Star Wars Forces of Destiny

All images:  Lucasfilm

Disney and Lucasfilm have created a new series of animated shorts featuring the heroic ladies of the Star Wars Universe.  The series will launch in July, and a two-part tv special will air on the Disney Channel this fall. They've also created "Adventure Figures" (a cross between dolls and action figures) of the heroines that look amazing.

For more details, check out the press release below:

Disney and Lucasfilm today announced Star Wars Forces of Destiny, a new initiative celebrating the inspiring stories of iconic heroes from across the Star Wars universe. An original series of animated shorts (each 2-3 minutes in length) will explore exciting, all new adventures of key characters including Rey, Jyn Erso, Sabine Wren, Princess Leia, Ahsoka Tano and others, ahead of books and a TV special later in the year. The stories will also be supported by a line of toys from Hasbro, including new ‘Adventure Figures’ – a fusion between traditional dolls and action figures, creating a whole new way to play Star Wars.

“Star Wars Forces of Destiny is for anyone who has been inspired by Leia’s heroism, Rey’s courage, or Ahsoka’s tenacity,” said Kathleen Kennedy, President of Lucasfilm. “We’re thrilled that so many of the original actors are reprising their roles in these shorts which capture the small moments and everyday decisions that shape who these characters are. It is a fun new way for people to experience Star Wars.”

Developed by Lucasfilm Animation, Star Wars Forces of Destiny will remain true to the Star Wars canon, showing how choices both big and small ultimately shape the destinies of beloved characters. 

Launching in July, the animated micro-series will be available on Disney YouTube ahead of a two-part TV special featuring eight additional shorts on Disney Channel in Fall 2017.

Fans will be delighted to hear familiar voices in the series, including: Daisy Ridley (Rey), Felicity Jones (Jyn), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano) and Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata as narrator).

Star Wars Forces of Destiny will also be supported by global product extensions, such as books, apparel, bedding, and toys – including the new line of ‘Adventure Figures’ created by Hasbro, which bridges the gap between traditional action figures and dolls. Each individually designed figure features dynamic action, like Rey swinging her lightsaber, along with multiple points of articulation to help recreate the characters’ adventures and heroic moments with different poses.

“From Princess Leia to Sabine Wren, Star Wars heroines are unique, and we wanted to represent that in the product line for Star Wars Forces of Destiny,” said Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. 

“The result is the creation of our new ‘Adventure Figures’ that celebrate the power and stories of these incredible characters and allow kids to recreate their most heroic moments at home.”

The 11-inch figures will depict characters including Rey, Jyn Erso, Princess Leia, Sabine Wren, plus loveable sidekicks and epic villains like BB-8, Chewbacca, Kylo Ren and many more. 

Hasbro is also rolling out Star Wars Forces of Destiny role play and accessories—from Rey’s Extendable Staff, to a new, electronic Jedi Power Lightsaber toy, which are part of the Star Wars Bladebuilders system.

Adds John Frascotti, President of Hasbro: “As the Star Wars fan base has broadened over the last 40 years, we have continued to add new and exciting play experiences to the Star Wars brand, to engage fans across generations."

"We’ve worked closely with Disney to bring the storytelling from Star Wars Forces of Destiny to life through this innovative toy line to help connect with new audiences as well as appeal to existing fans.”

Star Wars Weekends at Hollywood Studios

For four 3-day weekends each year, Disney's Hollywood Studios is invaded by characters from the Star Wars universe. This year, from May 16th to June 15th. It's a great time for those with a Disney and Star Wars obsession. My family was a little unsure about going because we'd heard that the crowds can be crazy! I finally convinced them that it would be fun to give it a try. We decided to go on a Friday during the second weekend in 2012. This was the perfect time to go. Star Wars Weekends are a blast!

There are several special events during Star Wars Weekends: Jedi Training Academy, the Star Wars Celebrity Motorcade, the Padawan Mind Challenge, celebrity autographs, character Meet & Greets, behind the scenes shows, as well as the Hyperspace Hoopla. And there are two new experiences this year: now you can have lunch with characters from Jedi Mickey to Darth Goofy at Hollywood and Vine or enjoy a Galactic Breakfast at the Sci-fi Dine-in Theater. And to cap off the night, Disney has added the new Symphony in the Stars fireworks. Each day is packed with a lot to see and do.

The Star Wars fun begins before you enter the park. Stormtroopers have been stationed above the gates and make comments about the crowds. They point out odd looking characters to each other and talk about what strange creatures the crowds are. Our favorite part was when the Stormtroopers decided that everyone must be holding up those little boxes (cameras) and pointing them as a way of greeting. The Stormtroopers then decided to greet the crowd in the same manner. It was hilarious! Throughout the park, you can hear many different themes from the Star Wars saga. I have always loved John Williams' themes, so I really appreciated this touch.

Ahsoka Tano

The Jedi Training Academy is extra special during Star Wars Weekends. The sign up station is moved near the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and they take 30 kids for each show. (If you want to get a guaranteed spot, be there when the gates open and head immediately to the sign up station. Spots are filled very quickly, so you may wish to sign up during the week when it's less busy.) 15 Padawans, or Jedi Trainees, are up on the stage and 15 are on the ground in front of the stage. Jedi Master Vance Nadal trains those onstage and Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker's Padawan, trains those on the ground. The Padawans are taught a series of moves that they will be using to fight the Dark Side. Then, Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers arrive, along with a female Sith named Asajj Ventress. When Bean was selected to participate, she was delighted to be trained by Ahsoka and fight Asajj, as you can only see them during special times, like Star Wars Weekends.

Star Wars Weekends feature many character Meet & Greets that can only be found during these four weekends each year. The lines can be long, but you should be able to meet at least a few of the characters with relatively short wait times. Each character location has a fantastic backdrop from the films and a brief description of the characters that appear there. In Darth's Maul, we met a young Luke Skywalker. He was really nice and looked enough like Luke to be convincing. Sometimes, R2-D2 and C-3PO appear with Luke. After Luke, Princess Leia was meeting fans in the same locations. She also appears with R2-D2 and C-3PO at times. Near the Star Tours face painting station, we met Queen Amidala. The line for Amidala was fairly short and we only waited about 15 minutes. Near the speeder across from Star Tours, Chewbacca and a couple of Ewoks were posing for photos. In the Streets of America, near the San Francisco backdrop, you could meet either Anakin Skywalker, ShaakTi, Mace Windu, or Kit Fisto. Near the Phineas & Ferb and Cars Meet and Greet areas, you could find Captain Rex, Clone Troopers, Asajj Ventress or Ahsoka Tano. In the covered area near the Backlot Tour was a very long line to meet Darth Vader. By the ABC Commissary, you could meet Darth Maul or Goofy in his Darth Vader costume. Across from him, you could meet Boba or Jango Fett and stand with your arms and legs in shackles. Between the ABC Commissary and the Great Movie Ride was the area for Jedi Mickey, Leia Minnie, and Duck Maul. In addition to these character locations, there are also wandering characters, including Jawas, Tusken Raiders, Stromtroopers, and Tam Wesel.

Asajj Ventress

During our visit, we only met three characters, but they were all fantastic! Luke was very personable and kind to Bean and even spent several minutes talking with her and looking at her autograph photobook. Amidala was very in character and told us about her time in the Galactic Senate. ShaakTi suggested unique poses for each group of guests and really had quite a variety of fun poses to choose from. She was fantastic at putting guests at ease and getting them involved in some Star Wars fun.

In addition to the various costumed characters, different celebrities are available for autographs each weekend. To meet these celebrities, you must obtain a Fast Pass for that celebrity near the entrance to Hollywood Studios. There is a limit of one Fast Pass per person, so you must choose wisely. Also, the guest whose ticket was used to obtain the Fast Pass must be present to receive the Fast Pass, so you can't send one person with all of the tickets for a group to get your Fast Pass. Once you have a Fast Pass, you can go the the autograph for your chosen celebrity at the designated time to get your autograph. Also, you can only have one item autographed and one photo taken. Honestly, I'm not sure it's worth all of the hoops you have to jump through, so my family and I decided not to get any celebrity autographs.

The Star Wars Celebrity Motorcade is a parade of Star Wars characters. The parade lasts about 20 minutes and features groups of Stormtroopers, classic Star Wars characters, Mickey and friends in their Star Wars costumes, and cars full of Star Wars celebrities. Unfortunately, the celebrities can be somewhat obscure, such as a voice from the cartoons and may not be interesting to young children, but the costumed characters are a lot of fun. If you want to watch the parade, you'll need to get a seat early. I would recommend finding your spot at least 90 minutes before the parade starts as spaces fill up quickly.

The Padawan Mind Challenge is a trivia trial for kids age 11 and under. You do have to preregister to participate in this challenge. Kids use their knowledge of Star Wars: The Clone Wars to become Padawans, or Jedi Trainees. You can signup near the ABC Sound Studio, beginning when the park opens, but spaces fill up fast. There are only two shows a day, around 2 PM and 6:30 PM. The shows take place on the large stage set up in front of the Sorcerer's Hat. The crowds in this area can be very large, so if you'd like to watch the challenge, be sure to check your Times Guide and arrive early.

There are several special Behind the Scenes shows each weekend, hosted by one of the co-hosts of Star Wars Weekends. Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka Tano, hosts Behind the Force: an insiders look at Star Wars: The Clone Wars cartoons. James Arnold Taylor, the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, hosts two different shows. The first, Stars of the Saga, invites that weekends celebrity guests to sit down for an interview about their work. The second, Obi-Wan and Beyond, is a glimpse into the world of voice acting. James Arnold Taylor voices around 150 characters, so he is the perfect actor for such a show.

One of the favorite stops for collectors during Star Wars Weekends is the special shopping area. Available only during Star Wars Weekends and located through the gates near Rock 'N' Roller Coaster, the name and theme changes yearly. In 2012, the shop was called Darth's Maul. During the opening weekend the line was a 90 minute wait to get in and a 90 minute wait to get out. By the second weekend, there was no wait to get in and very little wait to get out. Darth's Maul was a giant tent filled with Disney exclusive Star Wars merchandise. Limited edition merchandise is also available. 2012 saw the release of a new collection of women's clothing designed by Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka Tano. The Her Universe collection debuted at Darth's Maul and included many shirts for women and girls as well as a few costume hoodies. The Princess Leia hoodie sported her famous hair buns and the girls Ahsoka hoodie looked just like Ahsoka. for the true collector, there were Darth Vader and Chewbacca costumes that cost over $100,000 each. Some of the limited edition goods were only available as a purchase with purchase. One was a photo frame with Duck Maul and Jedi Mickey. There was also a polar fleece throw with Duck Maul and a pin with the same design. There were quite a few pins that had been created especially for the event and two series of Vinylmation as well. We waited about 5 minutes to make our purchases, but the wait to purchase limited edition merchandise was 20-30 minutes. One of my favorite items was the Star Tours name tag. I purchased one with my name in Aurebesh, the language of the galaxy. You can also choose your home planet from one of the 15 available. I chose Endor because I love Ewoks. And new for 2012, the Droid Factory, a fun build-a-droid spot now permanently housed at Tatooine Traders.

One of my favorite collectibles from Star Wars Weekends was the R2-D2 popcorn buckets and lidded cups. The buckets were available filled with caramel popcorn, churros with chocolate sauce, a kids corndog and chips meal, or even a kids power pack with a cheese stick, carrots, yogurt, goldfish, and a cookie. The cups were available with either frozen lemonade, a milkshake, or hot fudge sundae. Other Star Wars treats included a Darth Vader cupcake, chocolate peanut butter flavored.Yum!

The final show of the night is the Hyperspace Hoopla. Described as an intergalactic dance competition, this show is loud and raucous. The characters dance to modern music with modern accessories. I have to say, this show was my least favorite part of Star Wars Weekends. The music is very loud! It can be heard throughout the park and is especially loud near the stage, which is located in front of the Sorcerer's Hat. I was also disappointed in the music, accessories, and dance styles that were used for the show. They were rather suggestive and not very family friendly. I wouldn't recommend taking small children to the Hyperpace Hoopla as I consider it to be an adult show.

If you want a VIP experience during Star Wars Weekends, those are available, too. The Feel the Force VIP dining event sounds like a lot of fun. You start with reserved seating for the Legends of the Force: Star Wars Celebrity Motorcade with beverages and snacks available. Then you also have reserved seating for the Symphony in the Stars fireworks which includes a Star Wars-themed dessert party. Finally, so the Force will be with you always, you receive a souvenir Disney Photopass card which includes complimentary Star Wars photos. This VIP event is a little pricey at $54 per adult and $32 per child, but I bet it's a lot of fun!

In all, I really enjoyed attending Star Wars Weekends. The characters were a lot of fun, the shows were great to watch, and the atmosphere was fantastic. I have always loved Star Wars and would recommend going to Star Wars Weekends to any fan.

Dok Ondar's Den of Antiquities Is Fascinating

One of the most alien shops in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is Dok Ondar's Den of Antiquities. The shop is decorated as though it was really a collection of antiques collected across the galaxy. There's so much to look at! Just outside the shop, you'll notice a few statues, including one of a Jedi master originally seen outside the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

As you enter the shop, you'll see an ancient Jedi battle scene, formerly seen hanging on a wall in Palpatine's office.

There are intriguing creatures everywhere you look in Dok Ondar's. One wall in features an interesting collection of alien taxidermy, including a Tauntaun head from Hoth. A Nexu, like the one that attacked Padme in the Geonosian arena, is another of the mounted heads. There are also several weapons, like a Gamorrean axe.

Have you ever wondered what a Sarlacc looks like beneath the surface? Well here's your chance to see the creature from Tatooine in all its glory.

This adorable critter is called an Ollopom. It is found in the Gungan Swamps on Naboo, where it is often mistaken for a plant.

This tank contains a young Dianoga, the same species as the creature that attacked Luke Skywalker in the trash compactor.

Everywhere you look, you'll see both familiar and exotic collectibles. There are weapons and helmets from Stormtroopers, Imperial Guards, and one that looks like Leia's Boushh disguise.

And finally, you can see Dok Ondar himself. The Ithorian collector keeps watch over his shop from a cage near the counter. In addition to all of the amazing references to 40 years of Star Wars films, Dok Ondar's Den of Antiquities does have items for sale, though they may cause a bit of sticker shock. The holocrons, both Jedi and Sith, are really cool, but cost $50. There are Jedi robes and accessories, Sith costumes, and even a white Leia dress from A New Hope. There's so much to look at that I can't wait to stop in again.

Star Wars: Forces of Destiny - Princess Leia

Disney/Lucasfilm

Ready for more Star Wars: Forces of Destiny? In episode five, "Beasts of Echo Base", Leia must face off against a Wampa to save Chewbacca.

Princess Leia Is Coming To Star Wars Rebels

Disney

Are you a fan of Star Wars Rebels? Bean and I love it, especially the twists and turns the story takes with familiar characters. And it looks like we're in for more surprises on tonight's episode. I can't wait to see a teenage Princess Leia's first appearance!

Star Wars Rebels: "A Princess on Lothal" airs tonight at 9 pm ET on DisneyXD.

Star Wars: Forces of Destiny Specials Coming in October

Disney

A new trailer has been released for two Star Wars: Forces of Destiny specials. The half hour shows will air on October 1 and 29 on the Disney Channel. Afterward, they will also be available on Disney's YouTube. The specials will be made up of the previously released shorts featuring Rey, Jyn Erso, Sabine, Leia, Ahsoka Tano, and Padme Amidala, as well as 8 new ones. The new shorts will include additional characters, such as Han Solo, Hera Syndulla, Finn, Maz Kanata, and more.

Disney originally launched Forces of Destiny to show the powerful female characters of the Star Wars universe. However, as Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said, they are, "for anyone who has been inspired by Leia's heroism, Rey's courage, or Ahsoka's tenacity." And the shorts all fit in with the existing Star Wars storylines. Story Group member Carrie Beck said, "One of the opportunities here was to tell the stories in between the larger moments and imagine some of the ways our characters have crossed. It's all part of the larger swath of storytelling."

Star Wars: Forces of Destiny - Leia and Sabine

Disney/Lucasfilm

In the eighth episode of  Star Wars: Forces of Destiny, "Bounty of Trouble", Leia and Sabine encounter an unexpected bounty hunter, a droid called IG-88.

Star Wars: Forces of Destiny - Leia

Disney/Lucasfilm

The latest episode of Star Wars: Forces of Destiny is called "Ewok Escape". It features Princess Leia and Wicket Warrick on the forest moon of Endor.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Teaser Posters

Lucasfilm

The teaser posters for Star Wars: The Last Jedi are awesome! Featuring glimpses of the main characters dressed entirely in red, the posters are definitely unique. The first poster is of the late Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia.

Lucasfilm

Next up is Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, the last remaining Jedi Knight.

Lucasfilm

Here's Daisy Ridley as Rey, the young woman who seeks Luke's help to learn the ways of the Force.

Lucasfilm

Former Stormtrooper Finn, John Boyega, was in a coma when last we saw him, so I'm curious to see what will happen when he wakes up.

Lucasfilm

The final poster is Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. Will Darth Vader's grandson follow in his footsteps, or is he lost to the Dark Side forever? Only time will tell. Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrives in theaters on December 15.

May the Force Be With You, Carrie Fisher

Lucasfilm

Carrie Fisher, best known to Star Wars fans as the iconic and indomitable Princess Leia, died yesterday at the age of 60. Her dry wit and amazing air of authority made Leia an incredibly powerful role model for girls everywhere. May the Force Be With Her, Always.

Quote of the Week

Lucasfilm

Hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you see it, you'll never make it through the night.

- Leia Organa, The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Force Awakens POPVinyl

The latest Star Wars POPVinyl collection features all of the new characters. There are 11 figures in the collection, as well as several exclusive characters available from various retailers.

Rey is a resilient survivor, a scavenger toughened by a lifetime of dealing 

with the cutthroats of the harsh desert world of Jakku.

An exclusive Rey with goggles is available from Hot Topic.

A trained warrior desperate to escape his past, Finn is plunged into adventure

as his conscience drives him down a heroic, but dangerous, path.

An exclusive Finn in Stormtrooper armor is available from Gamestop.

A dark warrior strong with the Force, Kylo Ren commands First Order missions with a temper as fiery as his unconventional lightsaber.

An exclusive Kylo Ren with no hood is available at Target.

Arguably the cutest droid in the galaxy, BB-8 is also my favorite of the new collection.

Poe Dameron, the greatest X-Wing pilot in the galaxy, is ready for battle.

An exclusive Poe Dameron without his helmet is available at Wal-Mart.

Faithful First Mate and co-pilot Chewbacca has loyally stood by his captain's

 side through the twisting fortunres of a galaxy in turmoil.

A fastidious and worry prone protocol droid, C-3PO longs for more peaceful times, but his continued service to Princess Leia keeps him in the frontlines of galactic conflict. (I wonder why poor C-3PO is now sporting a red arm?)

An exclusive metallic C-3PO is available from Barnes and Noble.

The final four characters are various types of Stormtroopers. Clad in distinctive metallic armor, Captain Phasma commands the First Order's legion of troopers. The other First Order Troopers include a Stormtrooper, a Snowtrooper, and a Flametrooper. An exclusive First Order Heavy Artillery Stormtrooper is available from Amazon. An exclusive First Order Stormtrooper with riot shield is , available at Walgreens.

Each 3 3/4 inch figure includes a decorative Star Wars base. I love when the figures have bases because it makes it much easier to keep them upright. (While most of the figures with large feet do well, my Buffy figure, Sally, and Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas tend to fall over.)

Autographs - An Adventure in Collecting, Part 3 Hollywood Studios

There are many opportunities to collect autographs at Disney's Hollywood Studios. For some characters, this is the only park where you can meet them for photos and autographs. The lines in this park are generally shorter than at the Magic Kingdom. At Hollywood Studios, I would recommend seeing Prince Caspian, the Incredibles, Playhouse Disney characters if you have little kids who enjoy the shows, Lightning McQueen & Mater, Mike & Sully, and the characters from UP. I haven't been to the Star Wars weekends yet, but I've heard that there are a lot of great characters to meet at these special events, as well as some of the actors who performed the roles in the movies. Most of the characters at Hollywood Studios are in special, themed areas specific to the character and are available throughout the day. Then there are rotating characters at the Magic of Animation building. These characters vary and may change multiple times throughout the day. As a result, you never know who you're going to get, but that can be fun if you have the time.

Characters that can be seen on normal days:
Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Sorceror Mickey, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto
Chip & Dale
Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Green Army Man*
Prince Caspian*
Power Rangers Green*, Yellow*, Pink*, and more*
Elastigirl*, Mr. Incredible*, Frozone*
Genie
Playhouse Disney: Handy Manny*, Jojo & Goliath*, Annie*, Quincy*, Leo* & June*
Indiana Jones* & Marion* (after the stunt show)
Lightning McQueen* & Mater* (they can't sign autographs because they don't have hands!)
Mike Wazowski* & Sully* (they can't sign autographs because Roz won't allow extra paperwork!)
Russell*, Mr. Fredrickson (Carl)*, and Dug* from UP

Characters that are sometimes available:
Belle
Mulan
Mary Poppins & Bert, Penguin
Villains: Captain Hook & Mr. Smee, Cruella DeVille, Frollo, Governor Radcliffe, Jafar, Prince John, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Queen of Hearts, the Snow Queen, Evil Queen
Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee, the White Rabbit
Rafiki
Snow White & Dopey
Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore
Pinocchio, Gepetto
Lilo & Stitch
Max
Pocahontas & Meeko
Suzy & Perla (the Mice from Cinderella)
Marie

Characters that are only found during Star Wars Weekends:
Chewbacca*, Ewoks*, R2-D2*, Jawas*
Darth Vader*, Boba Fett*, Stormtroopers*, Darth Maul*, Clone Troopers*
Jedi Mickey*, Stormtrooper Donald*, Vader Goofy*, Leia Minnie*

* = only available at this park
Tomorrow, on to Animal Kingdom.

Endor and Tower of Terror Tsum Tsums

This Tsum Tsum Tuesday brings the release of a new Star Wars collection: Endor. The set of six Tsums include: Luke, Leia, and Han in forest gear, a Bike Trooper, and two Ewoks, Wicket and Logray, the shaman. The set was released in the UK today, but should be available in the US soon.

Another park set was released online last week featuring Mickey and friends as characters from the Tower of Terror. The set of six Tsums includes: Mickey in a tux, Minnie the starlet, Goofy and Pete as bellhops, Daisy as Sally Shine, and Donald the director. They're so 20's it's adorable!

Disney Crochet Kits

I love yarn crafts: knitting, crocheting, weaving, I love it all. So when I discovered a few new character kits, I knew I had to try them out.

The first kit I found was at Sam's Club.  Disney Classic Crochet by Megan Kreiner includes a book with easy to follow instructions to create 12 favorite Disney characters: Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket, Bambi, and Lady. There's also enough yarn to make Mickey and Donald, along with felt, a crochet hook, a needle, embroidery thread, and even stuffing. This kit was available for a very reasonable $13. Megan Kreiner has a Winnie the Pooh kit as well, and even a free pattern on her website to make Gus Gus from Cinderella.

The second kit came from Costco. Star Wars Crochet by Lucy Collin includes a book with instructions for creating 12 amigurumi characters: Yoda, Leia, Luke, Han, Chewie, R2-D2, C-3PO, Wicket, Jabba the Hutt, Darth Vader, Bona Fett, and a Stormtrooper. All of the yarn, a crochet hook, a needle, stuffing, and safety eyes needed to create Yoda and a Stormtrooper are included in the kit (however, I wouldn't recommend using the safety eyes as the safety washers break when used.) I made a tiny Yoda. He's quite cute. The directions were easy to follow and it didn't take long to go from start to finish. This kit was also $12. Lucy Collin has other Star Wars patterns for sale on her website as well as several free patterns for cute little critters.