The biggest difference I remember from both of my previous trips was how much Sea World had expanded into a park with a variety of marine based amusements while they continued to provide animal encounters and experiences like no other place I had ever been. Recently, my husband and son attended a local event in Boston, sponsored by Sea World, where we not only learned about Sea World’s exciting attractions, but all the behind the scenes conservation efforts Sea World is dedicated to.

Did you know that:

• SeaWorld maintains the largest animal collection in the world — more than 65,000 animals, including 200 endangered, threatened and at-risk species — and is a global leader in animal husbandry, veterinary care and training
• SeaWorld has also contributed $50 million to conservation, wildlife rescue and environmental stewardship programs worldwide
• Nearly 20,000 animals have been rescued by the park’s animal experts including whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, manatees, sea turtles and birds. This is the equivalent of helping one animal a day — every day — for 45 years.



• SeaWorld has established thriving breeding programs for most all of the species in its care, including killer whales, dolphins and sea lions.  The success of these programs is evidence of healthy and well-adapted animals, and the data gained has added immeasurably to the scientific understanding of marine mammal biology and reproductive physiology
• SeaWorld supports more than 100 environmental organizations worldwide. Ranging from local community initiatives to global wildlife research and conservation programs, these partnerships allow the parks to share animal expertise, strengthen on-the-ground efforts to protect wildlife, and educate millions of people.
• SeaWorld’s animals also serve as ambassadors. More than 385 animals interact with guests in the parks, and also make numerous media and public appearances throughout the year to raise awareness for conservation and species in danger.

At the Boston event, Sea World brought a few friends who made public appearances. We hope you enjoy some of the photo’s from our experience.

My husband and son attended an event sponsored by Sea World that provided an information session, animal encounter and lunch. The opinions expressed in this blog post are purely my own.

www.ToyQueen.com interviews Rory Story Cubes game inventor at Toy Fair 2011

February 14, 2010 - New York, NY - Toy Story toy soliders decsend from the ceiling at the Toy Story 3 event at Toy Fair 2010

February 14, 2010 - New York, NY - Toy Story 3 event at Toy Fair 2010 John Lasseter holds a lego replica of himself

February 14, 2010 - New York, NY - Toy Story 3 event at Toy Fair 2010 John Lasseter poses next to lego replica of himself

February 14, 2010 - New York, NY - John Ratzenberger poses with Keri WIlmot from www.toyqueen.com at the Disney preview of Toy Story 3 in New York City

February 14, 2010 - New York, NY - John Lasseter poses with Keri WIlmot from www.toyqueen.com at the Disney preview of Toy Story 3 in New York City

February 14, 2010 - New York, NY - Keri WIlmot from www.toyqueen.com at the Disney preview of Toy Story 3 in New York City gets shown some of the new toys for 2010 by one of the Disney executives

@toyqueen, @realtweeter, @gamehouse, & @brett from @mashable

A few months ago we partnered with Mashable.com to assist in planning their Holiday Party at the Roger Smith Hotel in New York City. The event was held on December 17, and was sponsored by Ceiva, Gamehouse, Hautelook and Real Player. Over 150 people attended and a great time was had by all!

As Mashable promotes social media for social good, in the spirit of holiday giving, a portion of the proceeds were donated to the Association to Benefit Children (www.a-b-c.org) in New York City.

ABC is an organization that is “dedicated to bringing joy and warmth to disadvantaged children and their families through compassionate, sustainable, comprehensive and integrated services, designed to permanently break the cycles of abuse, neglect, sickness and homelessness.”

I personally want to send out a big thank you to Hasbro (@familygamenight) and Mega Bloks (@megabrands) large toy corporations who donated items for the raffle, as well as a significant amount of toys and games that were donated directly to the Association to Benefit Children for use in their therapeutic programs. First and foremost, as an occupational therapist who works in a similar environment, I can vouch that those toys and games will have such a significant impact for several years both developmentally and socially on many children.

If you are considering an organization to donate to this holiday season, consider ABC (www.a-b-c.org) or even find a local early intervention program or shelter in your community that may benefit from a small toy donation.

This year, we are donating a portion of our proceeds to the Association to Benefit Children (ABC). So come enjoy a great collection of wine (thanks to Wine 2.0), Singha Beer, Red Eye Bloody Marys and some appetizers from the Roger Smith Hotel.

A big thanks to our sponsors: RealPlayer SP, Gamehouse, HauteLook and CEIVA.

Date: Thursday, December 17th, 2009
Time: 6:30 – 9:30 PM
Location: Roger Smith Hotel’s Penthouse Floor
501 Lexington Avenue between East 47th and East 48th Streets, NYC
Food: Appetizers will be served
Tickets: Only 120 Tickets at $50 through Eventbrite or below:

A Portion of the Proceeds Support

“Association to Benefit Children (ABC) is dedicated to bringing joy and warmth to disadvantaged children and their families through compassionate, sustainable, comprehensive and integrated services, designed to permanently break the cycles of abuse, neglect, sickness and homelessness. ABC’s humane and innovative programs today include early childhood education for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, educational advocacy, housing assistance, mental health services, family support and preservation, crisis intervention, therapeutic out-of-school and summer day camp programs, youth leadership development and mentoring.”

Thanks to our Sponsors

“With the new RealPlayer SP, you can share online videos with social web sites like Twitter and Facebook and easily transfer downloaded videos directly to your favorite phone, portable media player or iTunes Library. With the new RealPlayer converter feature, you have more control over your video to change its format, size or quality, making it easy to get video and audio content onto your devices. No need to wrestle with or remember file format and device settings options. For more information, go to www.realplayer.com.”

“GameHouse is the trusted online resource for fun casual games, specializing in the delivery of high value entertainment to players around the world. With a growing focus on social gaming, GameHouse leverages an extensive library of original game titles like COLLAPSE! and Text Twist, along with powerful licenses like SCRABBLE® and UNO®, to reach and connect new players across the globe via popular social platforms like Facebook and iPhone.”

“HauteLook is an online retailer that brings the thrill back to shopping through exclusive, limited time sale events. Through an edited selection of trusted, high quality brands, HauteLook members enjoy amazing access to premium fashion brands, boutique home labels, beauty and skincare products, and kids’ apparel and accessories at discounts of 50 to 75 percent off every day. In the last two years, over 600 high profile brands have chosen HauteLook to host more than 1,200 private sale events. Some of the most popular fashion brands offered on the site include BCBG, Elizabeth & James, Herve Leger, Joe’s Jeans and M Missoni.”

“CEIVA Digital Photo Frames are the world’s only connected digital frames, renowned for their ease of use and unique patented technology. CEIVA® offers endless options to see, share and store photos in a revolutionary new way. Designed for photo enthusiasts who want more ways to access their entire collection, the CEIVA Pro 80 offers built-in Media Server connectivity to let you stream photos instantly over your home wireless network. You can also connect over Wi-Fi or phone line (broadband adapter also available) for new photos sent directly from friends and family located anywhere in the world.”

Thanks to our Partners

“As a pediatric occupational therapist for the last 10 years, Keri Wilmot has utilized a variety of toys and concepts to stimulate the development and educational growth of young children.ToyQueen.com was created to provide all parents, caregivers and educators with a comprehensive video and text resource to help identify toys and products that may enhance their child’s development. Alterative ways to play with a toy or product are also highlighted to allow parents to enhance their child’s developmental milestones in ways that are motivating, natural and playful.”

“SMAC – the Social Media Advertising Consortium fosters collaboration throughout the entire social media ecosystem, diving deep into critical issues and staying ahead of this constantly evolving industry. By bringing together buy side, sell side, and research professionals to develop relevant standards, comprehensive research and definitive measurement tools, our goal is to grow revenues and increase engagement. SMAC members are groundbreakers. Entrepreneurs. Thought leaders. Together, we form a community that feeds off each other’s creativity, creating an environment for learning and discovery.”

This song is dedicated to the hardest working people on the planet – moms! By Go Fish Guys