Indice dei contenuti per February 2020 in Mania

FRESH AIR, ROLLING GREEN HILLS AND PLENTY OF CUTE CRITTERS TO PET AND FEED.IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE YOUR IDEA OF A FUN GETAWAY WITH YOUR FAM, THEN A FARMSTAY EXPERIENCE IS FOR YOU. MANIA’S EDITOR DOM, ALONG WITH HIS PARTNER-IN-CRIME BONNIE AND DAUGHTER JASMINE (2 YEARS OLD) DECIDED TO SKIP TOWN AND HEADED TO EDEN FARM ESCAPE FOR THE WEEKEND. FAST FACTS Where is it? Eden Farm Escape is located in Bilpin, NSW, about a 1.5hr drive from Sydney. Type of farm: 90 acre hobby farm What makes it unique: Horse-assisted learning and therapy Who lives here: Deborah, Michael and their kids Meshi, Lily and Noa live between here and Sydney. Find out more: At www.edenequine.com.au.…

TRY SOME APPLE PIE: Bilpin is famous for its delicious apple pies. Our pick of the pies is at Tutti Frutti café on the Bells Line of Road. GO FRUIT PICKING: There’s plenty of orchards in Bilpin where you can pick everything from peaches and nectarines to apples, plums, pears and persimmon (depending on what’s in season). HAVE A TREE TOP ADVENTURE: You can explore the forest at canopy level at Trees Adventure, a series of flying foxes, cargo nets, rope bridges and wooden obstacles, built up high in the gum trees at a property in Yarramundi, 40 minutes drive from Bilpin. Call (02) 4776 1226 for info. GO ON A GLOW WORM TOUR: Discover a colony of these bio-luminescent creatures in a canyon in Berambing, about 10 minutes drive…

ALEX THE AFRICAN GREY PARROT (CHICAGO USA 1977) Alex was so smart he could understand language to a similar level as a chimpanzee and could identify 50 different objects as well as colours, shapes and materials. KOSHIK THE ELEPHANT (YONGIN SOUTH KOREA, 2004) This amazing elephant started mimicking words and expressions in the Korean language that he’d heard from his keepers. He could say “Hello” (annyong), “Lie down”, (nuo), “Good” (Choak) and even “Sit down” (anja). FACT! DOLITTLE IS LOOSELY BASED ON HUGH LOFTING’S BOOK THE VOYAGES OF DOCTOR DOLITTLE, FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1922!…

CHEEKY COOKIE CON WHAT YOU’LL NEED: A pack of Oreos and some toothpaste Grab an Oreo (or a few if you’re bothered) and scrape off the cream filling in the middle. Replace the cream filling with a scraping of toothpaste and sandwich the cookie back up. Offer the new minty Oreos to a fam member and watch their face when they take a bite! CHEEKY TV TEASE WHAT YOU’LL NEED: Thick sticky tape and the household TV remote This one’s easy yet effective! When the living room is empty grab a little bit of sticky tape and put it over the sensor on the end of the remote. The next person to try to watch TV won’t be able to figure out why the TV ain’t working! FUN FLY FREAKOUT…

DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT PS4, Xbox One, PC • Out: January 17, 2020 A complete, playable retelling of every saga from Dragon Ball Z? Yes please! We can’t wait to dive in as Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta! ORI AND THE WILL OF THE WISPS Xbox One, PC • February 11, 2020 The first Ori was so good that we’re very excited for the sequel! This one’s been pretty mysterious, but it’ll apparently borrow from Hollow Knight, which we also love! FINAL FANTASY 7 REMAKE PS4 • Out: March 3, 2020 We’ve played this one, and it’s shaping up to be really amazing, mixing old-skool RPG action with cutting edge modern graphics and a new battle system! ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS Switch • Out: March 20, 2020 We’re huge fans of…

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: • 1 cups of flour • 1 cups warm water • 2 tbsp. vegetable oil • Gloves • Food colouring • 1/4 cup of salt • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar STEP 1 Add the flour, salt and cream of tartar in a bowl. STEP 2 Add in the vegetable oil and water. STEP 3 Mix it all together to make a dough. STEP 4 Add your food colouring. Now put your gloves on and knead it with your hands. THE SCIENCE When you combine salt and flour and cream of tartar you are creating what is known as a ‘mixture.’ When you mix the liquids, you’re creating a ‘solution.’ A new substance - the playdough – is formed when you knead the dough and a chemical…

CHLOE’S STATS NAME: Chloe Coleman BDAY: December 11 FROM: Los Angeles, California, U.S. ACTING SINCE: 5 years old HOBBIES: Art, dancing, swimming CHLOE’S IN AVATAR 2! Chloe has been cast in the long-awaited sequel to 2009’s Avatar. She’ll play a character called Lo’ak and we’re very excited to see it! MANIA: WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT MY SPY? Chloe: “I’ll say that the trailer doesn’t really give anything away. I mean it’s like compared to the type of film where a big action hero stars alongside a little kid, but it’s much smarter and humorous than those films. Kids love it, but adults like it too, because our director Pete Segal is a master of comedy and he did an amazing job.” MANIA: WHAT’S YOUR FAVE PART OF THE…

JULES’ STATS Name: Jules Faber From: Sydney, NSW Medium: Ink on card Fave book: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak Works: WeirDo, Kaboom Kid, and some Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki’s science books Secret talent: Solving the Rubik’s Cube MANIA: WERE YOU ARTY AS A KID? Jules: “I’ve LOVED drawing, ever since I was four years old when I sa w Mr. Squiggle on TV.” MANIA: WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU MADE IT AS AN ARTIST? Jules: “Lots of different jobs. Lab assistant, mechanic, barman, teacher and bookseller among others.” MANIA: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST BIG ART GIG? Jules: “Although I’d freelanced for many years, working on a TV show for Disney was my first full-time gig.” MANIA: HOW’D YOU LAND THA T AWSM JOB? Jules: “I’d just graduated…

AMAZING PET ACTS PUSS SAVES FROM A BIG BLAZE A tabby from Melbourne deserves a medal of honour for real. Sully was trying to get her owner’s attention in the middle of the night and not just for a cuddle; their house was on fi re! The courageous cat got the dude awake and they both escaped unscathed. Amazing! DOGGO’S BIG ANIMAL FAM This once lonely pup came to be a mum to a big bunch of creatures. Police found Jasmine the greyhound abandoned and took her to a wildlife sanctuary where she quickly became the surrogate mummy to puppies, rabbits, foxes, badgers, Guinea pigs and birds! Cute! HUMMINGBIRD BUDDY These two are a very unlikely duo. On a walk with his owner Rex the playful pup spotted a sickly…

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ANIMALS BY JULES HOWARD ILLUSTRATED BY JAROM VOGEL When you can’t quite put your finger on what feathery, furry or slimy creature you’ve found, or just need a little more information about them, you need this book. It’s full of amazing animals of every kind. Inside you’ll find detailed descriptions of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and invertebrates, with heaps of cool facts to explore. The colourful illustrations are really rad too! SPECTRE COLLECTORS RISE OF THE GHOSTFATHER BY BARRY HUTCHISON Imagine if you saw a ghost but not just any ghost – the granddaddy of all ghosts, The Ghostfather! What would you do? Would you help him if he asks for help or just run and hide? Denzel and his friends are faced with just such a…

Nintendogs›+›Cats (3DS) In this game you get to raise your own dog or even a cat and interact with them, walk them and participate in cool contests! Garfield Kart Furious Racing (PS4) This is the sleeper hit of 2019! Move over Mario Kart - Garfield is here to win and first place is a big plate full of lasagna. Yummo! Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training for Nintendo Switch (Switch) I’ve been missing Dr. Kawashima so seeing him back and on the Switch is AWSM! I’m feeling my brain age getting younger by the minute. Game on, YAKs! DON’T FORGET TO SEND US YOUR PHOTOS, YAKS! GAMING FACTOID Our games editor James has worked on MANIA for 10 years! Hooray!…

Q: Why did the bee go into the barbershop? A: To get a buzzcut! Q: Where do wasps go when they’re sick? A: The waspital! Q: What’d the dog say when he stepped on the sand paper? A: “Ruff, ruff!” Q: Why do seagulls fly over the sea? A: Cos’ if they flew over the bay they’d be bagels! Q: What’s grey and has a big trunk? A: A mouse going on a long vacation! Q: What do you get if you mix a vampire with a snowman? A: Frostbite! Q: What do you call a huge pile of kittens? A: A meowntain! RAD READER JOKE! Q: What’s the difference between a guitar and a fish? A: You can’t tuna fish!…

WHO’S DOLITTLE? If you could talk to your pet dog, cat or goldfish what would you say? And, more importantly what would they say to you? In this epic adventure tale, Dr John Dolittle a veterinarian (played by Robert Downey Jr.) talks to ALL creatures great and small. A VET LIKE NO OTHER… Dolittle is as eccentric as they come. His Victorian manor house includes gadgets like a little steam-powered train set that can deliver his tea and it is filled with every kind of animal you can imagine – monkeys, birds and even an octopus. Being friends with so many animals has its benefits – he’s even been known to hitch a ride on the back of an ostrich! ADVENTURE AWAITS There are dangers lurking around every corner. Get…

SAM & THE BUOYS MANIA writer Sam discovered The Buoys when they played some gigs with his bro’s band The Crocs! Small world! THE BUOY’S STATS Band Members: Courtney on Bass, Hilary on Lead Guitar, Tess on Drums & Zoe on Vocals + Guitar From: Sydney, NSW Genre: Rock No. of Records: 1 EP & 4 Singles Fave song atm: Future Me Hates Me - The Beths MANIA: HOW’D YOU GUYS GET STARTED IN MUSIC? Buoys: “We all played from a really young age, mostly in primary school. Tess started drums in a primary school band, Courtney and Hilary also started guitar around a similar time. Zoe did mostly concert band, clarinet and saxophone until high school where she picked up guitar.” MANIA: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE BUOYS SOUND?…

First let’s put in a jawline. Then we’ll add Max’s hairline and ears. The ears will be the central part of Max’s head, just like on your own. Let’s fill out his hair a bit. Remember to keep your ears halfway. Now between where the tops of the ears meets the head is our eyeline. Time to help Max smell and talk about smells he’s smelled. Give Max his long, untrimmed hairdo Let’s give him a stick neck and shoulders. He likes his black T-shirt best so let’s colour it in and you’re done!…

WHAT’S IT ABOUT? It’s a blaster-tooting, intergalactic live action adventure set in the Star Wars universe after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. It’s about a Mandalorian gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the New Republic. THE HERO The Mandalorian FROM: Mandalore ALLEGIANCE: Whoever pays him WEAPONS: Hip blaster, repulsor, grappling line, flamethrower OTHER TECH: Paralysing darts and shield emitter ARMOUR: Beskar armour (impervious to lightsabers) Of legendary Mandalorian heritage, he’s a warrior with outstanding skill and iron nerves. Clad in his iconic bounty hunter armour, he’s a tough talker in negotiations and quick on the draw with a blaster. He makes the right moves at the right times and is more than a match for any opponent, human…

10. GHOST TRICK (2010) Nintendo DS, mobile The most obscure game on my list is this Nintendo DS game with an incredible story about a ghost solving his own murder! It’s funny, cute, and extremely clever—I still think about the plot twists all the time! 9. STARDEW VALLEY (2016) PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Vita, mobile Stardew Valley is one of the best indie games ever made, a farming sim that gets deeper and better the more time you put into it. It’s a perfect fit for the Switch, but we’re happy playing it on any system! 8. TETRIS EFFECT (2018) PS4, PC It’s the best version of Tetris ever made, with stunning graphics and an incredible soundtrack. A really great example of how even simple games can be super…

Sadly the time has come when we have to say goodbye, MANIACs. This is the very last issue of MANIA magazine – the most awesome, funniest, coolest, raddest and most amazing kids’ magazine in the world. It’s really hard to sum up exactly how much I’ve loved working on MANIA these last 12 years and being the editor – only to say that it’s been the most awesome, fun, amazing and exhilarating experience of my life and the best job I could ever have asked for. I’ve had the most incredible experiences – I’ve been picked up by a giant claw inside a giant vending machine, tied to a flying fox that went zooming over a camp site; I’ve gone canyoning, indoor skydiving, skating and snorkelling, high rope walking and…