip with some really wild twists and many moments of pure cringe and I loved it! Starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons who seems to be showing up in everything lately! It's a story about two conspiracy nuts who kidnap a corporate CEO thinking she's a space alien trying to destroy the Earth. This was easily my biggest delightful surprise of 2025. But before we get to 2026, I'd like to give a special nod to TRON: ARES because I always expect anything starring Jared Leto to suck eggs and this did not! And SPINAL TAP II: The End Continues… Rest in peace Marty DiBergi. MOVIES I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2026! THE ODYSSEY Expected Jul 17, 2026: After the Trojan War, Odysseus faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca, meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens, and Circe along the way. starring Matt Damon, Mia Goth, and Anne Hathaway. This could be really good or it could be really stupid. I'm betting this is going to be good and double or nothing that Mia Goth will be a siren or maybe Medusa. I think she'd make a good Medusa! EVIL DEAD BURN Expected Jul 24, 2026 – I'm a sucker for the Evil Dead movies. This one is not likely to have any Bruce Campbell, but they're keeping the details under tight wraps for now so who knows? COYOTE VS. ACME Expected Aug 28, 2026 PG A story set in the ACME warehouse, the manufacturer of anything and everything used by the Looney Tunes characters. And apparently John Cena is voicing one of the characters! Oh please oh please oh please get this right! If 2025's “The Day The Earth Blew Up” starring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig is any indication, I think we can have high hopes here! Ooh, that’s another one of my favorites from 2025 I left off the list! INSPECTOR GADGET – No details are available but I think we're long overdue for some Go Go Gadget action! DUNE Part Three Expected Dec 18, 2026 It follows Muad’dib, heir to unimaginable power, as he brings to fruition the ancient scheme to create a superbeing ruler among men, not in the heavens. And according to imdb it’s starring Starring Rebecca Ferguson, Timothée Chalamet and Anya Taylor-Joy. Did you pick up what I just picked up? Zendaya is not listed as a cast member on IMDB! How can this IMD Be!? You tell me! PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (untitled) – That's all we know folks. Hopefully they got things squared away with Johnny Depp. That is if they want to sell tickets. I AM LEGEND 2 – Military scientist Robert Neville seems the sole survivor in virus-ravaged New York. He’s waging a fight against “Darkseekers”, mutants resembling vampires trying to capture him as he searches for a cure. Starring Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan Alright! I could go for a sequel to I AM LEGEND! Especially when you add Michael B into the mix! I'd really like a sequel to iRobot but this'll do me for now! BLADE – That's right they are teasing a new Blade movie for 2026 with Mia Goth listed in the cast but of course the burning question is DO THEY HAVE WESLEY SNIPES??? They gave him a cameo as Blade in the Deadpool vs. Wolverine movie last year. But Snipes is NOT listed in the cast on IMDB as of yet! There is also an Untitled Denzel Washington Project Based on the historical figure of Hannibal, considered one of the greatest military commanders of all time. The film covers the crucial battles he led against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. You had me at Denzel, not to mention I love historical action movies. Bring it on! THE BRIDE Expected Mar 6, 2026 In 1930s Chicago, Dr. Frankenstein asks Dr. Euphronius to help create a companion. They give life to a murdered woman as the Bride, sparking romance, police interest, and radical social change. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Christian Bale THIS IS THE ONE I'M WAITING FOR! Love Christian Bale and love the concept of setting the story of The Bride of Frankenstein in 1930's Chicago! Let's go! SCANDALOUS! This will be the story behind the Hollywood romance of Sammy Davis Jr. and actress Kim Novak. I love anything related to Sammy Davis Jr. “It's gonna be fantastic baby!” CLAYFACE – Expected Sep 11, 2026 A shape-shifting creature made of magical clay haunts Gotham City, alternating between villain and ally of Batman. Ok, it's a Batman villain and not a super obvious one! Looks interesting! EVEL KNIEVEL ON TOUR – This one is going to be about Legendary motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel and apparently the drama that surrounded the run-up to his 1974 attempt at jumping the Snake River Canyon in Idaho.Starring Leonardo DiCaprio Ok, first of all, Evel was planning to jump the Grand Canyon but couldn't get the ok from the US Government so he made a deal with an Indian tribe to jump the Snake River Canyon seeing how it was located on sovereign tribal land. Anyway, a new movie about Evel Knievel? Heck yeah! THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING – Expected Nov 20, 2026 This new installment of the Hunger Games will explore Panem 24 years before Katniss’ saga, starting on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, where a young Haymitch Abernathy participates. Ok, this could be alright. I'm not super excited about it but I could be swayed since it won't have Jennifer Lawrence in it. And that's it for THE MOVIES I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2026! Now for TOYS! What I like to do this time of year is see what toys from 2025 have been nominated in various categories for a coveted TOY OF THE YEAR award otherwise known as a TOTY and let you know my personal picks, not that anyone in the industry is giving me a vote. Maybe someday. BUT TODAY I bring you MY PERSONAL 2026 TOTY AWARD NOMINEE PICKS! ACTION FIGURE OF THE YEAR: I like Avatar Interactive Shoulder Banshee by Disney Consumer Products – This thing looks pretty cool. It's basically a small, colorful looking dragon that sits on your shoulder and attaches via a magnetic base you wear under your clothing. A handheld controller allows you to control head and wing movements as well as its voice. This thing is pretty darn awesome! In the COLLECTIBLES category: There are two different nominees that caught my eye. One is Sticki Rolls Series 2 by Sky Castle Toys which is basically charm bracelets marketed to girls with rolls of small stickers on them with different fun graphics. The other nominee I like is Wigglitz by ZB Designs. These are tiny toy figurines of almost every type of fun character you can imagine that have some sort of wiggly aspect to them, or better put: something that moves when you wiggle them. If I had to choose between these two, I'd probably go with Wigglitz because it's something you'll get continual enjoyment from whereas the Sticki Rolls are only fun until you run out of stickers. CONSTRUCTION PLAYSET OF THE YEAR: I have to give it to GeckoBot 2.0 by Thames & Kosmos, This is a kit where you build your very own robotic gecko that actually climbs up your windows. Thames & Kosmos just keeps knocking it out of the park! CREATIVE TOY OF THE YEAR: Crayola Marker Airbrush has got my vote (that is if I HAD A VOTE which I don't!). If you've ever dreamed of someday making awful-looking t-shirts and hats on the boardwalk, then THIS could be your starter kit! It's an actual working airbrush sprayer courtesy of everyone's favorite crayon company, Crayola! It even comes with various spray color cartridges so you start saying it by spraying it! DOLL OF THE YEAR: Admittedly, I as a 57 year old man should absolutely NOT be voicing my opinion on the Doll of the Year Award (DOTY award?) but if I had to choose from the list of 2026 nominees I would hands-down pick Woof & Co by Sunny Days Entertainment. It's a collection of fashionable dogs of various breeds who all dress FABULOUS! Yeah, this is the one I'd go for. EDUCATIONAL TOY OF THE YEAR: In this category I am really liking the SNAP CIRCUITS SPY KIT by Elenco Electronics. This has a bunch of components that you just snap together to make all sorts of cool stuff like a vibration sensor, motion detector, trip wire, voice changer and a whole lot more. Oh the trouble I would have gotten myself into if I had something like this when I was a kid! GAME OF THE YEAR: I've gotta tell you, there's not a bad one in the bunch of nominees this year for Game of the Year! They've got an EXPLODING KITTENS BOARD GAME where you actually flip the entire board and all the pieces stay in place! There's a Simon game (you know, the memory game Simon?) where they took it and incorporated it into a dance mat called SIMON JUMP. So you stomp out your moves on the dance mat! Then there's COWS IN SPACE where magnetic flying saucers dangle from your forehead via a sproingy headstrap and the object is to abduct cows from a field with your flying saucer! But the game that caught my attention the most was TETRIS TUMBLE XL! It's sort of like Giant Jenga except there is a base that rocks side to side and you roll a die to see what tetris pieces you have to stack on top of it and of course whoever makes the stack fall to the ground is the LOSER! I like this. It's like a great big fun yard game you could also play in your living room. TETRIS TUMBLE XL for Game of the Year is my choice! INFANT / TODDLER TOY OF THE YEAR: Ok, maybe another category I might not be the best judge for but I'm who you've got pal! And in this category I choose Pour ‘N’ Grow Pop-Up Garden by Yookidoo. This appears to be mainly a bath time toy kit but you could play with it really anywhere as long as you have some water onhand. It's pretty simple: you've got three different toys, The fill and water flower, Peek A Bee and Pop Up Worm. You pour water into them or onto them and the water turns some internal mechanisms to make the flower open, the worm come out and wiggle or gets the bee to play peek a bee with you! Very unique and inventive and in my opinion, the absolute best of this year's bunch! KIDULT TOY OF THE YEAR: Kidult? That means it's made for ages 14 and up. And I'm really torn down the middle between two nominees on this one. I like the Miniverse Make it Mini Food Diner Series 4 by MGA Entertainment which is an art kit for making your own food minis that you control the designs and colors of. Have you ever walked past a restaurant that had fake food on display showing examples of their most popular dishes? Well that's what you'll be making with this kit only really, really small. The name is way too long though. Or if you just want something cool to play with that doesn't really take any time and effort, I offer you the ZipString Aracna, which is a newer version of the ZipString string loop toy, but it attaches to your wrist so you can shoot it out like Spiderman! (although they obviously aren't allowed to actually invoke Spiderman but they sure are bending over backwards suggesting it as extremely as they legally can!) The really cool feature of this Kidult toy of the year nominee is the glow feature! Flip a switch on the ZipString wrist launcher, turn off the lights and do all sorts of awesome tricks and shapes in the dark with a glowing string loop. So… Miniverse Make it Mini Food Diner Series 4 or the the ZipString Aracna! The Miniverse Make it Mini Food Diner Series 4 triggers me relentlessly with that obnoxiously long name, so on that basis alone I am giving the nod to the ZipString Aracna! OUTDOOR TOY OF THE YEAR: I think there should really be two sub categories here. One for younger kids and one for older. For the older kids, I was really blown away by the Crazy Cart Shuffle by Razor USA. This thing is like a Big Wheel or a Green Machine on steroids. Not only can you pedal around in this thing but you can spin and also drift. It's really neat. And speaking of neat, for the little ones I absolutely love the Outdoor Kitchen by Hape. It's not a real kitchen of course but it's a really cool miniature toy version of an outdoor kitchen setup! Come on TOTY Awards, let's break this one up by age groups! PRESCHOOL TOY OF THE YEAR: Ok, there were some good ones in here and maybe I'm judging on my own male bias from a bygone era but my favorite here was the Little Tikes Creative Construction Power Cuts Set by MGA Entertainment. It's a woodworking shop playset with an actual working , low-powered plastic chop saw which cuts through foam 2x4s and also comes with a play hammer, nails, measuring tape and carpenter pencil which is actually a marker. In the video demonstration I watched, the chop saw did struggle getting through the foam wood, but when you're talking about preschoolers, that's probably about the best you can hope for. We desperately need more encouragement and inspiring of our youth towards the skilled trades in my humble opinion and this is a refreshing step in that direction. Nicely done! SPECIALTY TOY OF THE YEAR: I was truly taken by the Yes & Know Original Invisible Ink Trivia Game Books by Tree Town Toys. These are basically activity books where different things are revealed with the use of a special invisible ink pen. This looks fantastic for keeping the younguns busy on a road trip or maybe in a waiting room or anywhere you want to keep them distracted. That is until you run out of invisible ink and invisible ink activity books! And those are my picks for the 2026 TOTY AWARDS and THAT'S our look ahead at what's hot on the horizon for 2026! What are YOU looking forward to? Let me know! If you’re enjoying this episode on one of the socials, leave a comment. Otherwise you can email me at neil @ dandyfunhouse . com And even though I said I wasn't going to do a retrospective of this past year, I will tell you my favorite Dandy Fun House episode from this past year of 2025: Oh, who am I kidding? It's always the Halloween episode where the Dandy Fun House becomes the Dandy Spook Shack and I get to dress up like a ghoul. But my second favorite might have to be the deep dive into the iconic toy company WHAM-O! I learned so much doing that one! You might think I just come on here and already know all this stuff I talk about but on the contrary, I do a great deal of research in the weeks leading up to producing an episode and I'm constantly learning amazing new things which is why I really love doing this! DANDY FUN HOUSE Plans for 2026? More of the same of course! We're getting really close to monetization on YouTube. Technically we're already supposed to be there but YouTube gives conflicting information on this and is notorious for constantly moving the goalposts. So while we love publishing to YouTube, we certainly don't put all our Dandy Eggs in that basket. We also publish to Instagram, Facebook, X, Tik Tok and Rumble as well as our very own DANDY FUN HOUSE WEBSITE AT dandyfunhouse.com where you can watch the video, listen and subscribe to the podcast or read the entire episode in written form along with pictures! Who does that!? WE DO! THAT'S WHO! And we do it by hand. No AI stuff. Okay, full disclosure, we DO use AI to help transcribe the episodes into written form and also the captions for the short form videos, but it always gets things wrong so we always go over it personally and make the needed corrections. But while you're on our website checking out all the episodes and buying stuff from the Dandy Fun Shop, be sure to visit our PATRONAGE PAGE where you can support future productions with your modest financial gifts! SUPPORTERS gain access exclusive bonus content AND SUPER SUPPORTERS gain that same access plus I’ll personally send you something amazing from right here at the Dandy Fun House Studios if you include your mailing address! Podcast Listeners may often support through a donation link in your listening app of choice of the app offers it, I understand not all do. And your 5 star reviews wherever you can leave them are always highly appreciated! And THAT ladies and gentlemen sticks a fork in 2025. Please don't forget the reason for the season, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and come on back next year for some amazing new frivolities in 2026! You never know what kind of crazy trouble we could get into, right here at the Dandy Fun House where everything is always FUN AND DANDY! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody! Neil Dandy is the creator of The Dandy Fun House and the alter-ego of Neil Smith, the Big Cheese at Neil Smith Entertainment, follower of Jesus, musician, Emcee, Paratransit Driver and Author. Aren't you impressed?

The CEO of The Walt Disney Company and Kelly's boss, Sir Bob Iger, sits down with Kelly to dive into everything, including Bob's leaving and returning to the company, his "consigliere" wife, Willow Bay, his newest royal bling and whether or not he will run for President of the United States one day. Bob tells Kelly about what he views as his biggest achievements and failures, Kelly's new Disney Legend status and  "pinch me" moments and of course linear TV. PLUS Bob sticks around for a very revealing rapid fire round! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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The new documentary "The Big Cheese" follows cheesemonger Adam Jay Moskowitz's hunt for an American protégé to bring home the top cheese prize at the Mondial du Fromage competition. Thusfar, no American cheesemongers have earned the honor. Director Sara Joe Wolansky discusses the film, which is screening as part of the DOC NYC film festival. On Wednesday, November 19, the 9:15 screening will be followed by a Q&A with Wolansky and film subject Adam Moskowitz.

Manny Navarro talks Miami Hurricanes NIL & Recruiting

Start your week with a hot cafecito and all the vibes on this Monday edition of Cafecito y Croquetas, presented by Stay Tranquilo and H&Co.Pooch rides solo today, breaking down a massive weekend for South Florida sports:• Miami Dolphins upset the Bills in a huge division win• Inter Miami handled business• Miami Heat secured a W• Miami Hurricanes kept the streak alivePlus, we talk about the cold front finally hitting Miami. Yup… sweater weather in the 305 is officially here. Highs in the 60s, lows dipping into the 40s. Time to bring out the jackets and pretend we live up north.In local news:• The iconic Freedom Tower reopens after long-awaited renovations, welcoming students for a deep dive into Cuban history and the victims of communism memorial.• Miami's latest viral topic: a strange “comet” named 3 Atlas that some believe looks a little too… engineered? Changing shape, glowing tail, possible break-apart patterns. Conspiracy? Alien tech? Just space dust? Drop your take in the comments.• A farewell to Walls Ice Cream, a Miami classic across from Big Cheese that officially closed after 20 legendary years.Grab your cafecito, stay warm, and stay watching the skies… because it might get weird this week.New interview episode drops Wednesday.Stay tuned and Stay Tranquilo. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Jesus modeled for us what it looks like to be a servant leader by washing the feet of His disciples, not just teaching about it. Rather than seeking after a high standing reputation or position up the ladder, we must seek to serve others regardless of our position and let God appoint us wherever He wants to place us to be used by Him.

Jesus modeled for us what it looks like to be a servant leader by washing the feet of His disciples, not just teaching about it. Rather than seeking after a high standing reputation or position up the ladder, we must seek to serve others regardless of our position and let God appoint us wherever He wants to place us to be used by Him. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/640/29

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Send us a textOn this episode of The Bo & Luke Show, we sit down with Mike Fromm, Chief Human Resources Officer at Shaw Industries, to talk about building a career, a culture, and a legacy that matter.With over 30 years at Shaw, Mike has seen it all—growth, challenges, transformations—and through it all, one theme has remained constant: business is all about people.

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In the intro, Will Compton and Taylor Lewan talk about the fast-approaching NFL season, top league headlines, and entering full-blown dad mode. They also wrap up their summer internship program, bringing fan-favorite Big Cheese on for one last ride before school starts. The episode kicks off with a must-hear Mike Vrabel interview. The new Patriots head coach opens up about his firing from the Tennessee Titans, his brief stop in Cleveland, and what it’s like rebuilding the Patriots' culture. He even shares stories about Jameis Winston’s locker room energy and his goals for New England in 2025. Next, the guys sit down with rookie QB Drake Maye, the Patriots’ 2024 first-round pick, to talk about his NFL Draft experience, becoming the starter midseason, and how Coach Vrabel keeps him on his toes. Then, linebacker Robert Spillane joins the show to share his unbelievable journey from NFL open tryout to landing a $33 million contract. Spillane reflects on his grind, early years with the Titans, and passion for football. To wrap the Patriots stop, Mack Hollins (aka the Barefoot King) hops on to talk about why he never wears shoes, how a random meeting with Australians shifted his mindset, and how close he came to retiring from the game. This episode is packed with exclusive NFL interviews, underdog stories, and real-life inspiration — from Vrabel’s coaching philosophy to Drake Maye’s rookie development and Mack Hollins’ unique lifestyle. Don’t miss it. TIMESTAMP CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro2:52 It's Coming, Football Is Almost Here16:04 Bussin Live Show18:20 Spooktober Is Right Around The Corner26:41 Terry McLaurin & Micah Parson's Want OUT39:43 Training Camp Tour Is On49:36 First Internship Program Is Over1:03:41 MIKE VRABEL INTERVIEW STARTS1:03:43 Coach Is Late1:04:26 Getting Fired From The Titans 1:06:09 Coaching Jameis Winston 1:08:44 When Did New England Become A Possibility?1:12:41 A New Coach Vrabel? 1:16:49 Implementing His Culture Again1:18:22 Excited To Meet Cardi B?1:19:07 Which Vrabel Are The Patriots Getting?1:23:17 Patriots Problems Last Year1:28:18 The Boy's Don't Like His Drills1:32:22 The AJ Brown Trade1:33:20 Vrabel Got Bodied By His Rookie1:36:01 Bud Light: What Would You Do Anything For? 1:38:20 DRAKE MAYE INTERVIEW STARTS1:38:44 Team Keys When Talking To Media1:39:16 Josh Allen Comparisons1:39:54 Draft Day And Time With Vrabel1:44:29 What Does Vrabel Get On Him For?1:51:25 Taking Over As Starter1:53:33 His Weekly Routine1:56:51 Welcome To The NFL Moment1:57:59 ROBERT SPILLANE INTERVIEW STARTS1:58:14 His Journey In The NFL2:03:10 Stonewalling Derrick Henry2:05:03 Starting For The Steelers2:06:24 Signing With The Raiders2:08:17 Coming To The Patriots2:11:46 TJ Watt vs Maxx Crosby2:14:07 MACK HOLLINS INTERVIEW STARTS2:14:08 His Outfit Isn't For Show2:15:13 The Culture In New England2:16:34 His Time In Buffalo2:17:03 The Barefoot King 2:20:41 Likes/Dislikes About VrabelSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The big cheese has been anounced at the Vegan Food awards where there's not a morsel of dairy in sight. A panel of judges, including a cheese expert with 24 year of experience tasted the categories of vegan cheeses before picking the winner. Franco Sessa, a cheese expert and judge spoke to Lisa Owen.

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The Big Cheese

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Manny Navarro talks Miami Hurricanes Football

Voice Of GO(r)D is pleased to welcome back to the show Mr Chace Barber, one of the founders and very public face of Edison Motors, the British Columbia based manufacturer of diesel electric hybrid trucks.In this discussion, Chace updates us on Edison's move to Golden BC and fills us in on why they won't be making trucks for the American market anytime soon (Hint - the EPA and US DOT are mewling cabbages) which leads into some extended editorializing from Mr Barber you typically wouldn't hear in Edison marketing videos. I'm happy to be an outlet! Chace also answers a few of my questions on regulation vis a vis truck design for a chapter to be included in the book.Since recording this episode, Edison was given an interesting warning from Tesla regards a humorous piece of marketing that Edison has been using since they started. Given everything else we know about the Big Cheese at Tesla, and his KayFabe public Brolationship breakdown with the President this past week, it should come as no surprise that Tesla really do have something lodged firmly up their rear ends.https://www.tiktok.com/@_edison.motors/video/7512111442842176824You can find Chace and Edison all over the internet -https://www.tiktok.com/@_edison.motorshttps://x.com/EdisonMotorsLtdhttps://www.youtube.com/@EdisonMotorshttps://edisonmotors.ca/In the intro I mention an article that I was asked to provide comment for by a new (to me) Canadian online Business Magazine called The Logic. They're a subscription based magazine but if you sign up via their website you get three free articles a month so head on over and check this out -https://thelogic.co/news/forestry-logging-autonomous-trucks/For more links, photos, and other intel regards Edison, head on over to the substack link for this episode - https://autonomoustruckers.substack.com/p/updates-and-raw-opinion-chace-barberQuestions, comments, suggestions, corrections and Hate Mail are always welcomed and strongly encouraged - gordilocks@protonmail.com

Voice Of GO(r)D is proud to present a brief chat with Lewie Pugh, the Executive VP of one of America's oldest and definitely largest driver advocacy organization in the country. I met up with Lewie at MATS 2025 and invited him on the show, and between all of the work and travel he has been up to, he very graciously squeezed me in. We discuss how he got into trucking, how and why he joined OOIDA, and what OOIDA is, is not, and various issues they are working on.This was recorded a couple of months ago (I know, I'm so behind on getting these out) and since recording, President Trump signed the Executive Order re-enforcing English Proficiency requirements for CDL drivers in America, which you can read about at this piece I wrote for The American Conservative and you can likewise see Lewie, along with Todd Spencer, OOIDA's Big Cheese, at an announcement about new enforcement directions with Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, down in Austin, Texas recently.Also, OOIDA recently released a white paper further debunking the driver shortage narrative, and what do you know, they even quoted my line in it - a system of “stealth corporate welfare disguised as a jobs training program”https://www.ooida.com/white-paper-request/?result=The%20Churn%20-%20A%20Brief%20Look%20at%20the%20Roots%20of%20High%20Driver%20Turnover%20in%20U.S.%20Trucking&file=22981You can find Lewie on Twitter - https://x.com/Lewie_PughHis Bio page at OOIDA - https://www.ooida.com/board/todd-spencer/lewie-pugh-2/Sign up for a membership at OOIDA - https://www.ooida.com/membership/As you know, I'm writing a book on the fate of the North American trucker in 2025, which you can read more about here -https://autonomoustruckers.substack.com/p/book-project-announcement-and-a-majorThanks for listening, and as always, questions, comments, suggestions, corrections and Hate Mail are welcomed and strongly encouraged - gordilocks@protonmail.com

Manny Navarro talks Miami Hurricanes Football

Manny Navarro talks Canes Football

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Early betting odds have Caitlin Clark as the favorite for the 2025 WNBA MVP. Skip Bayless fires back at Tom Brady after his comments on Logan Paul's podcast. Reviewing the report that Bill Belichick's girlfriend, Jordon Hudson was banned from the University of North Carolina football facilities. UNLV Athletics and Las Vegas Aviators Play-by-Play Broadcaster, Matt Neverett joins Cofield & Company to preview Game 4 of the Las Vegas Aviators' regular season series against the Reno Silver Sox, review UNLV baseball's upcoming game against the Washington State Cougars, and give his thoughts on the Pittsburgh Pirates firing their manager, Derek Shelton.

This week, Nicola Shulman salutes the memoirs of an old-school editor and socialite; and Rebecca Fraser on an unexpectedly peaceful transition of power in 17th-century America.'When the going was good: an editor's adventures during the last golden age of magazines', by Graydon Carter'Taking Manhattan: the extraordinary events that created New York and shaped America', by Russell ShortoProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Manny Navarro talks Miami Hurricanes Athletics

Manny Navarro talks Canes and College Athletics

Manny Navarro discusses latest Miami Hurricanes NIL & Recruiting

Manny Navarro talks Miami Hurricanes NIL & Recruiting

Big O & Manny Navarro talks Miami Hurricanes Athletics