(Not-So) Terrifying Tunes

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Am I talking about Christmas already? Heck, no. I’m talking about Halloween! It’s that time of year when the leaves on the trees are changing, the cozy sweaters and flannels are out and ready to be worn (if the temperature ever drops!), and children are dressing as their favorite characters to get some yummy candy. At a recent Halloween event for work, I saw lots of Blueys, Wednesdays, and ROBLOX/Minecraft, but do you know what I didn’t see? Vampires! Not one!! And that’s too bad because I love vampires. From the scary ones, I’m looking at you 30 Days of Night, to the funny ones, hello Hotel Transylvania, vampires are a classic movie monster. To celebrate them, I’m kicking off this post with two new tunes featuring these fanged friends.

 

To start things off, let’s get a little jazz-swing beat (oooh, that clarinet!!) going and enjoy Simon Stanley‘s new song about a creature of the night who really wants nothing more than to dance under the stars in “Vampire Boogie.” The lyric video adds a not-so-scary bouncing vampire head to help listeners follow along with the lyrics. Everyone’s going to want to do the “boogie woogie woogie woogie woo.”

 

 

Next up is the pop tune “Transylvania Town” from Todd ‘n’ Tina. Shot in an escape room, the video features Todd as a friendly-ish vampire who’s just looking for a drink of B-positive when Tina happens to come along. The cute video combined with the boppy melody and clever lyrics make this a fun one for children of all ages. 

 

But wait, we’re not done yet! There’s still more Halloween fun to be had. The vampires aren’t the only ones showing off their moves this year. Keeping the groovy, jazzy feeling of the bare trees swaying in a dark forest, Chanelle & Friends invite listeners to the “Monster Dance.” The lyric video features friendly characters with just a drop of creepiness, to make this fun for even the older kids to enjoy. 

 

Finally, what does every Halloween need? A party! And who better to host that party than Mr. Pete’s Playhouse? Combining animation and live action, “Halloween Party” is an incredibly upbeat song that is the perfect early afternoon, kids are full of candy-filled energy tune to get them moving around and burning off some of that sugary goodness. 

Still looking for more music to add to your Halloween playlist? Think outside the coffin this year. Rather than using some of the classic Halloween tunes, try using music by one of your favorite children’s musicians. Check out this massive “Preschool Halloween Playlist” curated by Itty Bitty Beats and featuring over 100 songs by dozens of today’s amazing children’s performers. Enjoy and Happy Halloween!

Video Spotlights: A Couple of Real Turkeys

Ahh, it’s November. That glorious time of year when the temperature drops, the leaves fall off the trees and we prepare for one of the most celebrated meals of the year – Thanksgiving dinner. While tables will be filled with sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, carrots, green beans, and mashed potatoes, the star of many of these meals is the turkey. But what if the turkeys don’t want to come to dinner? What if the turkey is too busy working as a private investigator? These questions and more are answered in delightful new videos from Stacey Peasley and Todd ‘n’ Tina.

First up, in Stacey’s “The Turkeys Run,” children will get rid of their wiggles as they act out the adventures of the turkeys who don’t want to end up on your plate for Thanksgiving Day. The adorable animation perfectly captures the spirit of these wily turkeys as they race to escape capture. Then, in Todd ‘n’ Tina’s new video, “Undercover Turkey,” Penny the turkey certainly won’t have time to come to Thanksgiving dinner because she is busy working undercover and trying to catch the town’s bagel thief. The simple puppetry and amazing turkey hat will have viewers chuckling as they enjoy this exciting tale. 

Watch these videos while making whatever delectable morsels you’ve chosen for the big meal and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! 

Kaboom! performed by Todd ‘n’ Tina

 

Welcome to the second album of non-stop fun from Minnesota duo Todd Millenacker and Krissy Mondelli, or as they are more commonly known, Todd ‘n’ Tina. With Kaboom!, Todd ‘n’ Tina continue to demonstrate their skill in telling full stories in small packages. Although each of the ten tracks in this collection only lasts 1:30 to 2:00 minutes, each still manages to tell a complete tale. Whether it’s the pop-delight “Tennis Racket Guitar,” the sea shanty “Pirates & Parrots,” or the punk-fueled “Box Life,” each tune tells its own special story in its own unique way. Todd ‘n’ Tina do a fantastic job of pairing just the right musical genre to the subject matter before layering in clever lyrics that children will listen to again and again in order to catch all of the zany word play. Not only do Todd ‘n’ Tina create lively, engaging songs, they also create entertaining videos to go along with them. Kaboom! as well as a library of one-of-a-kind videos are available on their website. Catch Todd ‘n’ Tina’s latest video “Jellyfish Chicken” (because nobody wants those chicken bones!) below.