Billboard Family
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All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
If you’re a parent, or know anyone with kids, then you’re probably familiar with the magic of Ms. Rachel. The YouTube content creator, who recently joined John Legend for a kid-friendly sing-along, took to Instagram on Friday (Oct. 19) to address issues over her bestselling Ms. Rachel doll.
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The doll is No. 1 on Amazon, and so popular that fakes have been popping up online and duping shoppers. Ms. Rachel faced the drama in a video where she went over the difference between her doll and the knockoff.
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“I’m so sorry that this is happening,” she said of the fake dolls. “I want to make sure that you got a real one, so let’s go over how to tell. This is so important to me because we don’t know if the fake dolls are safe or not,” Ms. Rachel continues before explaining the features of her doll versus the fake.
Released by Spin Master, the authentic Ms. Rachel doll is an interactive, touch-activated toy that sings four songs: “Wheels on the Bus,” “Hop Little Bunny,” “I’m So Happy” and “Icky Sticky.” The doll also says more than 16 signature phrases, including “Can you say…?” and “I’m so proud of you!”
Amazon
Ms. Rachel Speak & Sing Doll, 16” Tall Interactive Toy with 4 Songs & 16+ Phrases
The Ms. Rachel Speak & Sing Doll ($29.99) is designed for ages six months to 3 years old, and aids in conversation and cognitive development. Ms. Rachel designed the doll along with child development experts. According to multiple TikTok videos, fake Ms. Rachel dolls were apparently being sold online through third parties that uploaded them to Walmart and Amazon.
Luckily, Ms. Rachel has an official Amazon store where parents can shop the her doll and other toys and books, such as her latest bestseller, Ms. Rachel and the Special Surprise.
The official Ms. Rachel doll is available at Amazon, Walmart and Target.
For more child-centered content, check out Billboard Family.
Victoria Monét is excited to publish her first-ever children’s book.
The three-time Grammy winner announced on Monday (Oct. 14) that her debut children’s picture book, Everywhere You Are, will arrive on June 25, 2025. The publication will be released in English and Spanish-language editions through Putnam Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers.
“WOW!! I’m super excited to announce my first picture book, Everywhere You Are, illustrated by Alea Marley,” Monét wrote on Instagram alongside a photo gallery that included the book’s cover. “I wrote this book in honor of hard working parents wanting to offer a consoling reminder to their children that even when a loved one isn’t right next to us, the love you have for each other still carries so much presence!”
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Everywhere You Are “is a lyrical and heartwarming picture book to comfort children experiencing separation anxiety while offering solace to hardworking parents,” according to a news releasing announcing the forthcoming book. The book, which is inspired by Monét’s experiences as a working parent, follows “a gentle moon as it comforts a young star when they part ways at dawn.”
Monét said in a statement, “This book means so much to me! I love many types of writing from poetry to music, and eventually script and it has always been a special dream of mine to write children’s books. It brings so much joy to know that families will share moments of reflection, understanding and quality time while reading this book for generations to come! I’m passionate about the subject of the book and explaining it in a way that is digestible for a child. I can’t wait to share it.”
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Everywhere You Are can be pre-ordered here.
Earlier this year, Monét won her long overdue first Grammy for the coveted best new artist trophy at the 66th annual Grammy Awards. The singer-songwriter also took home best R&B album for Jaguar II and best engineered album, non-classical. The Atlanta native boasts nine top 40 Billboard Hot 100 chart hits as a songwriter, with seven recorded by Ariana Grande, including the No. 1s “Thank U, Next” and “7 Rings” in 2018-19. Plus, her co-write “Ice Cream,” by BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez, reached No. 13 in 2020.
See Monét announcement for her first children’s book on Instagram below.
The Blippi: Join the Band Tour launched in late September and has already visited a number of cities, but still has many, many performances to come.
“We’re in and out of cities every day,” says Shaw, who explains the busy travel schedule is something they consider when casting talent for the show. “We’re looking for high energy, engaged actors and actresses who are excited about the opportunity, not only to play a great role in a great show, but also have the opportunity to travel.”
See a list of the remaining tour dates for 2024 below, and find up-to-date information about all the dates still to come in 2025 on the tour’s official website:
Friday, Oct. 18 – Meridian Centre – St. Catharines, ONSaturday, Oct. 19 – Tribute Communities Centre – Oshawa, ONSunday, Oct. 20 – Living Arts Centre – Mississauga, ONWednesday, Oct. 23 – Peterborough Memorial Centre – Peterborough, ONSaturday, Oct. 26 – Thunder Bay Community Auditorium – Thunder Bay, ONSunday, Oct. 27 – Burton Cummings Theatre for the Performing Arts – Winnipeg, MBTuesday, Oct. 29 – Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium – Brandon, MSWednesday, Oct. 30 – Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium – Brandon, MSFriday, Nov. 1 – Conexus Arts Centre – Regina, SKSaturday, Nov. 2 – TCU Place – Saskatoon, SKSunday, Nov. 3 – Enmax Centre – Lethbridge, ABFriday, Nov. 8 – Abbotsford Centre – Abbotsford, BCSaturday, Nov. 9 – Okanagan Events Centre – Penticton, BCSunday, Nov. 10 – Queen Elizabeth Theatre – Vancouver, BCTuesday, Nov. 12 – Jack Singer Concert Hall – Calgary, ABFriday, Nov. 15 – Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium – Edmonton, ABSunday, Nov. 17 – Co-op Place – Medicine Hat, ABTuesday, Nov. 19 – MetraPark Arena – Billings, MTWednesday, Nov. 20 – Bismarck Event Center – Bismarck, NDThursday, Nov. 21 – Scheels Arena – Fargo, NDFriday, Nov. 22 – Xtreme Arena – Coralville, IASaturday, Nov. 23 – Taft Theatre – Cincinnati, OHSunday, Nov. 24 – The Family Arena – St. Charles, MOFriday, Nov. 29 – The Riverside Theater – Milwaukee, WISaturday, Nov. 30 – Fisher Theatre – Detroit, MISunday, Dec. 1 – Temple Theatre – Saginaw, MITuesday, Dec. 3 – Old National Events Plaza – Evansville, INWednesday, Dec. 4 – Appalachian Wireless Arena – Pikeville, KYFriday, Dec. 6 – Old National Centre – Indianapolis, INSaturday, Dec. 7 – Mershon Auditorium – Columbus, OHSunday, Dec. 8– Louisville Palace – Louisville, KYTuesday, Dec. 10 – Walton Arts Center – Fayetteville, ARThursday, Dec. 12 – Cable Dahmer Arena – Independence, MOFriday, Dec. 13 – Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts – Springfield, MOSaturday, Dec. 14 – Texas Hall – Arlington, TXSunday, Dec. 15 – Bayou Music Center – Houston, TX
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
The Billboard Family Hits of the Week compiles what’s new and worth your family’s time in music, movies, TV, books, games and more. Forget the mind-numbing scrolling and searching “what to watch for family movie night” … again. The best in family entertainment each week is all in one place, in this handy guide. Isn’t it satisfying to cross something off your list?
Before moving forward with recommendations of how to keep your family entertained this week, I want to acknowledge it’s been a devastating few days for the pop music community with the untimely passing of One Direction‘s Liam Payne. Having formed in 2010 and gone on hiatus by 2016, One Direction mostly pre-dates the youth of today’s main experience with pop music, but their impact on the genre holds steady. Payne’s family is heartbroken. His peers in music are grieving the loss of a dear friend. Parents reading this, especially the younger set who were coming of age at 1D’s peak, are likely feeling the heaviness. Kids on the internet might have seen the news, or they might be picking up on your sadness, and they might ask questions. I suggest reading Billboard‘s tribute to Payne and his indispensable contributions to One Direction, as well as a great summary of his highlights on the charts to queue up a playlist, whether it’s for yourself or to share with your family.
And now, a swerve into lighter and brighter news: The Eras Tour returns. Taylor Swift will be on stage (and our small screens, assuming someone live streams) Friday, Oct. 17 in Miami for the first concert of the end of Eras. The summer leg of the show got a Tortured Poets Department refresh. Will there be more surprises from the stealthy Swift before she takes her final bow of 2024?
On TV this weekend, I recommend tuning in to see Billie Eilish as SNL‘s musical guest. No word on whether the “Birds of a Feather” singer will star in any sketches on the Michael Keaton-hosted episode, but I foresee funny things if she does. Eilish previously hosted SNL in 2021, when she became the first-ever celebrity host born in the 21st century — just another mind-boggling milestone this young talent hit before the age of 21.
I’m currently streaming Prime Video’s The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh, a new half-hour family comedy series surrounding an Indian family that’s newly navigating life in America. Episode one, opening in an interrogation room with the entire Pradeep family of five, pulls you in right away. How did this family get here?
Family game collections should grow with this week’s release of Super Mario Party Jamboree from Nintendo. I think we’ll save this one for the holidays, when the kids can open it as a gift and have ample time to quarrel over which of the 110 mini-games to play first. The Mario Party series has a history of inspiring spirited competition in our home.
Here’s a rundown of our picks for the latest rendition of Billboard Family Hits of the Week:
Get Back in Eras Tour Mode
Ms. Rachel, the YouTube creator of toddler learning videos who’s welcomed 11.9 million subscribers to her channel — John Legend and Chrissy Teigen among them — has a collaboration out with Legend. The pair sing together on a super-sunny rendition of Legend’s “L-O-V-E,” a track from his album My Favorite Dream (Republic Records: Kids & […]
HARDY and his wife Caleigh Ryan are expecting their first child next year. HARDY shared a carousel of photos of the couple in a maternity photo shoot on Instagram, captioning the post: “You have been our favorite little secret to keep. Baby HARDY coming February 2025,” alongside a baby bottle emoji. The photos show Caleigh […]
Taylor Swift tickets are completely sold out at press time. If you go on Ticketmaster, you’ll see the same message for all remaining tour dates: “Sorry, tickets are not currently available online.”
It won’t be easy to come by tickets at a reasonable price, but there are a few options to explore. Here’s how I would look for tickets for Swift’s concerts in Miami, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Toronto and Vancouver.
How to find face value tickets to a “sold-out” concert on Ticketmaster:
Don’t get your hopes too high, but a small number of tickets typically do get released on Ticketmaster last minute, depending on availability. With The Eras Tour being such a hot ticket, quiet drops are often only accessible to those who have Verified Fan status for that city.
The night of Wednesday, Oct. 16, for example, Ticketmaster opened a queue to purchase tickets for the upcoming weekend’s Miami concerts with this message: “A few last-minute ticket releases have been made available to a number of fans who previously registered for and were screened by Verified Fan for this city.”
Why weren’t all tickets able to be purchased by fans at on-sale when they’re so ridiculously in demand? Often some seats are held by the venue, promoter or artist’s team for various business reasons, and if those aren’t put to use they eventually get put on sale for face value on Ticketmaster. For The Eras Tour, based on personal observation and fan reports on social media, it also seems that extra seats that weren’t originally on the floorplan sometimes get added after the crew sets up, if space allows. It’s a shot in the dark, but any unused or just-added seats will go to someone. Swift’s final Eras shows can all be found here on Ticketmaster.
If you’re still in search of tickets a day or two before the concert, you want to set yourself up for the best chance at snagging them in a very limited-release: You know that meme of the Sims mom distracted by the computer while the Sims baby is on fire? Imagine that level of laser focus on the event ticketing page, minus any real-life neglect and imminent danger: “Not now, honey, I’m refreshing Ticketmaster.” (Dark humor, folks!)
Best of luck, sincerely, to those of you trying to get your family of Swifties to a Miami, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Toronto or Vancouver concert.
A girl holds up a sign asking if anyone has a spare ticket as Taylor Swift fans arrive at Wembley Stadium ahead of her performance on Aug. 15, 2024 in London, England.
How to find resale tickets at a price you’re willing, if not thrilled, to pay:
Desperation can sink in if you really want to see Swift with your kids on The Eras Tour and have exhausted all opportunities to find direct tickets from the original point of sale. That’s where the resale market comes in: StubHub is probably the most popular place for that, but there’s also websites like SeatGeek, TickPick and Vivid Seats.
I’ve purchased tickets from StubHub and TickPick in the past and had a fine experience with both. Eras resale tickets are overpriced, most of the time obscenely so, and riddled with fees, but real. In the rare case there’s an authenticity or delivery issue with your purchase (which has never happened here, but the possibility exists), customer service policies say they’ll replace your tickets with “comparable or better tickets” (StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee), or “equal or better quality” (TickPick’s BuyerTrust Guarantee). Check the policies on the website you’re buying from before you go through with an order to make sure you’re comfortable with all outcomes.
How to find the best seats for the best deal through the resale market:
Get familiar with how ticket resale outlets work. Unless you see the obvious Deal of the Eras Tour, don’t buy immediately. Test the website’s different options for sorting available tickets. Memorize the seating chart so you know what sections you want to zone in on. If you’re a family of more than three people, consider splitting up if that helps save a few bucks or gets everyone in better seats — with one parent sitting with one kid, and the other parent sitting with the other kid, or however it works out for the makeup of your family. Keep checking the websites you’d feel comfortable buying from for new ticket listings until the price and seats feel right for your situation.
If you’re not finding exactly what you want and willing to take a risk, you might consider heading in the direction of the venue without tickets just in case a better option pops up. Confirm with the venue if you can park there without a ticket, or park somewhere that’s on the way to the stadium and search. It takes strategic thinking and high hopes. Just remember, if you’re with your kids you’ll want to be at peace with buying from whatever’s left and still spending a good amount of money. For other artists price ranges often lower dramatically across resale platforms as start time nears on the day of the show, but not always. Do not rely on this. Be aware that this has not been the trend with Swift’s Eras Tour tickets.
As disappointing as it is to witness, I’ve spent enough time on real-time ticket-buying research to see incredible seats go unsold on these websites because the total never goes down to a price point anyone’s willing to pay.
Do not buy Eras Tour tickets here, or at least proceed with caution:
Steer clear of buying tickets via an unprotected transaction with strangers via social media. Certainly there are groups made on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit that are meant to feature listings from fans intending to sell tickets they can no longer use directly to other fans, like this account with more than 300,000 followers, but the possibility of being scammed is very real. The people voluntarily running these accounts are connecting Swiftie buyers with sellers and are not responsible for someone scamming you.
If you’re going to gamble anyway, be smart about it. Be aware that tickets sold on Ticketmaster have digital delivery on the Ticketmaster app this tour. A screenshot of the order confirmation is not enough proof that legit tickets will actually show up for the concert — a screenshot can be faked. Use PayPal’s Goods and Services option for any exchange of money, not Apple Pay, Cash App, Venmo or Zelle.
One tip I’ve picked up from research in fan spaces is to ask the seller to get on a video call with you to complete the transaction while they show you the ticket order in their actual Ticketmaster account, at that very moment. Is this whole process a little sketchy? Yep. Is it foolproof? Nope. Could you end up with great seats at a nice price from a kind Swiftie? Of course, but remember, you might never be able to recover the money lost to a con artist.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
After the release of Mario Party Superstars in 2021, Nintendo is ready to drop the 19th installment in the long-running and beloved Mario Party franchise.
With returning favorites, such as Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Peach, and new playable characters, like Ninji and Pauline, Super Mario Party Jamboree for Nintendo Switch drops on Thursday (Oct. 17) for $59.99 at Target and other retailers.
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And if you’re a Target Circle member, you can order now and get Super Mario Party Jamboree delivered straight to your home in two days (with orders over $35) — or you can pick it up at your local Target store for free.
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Not a member? Sign up for a free membership to take advantage of all that Target Circle has to offer, including access to “deal of the day” products, instant savings on select items, three months of Apple TV+ to watch hit originals, access to exclusive shopping events — such as Target’s Deal Days and early Black Friday deals — and other perks.
If you want to take it a step further, you can sign up for the Target Circle Card (with no annual fee), which offers an extra 5% discount on all purchases, two-day free shipping with no order minimums and more. Learn more about the Target Circle Card here.
In addition, Super Mario Party Jamboree is available at Best Buy and Amazon.
Nintendo
Super Mario Party Jamboree
Release date: Oct. 17
As for the game itself, Super Mario Party Jamboree is a multi-player game with up to four players that features more than 110 mini-games across seven boards with 22 playable characters. It also introduces two online modes with rooms up to 20 players (via Nintendo Switch Online).
In our play through, we found Super Mario Party Jamboree to be loads of fun, especially in multi-player mode, with bright animations and a massive amount of characters to pick (our tester played as Shy Guy and Mario throughout the game). While it is still a good game to play in single-player mode, this game, at its core, is a party game and meant to be played with a group of friends and family.
Additionally, the “Koopathlon” online play gives you a dose of friendly competition with gamers from around the world, while the “Bowser Kaboom Squad” online challenge give you an opportunity to work together with someone in a shared goal.
One of the most fun minigames in the collection is “Rhythm Kitchen,” a new musical game show. Players cut veggies and fruits to the beat of the music to create tasty dishes and become a superstar chef in the game.
Priced at $59.99 and available for purchase at Target, Best Buy and Amazon, Super Mario Party Jamboree is out now. In the meantime, watch the overview trailer for the game, below:
Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
Ariana Grande hosted SNL for a second time and starred in seven sketches that made it to air Saturday night (Oct. 12) in an episode that seemed made for the skilled impressionist. Grande’s list of roles on SNL this weekend: an aggressive mother, Celine Dion, a bridesmaid wrecking a wedding with “Espresso,” a tween, one […]
Brantley Gilbert was pulled off the stage Friday night in Tupelo, Mississippi, for his baby’s birth — on his tour bus. Gilbert’s wife, Amber, went into labor during the Oct. 11 concert and delivered the couple’s third child on the bus.
“So last night might have been the craziest night of my life,” the country singer revealed in a post on Instagram the next day (Saturday, Oct. 12). “Watching such an amazing woman do such an amazing thing is something I’ll never forget.”
Gilbert’s update included a video that captured the wild birth story, beginning with the singer’s rush from the stage just after the concert started. He’s currently on the road for his Off the Rails Tour.
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The proud parents shared a glimpse at the newborn in their first photos with the baby, which were added to the video, and the phone call Gilbert had with his mom: “How are you?” she asked, to which he replied, “Not as good as you are about to be. You got a new grandbaby.”
“She’s a freaking savage,” he said of Amber.
Gilbert, who just released his new album Tattoos last month, went back inside and finished the show, but not before relishing in cheers from the crowd when he announced, “We got a baby!”
The “Over When We’re Sober” singer added a note of gratitude in his Instagram post: “Thank you to our road family for rallying around us, Brittany Thornton for helping us bring this little dude into the world, Tupelo, Mississippi for showing us mad love and support, and most of all… Amber Gilbert, for letting me love you and showing me EXACTLY how incredibly strong a woman can be. I love you.”
Brantley and Amber announced they were expecting on Mother’s Day. The new addition to the family joins two big siblings, Barrett and Braylen.
Watch the recap of what happened in Tupelo, and see the couple’s sweet newborn, below.