TresSugar

Pirate Rock! Disney's Sharky and Bones Open Up About Pirate Culture, Jake, and Peter Pan

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:37:27 PST

Can you talk like a pirate? If your lil one is between 2 and 5 years old, chances are he'll know exactly what we're talking about!

Since its launch last February, Disney's Jake and the Neverland Pirates has become the top-ranking series among kids in that age group. The animated show - about a new crew of pirates who work together to outwit Captain Hook and Smee around Pirate Island - is about to embark on its second season with a prime-time special Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Peter Pan Returns (airing Feb. 13), where the little boy who won't grow up enlists the minipirates to help him find his lost shadow. As with the daily show, the special will feature original pirate rock songs written and sung by Sharky and Bones of The Never Land Pirate Band. I spoke with Loren Hoskins and Kevin Hendrickson, the men behind Sharky and Bones and the stars of the live-action music videos featured at the end of each episode, about the popularity of pirate culture and what it can teach tots today.

LilSugar: Obviously you two are well versed in little kids' obsessions with pirates. How did it start for you two?
Kevin Hendrickson (Bones): It started before our kids. Loren and I met maybe 12 years ago, and we both just had a love of pirates and the old Disney records we grew up listening to. We decided to make a pirate album for kids, even though we didn't have kids.
Loren Hoskins (Sharky): We were pirates before pirate was cool. We had an affinity for pirate and pirate culture and the old Disneyland rides - you know the old Pirates of the Caribbean attraction - and we combined all those into a rock album for kids of all ages. We say "for buccaneers of all ages" because we had a lot of fans that were not kids and a lot of fans that were kids and then families that were fans. We just decided to not be a children's band, but a band for all buccaneers!

LilSugar: It's been almost 60 years since Disney released Peter Pan, and unlike other Disney flicks, it hasn't received a rerelease or a 3D upgrade. Why do you think the pirate obsession remains so strong today?
Loren Hoskins (Sharky): I have always maintained that what pirates represent for play is all the best things about play. That's imagination, adventure, being bold-hearted, silly voices, and fun dress-up costumes. You put all that together and you get classic kid play. It's like pirates and dinosaurs. Dinosaurs were huge for a while, and I think for the same reason – you can just go "roaar," and play all these great games, and they were bold and adventurous and from exotic locations. Pirates are the same thing. They're one of those classic play building blocks

Keep reading for more of our talk about pirate rock and the show's educational value.

Ahoy, There Matey: It's International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Rebecca M Gruber — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:32:54 PDT

Ever since Jack Sparrow entered the hearts and minds of lil ones everywhere (and face it - their mamas, too), we've all been sprinkling some pirate lexicon into our daily language. That makes today, International Talk Like a Pirate Day that much more fun for everyone. With an "ahoy" here and a "lubber" there, everyone can get in on the festivities. Not sure where to start? Visit the English to Pirate translator for a few ideas. Want to encourage more pirate tendencies? Check out a few more ways to bring the swashbuckling home.

Add some pirate booty to your lil one's bedroom.
Download some pirate-themed apps, like Penelope the Purple Pirate to your iPad.
If the sky's the limit, a pirate ship bed is the way to go!
Throw your tots a pirate-themed party filled with eye patches and a pirate ship bouncy house.
Lil mates will love to read about modern pirates, like the Pirate of Kindergarten.
Fill their toy boxes with costumes, toys, and playhouses that encourage them to continue their pirate tendencies.
Get them started with a few catchphrases from the characters of Jake and the Neverland Pirates courtesy of the video below!

Aye Aye Mates! Pirate Goods For Tots of Every Age

Rebecca M Gruber — Sun, 29 May 2011 05:32:54 PDT

Pirates of the Caribbean is raking it in at the box office and lil pirates everywhere are doing their best Jack Sparrow imitations. While the movie franchise is fun for older tots (and let's face it, their mamas too), it isn't necessarily appropriate for lil ones. If your tot has pirate fever, but isn't quite ready for the Johnny Depp version, check out these fun pirate finds that will keep mom from walking the plank.

Clockwise from top left: Pirates Go to School ($12), Playmobil Pirate Island Compact Set ($15), Fisher Price Imaginext Serpent Pirate Ship ($35), Pirates Don't Take Baths ($12), Melissa and Doug Pirate Costume Role Play Set ($25), Mega Bloks Pirate Ship Pull Along ($30), Pottery Barn Kids Inflatable Pirate Pool ($150), Little Tikes Anchors Away Water Play Pirate Ship ($80), Disney Junior's Jake and the Neverland Pirates (free).

Timeless Sibling Themes For Halloween: Pirates

LilSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:00:32 PDT

Aye! If your brood wants to make out like bandits with some serious candy booty on All Hallow's Eve, take note from the popular film, Pirates of the Caribbean! A wide hat and a big attitude is all your child needs to fill Johnny Depp's shoes as Jack Sparrow! Ample jewelry, scarves, a skirt and a wandering spirit makes a fitting ensemble for a female swashbuckler ready to set sea. But, similar looks are available with the click of a button online.

Muscle Pirate Costume ($29)	Infant Pirate Princess ($25)
Pirate Costume ($60)	Gypsy Costume ($30)
Pirate Costume ($33)	Disney Child Jack Sparrow Costume ($37)
Disney Elizabeth Pirate Costume ($40)	Swashbuckler Costume ($24)

What's cuter than one child in a costume? His or her siblings in complementary ones! After shuffling through some old albums, I came across photos of timeless attire for fellow parents to use as inspiration - no trip to the fabric store or thimble required! Check out themes for tots here!

It's a Pirate's Bedroom For Lil Boys and Girls!

LilSugar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:00:00 PDT

Ahoy matey! If your lil swashbuckler is begging for his room to be turned into a pirate-themed hideaway, there's a lot of bedroom booty out there. Give your small fry the ship and sail with an extraordinary bed or simply stick to accessories to bring the sea theme to shore.

Front Page: Pirates Build the Case Against Captured Pirate

TresSugar — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:00:37 PDT

US prosecutors say Somali pirate Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse was a brazen ringleader, despite his young age and skinny, 5-foot-2 frame. If convicted of piracy, he faces a mandatory life sentence. - AP
More than one billion people are expected to celebrate Earth Day today. - CNN
President Obama is spending Earth Day in Iowa, where he will stress clean energy. - USA Today
The rate of breast cancer deaths has reached a record low. - BBC News
The acting CFO of mortgage giant Freddie Mac was found dead in his home today. Police think it might be a suicide. - LA Times
The IMF says the US economy is shrinking more slowly, but positive growth won't happen until next year. - Reuters
San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom announced his candidacy for California governor yesterday on Twitter and YouTube. - San Francisco Chronicle

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Pirates: From News Headlines to Spike TV

BuzzSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:30:53 PDT

You'd probably have to live under a rock to miss the drama that recently played out off the coast of Somalia. The nation has been riveted by news coverage of the American sea captain, Richard Phillips, who was captured and held hostage by Somali pirates. The brave captain was rescued by the United States Navy over the weekend, thus ending a dramatic real-life tale of piracy on the high seas.

It's a Hollywood ending! So, it's no surprise that Hollywood is capitalizing on this event already: Spike TV just greenlit a pilot for a documentary series titled Pirate Hunters: USN that "will focus on the U.S. Navy's antipiracy operations in the Gulf of Aden."

Apparently the Navy is going to "step up its role in combating piracy" and will allow television crews and producers aboard both the USS Boxer and the USS San Antonio to capture this hunt for pirates in the same area in which Captain Phillips' ordeal took place.

Wow, Spike TV wasted no time with that. Given the recent drama are you intrigued by this program? Or not so much?

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Navy Saves Captain From Pirates! Watch Phillips Thank Them

CitizenSugar — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:35:42 PDT

After Navy snipers caught view of Somali pirates aiming an AK-47 at Captain Phillips, Navy sharpshooters came in and killed three of his captors rescuing the captain. President Obama personally approved the use of force by US Special Operations forces.

Phillips was taken hostage after pirates attacked his American cargo ship. The crew regained control of the vessel, but the pirates held the captain hostage on the life boat. After three US warships came within reach of the lifeboat, the Somali pirates threatened to kill Phillips. On Friday, he jumped out of the lifeboat, but was recaptured. He was finally rescued today.

To see video of the initial news conference,

Pirate's Booty: Women Flock to Somali Port to Marry Pirates

CitizenSugar — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:30:52 PDT

It may be wedding season at Sugar, but elsewhere circumstance and desperation still send women down the aisle . . . or to the docks. In like, say, Somalia!

In an interview today on CNN's American Morning, TJ Holmes found that Somali women are flocking to the port town of Bosaso in hopes of marrying a pirate. Arghh. I'm going to assume these pirates are more like the men pictured above and less Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. So what's the appeal? Well, money - pirates have it.

In fact, women want to marry pirates for the same reasons men become them: they want to escape the hopelessness, poverty, lawlessness, and civil war that pervade the streets of Somalia. Can you blame them?

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Front Page: US Navy Heads to Rescue Captain From Pirates

CitizenSugar — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:47:57 PDT

A US Navy warship has arrived off the Somali coast where pirates are holding the captain of a cargo ship hostage. - Telegraph
President Obama has invited friends and aides to a private seder dinner at the White House tonight to mark Passover. - AP
Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi predicts that earthquake
reconstruction will cost several billion euros. - Wall Street Journal
Voters in a Missouri small town have reelected their mayor, four weeks after he died. - AP
Thousands of North Koreans rallied in their capital to celebrate their country's rocket launch. - BBC News
New York's US Senators have introduced legislation that would grant posthumous citizenship to the victims of last week's shootings in Binghampton. - CNN
Twenty-three schools in Detroit are set to be closed next year. - USA Today

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