Logging into his profile on the 35 Awards photo competition, Steve Scott Grogin received a notification telling him his photo of an alligator's eye had been disqualified from the Mobile Phone category. The reason? The organizers believed it had been taken with "professional camera equipment."
The first time U.S. soccer legend Tab Ramos played on a team in the country he had just moved to from Uruguay, Argentina was the reigning champion of the 1978 World Cup and the boy was thrilled that the jersey he was given, the Harrison Rec kit, was orange “like the Dutch one.” Ten minutes in, the coach took him off the field: he was too good to compete with that group. He was 12 years old.
Researchers in Australia have created the largest map of cosmic magnetic fields ever assembled, revealing the invisible forces that shape galaxies across the Universe.
When it comes to Android phones, Samsung is among the first to come up in conversation. The company built part of that cachet on the camera performance of its flagship Galaxy S series, but has long since abdicated the role of setting the pace for mobile camera hardware.
Last month, the cast of the Chiikawa anime/manga showed up at McDonald’s Japan, but now it’s time for a new group to take their place. With Chiikawa being one of Japan’s most popular franchises these days the next batch of Happy Meal toys has some very big shoes to fill, but next up are some of Japan’s very brightest pop culture stars, Super Mario and friends (and some enemies too).
Specifically, McDonald’s Japan’s new Happy Meal toys feature Nintendo’s characters in their The Super Mario Galaxy Movie forms.
Starting June 12, Happy Meals come with one of 12 Super Mario Galaxy figures. As has become the standard policy for high-profile Japanese Happy Meal toys, the lineup is being released in stages. Round one runs from June 12 to 18, during which Mario, Frog Luigi, Yoshi, Rosalina, Birdo, and Bowser Jr. figures will be available.
▼ Rosaline, Birdo, and Bowser Jr. are named Rosetta, Catharine, and Koopa Jr. in Japan, by the way.
Round two kicks off the day after round one ends, and from June 19 to 25 your Happy Meal will contain either a Fire Mario, Princess Peach, Toad, Bowser, Luma, or Wonder Bowser Jr. figure.
An extra-cool touch is that the figures come in boxes that look like Mario question mark blocks…
…and the star-shaped bases of each figure also let you use them as key chains or bag strap clips too, as shown in the video here.
Finally, from June 26 all 12 toys will be a possibility when purchasing a Happy Meal, ostensibly drawing from any leftover stock from the first two rounds. In total, McDonald’s Japan expects the Super Mario Galaxy Happy Meal toys to be available four about four weeks, though with demand likely to be astronomical, it’s probably a good idea to try to get one as soon as possible. Meanwhile, if you’re a hungry gamer who’s more of a Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest fan, there’re options to satisfy your appetite too.
Everyone loves superheroes, and that is seen through the popularity of the movies and TV shows. Even if their numbers are declining, fans grew up with them and continue to support those stories, with upcoming sensations such as Avengers: Doomsday and The Batman Part II. However, the genre could be heading in a new direction with video games now becoming the most popular medium.