National Chocolate Covered Anything Day / Barbie And Barney Backlash Day

NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED ANYTHING DAY

Chocolate lovers rejoice on National Chocolate Covered Anything Day! December 16th offers the chocolate day you’ve been waiting for. On this day, dip and drizzle your favorite foods in every kind of chocolate imaginable.

If you could cover anything in chocolate, what would it be? So many foods improve when we dip them in chocolate. Businesses have been built on a foundation of dipping food into chocolate. Whether you pick up a chocolate fountain or order a bouquet of a beautiful arrangement of chocolate-dipped fruit, celebrate! 

But fruit isn’t the only food meant for dipping in chocolate. Oh no. Other foods cry out for chocolate, too. Have you tried chocolate-covered peanuts, cashews, or walnuts? Pretzels undergo a divine transformation when dipped in chocolate, and they even have a national day of their own. Pound cake and gummy candies taste delicious with chocolate, too. If you love coffee, how can you pass up chocolate covered coffee beans?

The list goes on. What’s you’re favorite covered chocolate covered anything?

 BARBIE AND BARNEY BACKLASH DAY

On December 16th, Barbie and Barney Backlash Day allows parents to take a vacation from all the repetitive sing-a-longs and storytelling. 

While Barbie and Barney aren’t the only toys and television show of childhood, these two do strike a nerve from time to time. The day permits parents to turn off the annoying cartoons and songs. Parents may insist on a different book to read at bedtime. Put away the noisy toys. If you dare. 

Sheryl Leach created Barney & Friends in 1987. The show first aired on PBS in 1992 and was aimed at children ages 1 to 8 years old. The friendly, purple tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur sang and danced many of his educational messages. While children adored Barney, many adults found him disturbing. Despite the adults’ feelings, Barney & Friends aired for 14 seasons, plus reruns.

Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, and Ruth Handler created the fashion doll. In 1961, Mattel introduced Ken Carson, Barbie’s boyfriend. Interestingly, Barbie was one of the first toys to have a marketing strategy based extensively on television advertising. Estimates place over a billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in over 150 countries. 

Often, Barbie is criticized for being an unattainable ideal of a woman. Her figure alone is unrealistic. Over the years, Barbie evolved both in style and shape. In 2019, the Barbie brand honored pioneering women across several eras, as well.