Peek wishes all the father’s out there a wonderful father’s day this weekend! We loved all the photos that were submitted in our Father’s Day contest on Facebook. We selected this great photo which we thought represented such a great memory of being at the beach with dad’s and the innocent fun that can be had! A special congratulations to Shawn A for the entry, and take a look at the winning photo below:
You may have noticed a little bit of soccer-mania in the air. Yep, it’s the World Cup, running from June 12 – July 11. Four years ago, it was played in Germany; this time, the site is South Africa, and it’s already proving to be full of surprises and heartbreaks.
In case you need a little primer, here are some fun facts you might need to know:
Flopping and Diving: Watch these players carefully. Soccer players can throw tantrums too, and at the slightest bump can fall to the ground so it looks like they were hit a lot harder (is this a familiar bedtime sight for you too?). Why do they do this? Sometimes, it’s to get the refs to call a foul on another player; sometimes it’s just to run out the clock a bit, so the other team has less time to score. It’s annoying, and it’s also funny. And it’s a big part of futbol.
Red Cards: You’ve surely noticed that players get “carded” when they foul. They generally get a yellow card as their first warning; too many of those, and a player can get a red card – and get kicked out of the game. Parenting note: you will start telling your kids they will get a red card if they don’t get to the table in 3…2…1…
Vuvuzelas: You’ve surely noticed that annoying buzzing sound playing constantly in the background of every game? Those are vuvuzelas, plastic horns about a yard long that South African fans love, but many others loathe. There’s talk of banning them, but for now, they’re an omnipresent reminder of the unique location of this year’s games.
There’s also one very cool thing to note about our team. Most other national teams look pretty homogeneous – all the same. The US team reflects the diversity of our population – our players’ families have come from all over to create a “multi-culti” team. Jose Torres‘ parents are Mexican, and though he grew up here, he usually plays in Mexico; Stewart Holden was born in Scotland and moved here as a kid; the powerful Oguchi Onyewu‘s parents are from Nigeria, while Jozy Altador‘s are from Haiti; Clint Dempsey grew up in Texas, but played against Mexican kids in his trailer park. The coach is Bob Bradley, and his son, Michael Bradley, is one of the best players on the team.
One more bit of drama: When Ghana plays Germany on June 23 (check out the coolest full schedule ever, here), it’ll really be brother-against-brother: Jerome and Kevin Boateng are brothers whose mom is German and whose dad is from Ghana. They each made a different team — and will play against each other. Ask the kids: What would that be like?
Of course, you’ll want to shop our collection of limited-edition World Cup tees. Regardless of who you’re rooting for, they’re a fun way to celebrate “the beautiful game.”
So what’s all the fuss about? Why do we care so much about the World Cup?
The World Cup is the most popular sporting event in the world. It has taken place every 4 years since 1930 (except for 1942 and 1946 due to the world war)and lasts an entire month. This year it will have over a billion worldwide viewers. Countries from every corner of the globe send teams with the hopes of winning the $31 million prize and the coveted trophy (surprisingly not a cup).The World Cup is organized and run by FIFA, the International Federation of Association Football (French: Fédération Internationale de Football Association)which is based in Zurich, Switzerland. The tournament currently has 32 teams that are vying for the title.
World Cup Fun Facts:
England Tee
England won the world cup in 1966 (get it; there’s a 66 on the back). England was the host of the tournament that year and they beat West Germany to get their one (and only) World Cup win. They were the first host team to win since Italy in 1934. We celebrate their achievement with a shirt in the team’s famous red color, with a jersey-style graphic on the back that represents the year they won.
Italia Tee
Italy is the current reigning champion of the World Cup tournament after winning in 2006. They have won 4 (1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006) titles and have hosted twice, in 1934 and 1990. We celebrate their achievements with our shirt representing their win in 1982.
Brazil Tee
Brazil has the most tournament wins with 5 titles. They are the only team that has participated in all 18 tournaments and are always a popular team, if not the most popular. They are hosting the 2014 tournament. We celebrate their 1970 title with this tee that reads World Champions on the front.
Maybe summer is so magical because it comes in ready-made episodes. The rest of the year plods along, week by week, but when summer rolls around you find yourself suddenly jumping from one year to the next. “That was the summer I learned to ride a bike.” “That was the summer I learned to water ski.” “That was the summer when the annoying little tomboy up the hill turned into… Miranda.” Summer means growing up, piece by piece, in all its bittersweet glory.
Peek clothes are designed with memories in mind. When one of our tees makes you isntantly wistful, we get happy. That’s why we use retro typeface and graphics inspired by our own memories. Then you put them on your kids, and they create their own memories, and the cycle continues. Captured on a carousel of time!
Peek tees, shirts and shorts go together in myriad combinations to create an array of effortless summer looks. Here are some of our favorites – bet you can use your own memories as a jumping-off point for outfits of your own.
Water is such a summertime staple. Whether it’s found at the beach, the lake, the pond, or the sprinklers out back – that wet stuff is the only way to cool off on a hot day. Did you learn to paddle a canoe at camp? Did you screw up your courage to water-ski at your grandpa’s summer place? Did your dad let you stay up after dark and create a “thunderstorm” in the driveway by running the hose up to the terrace above? Did you get to fill a super-soaker and blast each other backwards while your mom fretted that you’d somehow put an eye out? Catch a wave, wherever it is… or explore our other tees (baseball! soccer! funny stuff!) and see what dormant memories they awaken in you.
When summer rolls around, “dressing up” becomes less about pinchy shoes and more about… anything that’s fancier than a tee. Especially in California, where casualwear rules all year ’round, a family picnic or after-church barbecue means comfort while he runs around after his newfound friends. This is the shirt for firefly hunting, for funny faces in family photos, for walking to the ice cream store all by himself (he doesn’t have to know you’re watching from the upstairs window) with a dollar clutched in one hand and his little cousin’s hand in the other.
Pants begone! But while we’ve got fond memories of cutoff shorts, our moms just remember the frustration of them ripping in the wrong place, trailing strings, and looking way worse than they felt. Oh, the fights over those precious cutoffs! Never fear – Peek has thought of it all, including “cutoff” shorts with a raw edge that’s reinforced (to save your sanity) even as it’s cute, comfortable and casual for maximum knee-exposure.
Attention everyone! This weekend is Mother’s Day, and we wanted to give a special shout out to all the mother’s out there. We love you. Thank you for all the things you do everyday to make our lives better. We hope your little one got a chance to make a handprint at our store event last weekend, but if they didn’t, don’t worry–We’re sure they’ll find something just as messy to make a hand print in for you!
We want to thank everyone who participated on our first Peek Photography contest! We love seeing all the children in their Peek looks doing what they do best–Being kids! There were so many beautiful entries–entries that made us laugh, smile, and flat-out impress us of the talent of some of those photographers out there!
It made the decision really difficult for us, but as we narrowed down the entries, we found 2 that had such a great energy, playful nature, and beautiful expression of what we imagine Peek to represent for our kids–a sense of innocence, nostalgia of playtime, and expression of adventure and wit.
So the winner is:
Trish L with her photograph below:
Our second winner, just because we had a really hard time deciding, will get a $25 Gift Card to use at PeekKids.com. She Kelli M’s photograph below:
Be sure to bring your kids in to our Mother’s Day Event this Saturday May 1 and Sunday May 2 to have your kids make a handprint keepsake just in time for Mother’s Day! The handprint will be made in a beautiful tin for FREE with your purchase of $100. Without purchase, it’s just $15. Help your kid make a lasting impression by coming to your local Peek store this weekend. Psst…Dads, this makes a PERFECT Mother’s Day gift!
Image courtesy of Big Bend National Park
There’s no better argument for conservation and preservation of national parks than Big Bend National Park in Texas. You think Europe’s old? Big Bend laughs at Roman ruins. It’s actually kind of a phlegmy cackle, because this place is oooold: People have lived there since caveman days. Specifically, the Paleo-Indian era, starting in 8000 B.C. It’s so old, there are petroglyphs of Larry King’s kindergarten class. Zing!
Okay, seriously: A visit to this national park is going to have something for everyone. In a one-hour drive, you can see mountains, deserts, and the Rio Grande river. There are hot springs to soak in, and once in a while, there’s even snow. There’s the caveman stuff. There are the Chisos Indians and Spanish explorers, both of whom inhabited the area from about 1535 to the mid 1800s. “Presidios,” or forts, still stand along the Rio Grande dating from the 1700s. Ranchers roamed from the mid 1800s until the early 1900s, when miners began settling the area in earnest.
There are literally thousands of archeological sites on its 118 miles, including dinosaur fossils. The biggest flying dinosaur of all time — the pterosaur, with its 36-foot wingspan — was found here, along with the skull of a chasmosaurus, the biggest known skull of any land animal. Big. Big and old. Exploring this beautiful, moon-like vista, you really can’t believe how many generations of people made life work in this beautiful, but harsh, environment.
Image of Everett Townsend courtesy of Big Bend National Park
This panorama has been home to loads of interesting characters, and mysteries and ghosts seem to walk the barren landscape. But the explorer and conservationist who brought this park to national-park status was Everett Townsend. As a young man, in 1894, while he was tracking some stolen mules, he came though a pass and lo and behold, he caught his first glimpse of the Chisos Mountains, the centerpiece of the park. Awe-struck for life, he vowed then and there to do whatever he could to preserve the area.
Years passed; he became a sheriff, then a state representative. Here was his chance: he co-authored a bill in 1933, outlining and establishing a plan for the park. It worked. His first act was to create a local wing of the Civilian Conservation Corps, which was a civilian “army” of working men created by Franklin Roosevelt to get people back to work during the Great Depression. The Great Bend corps was 200 men who lived in tents, then barracks, being paid $30 a month to build roads, culverts, and trails still in use today. Over the next ten years Townsend worked tirelessly to get the park national and international status; he finally got his wish in 1944, just three years before he died.
Of course, no visit to Texas would be complete without a trip to the Dallas Peek store, where you can pick up the Take a Hike tee just in time to put t-shirt slogans into action.
The Take a Hike tee. Do what it says.
There’s No Crying In Baseball!
Spring training is here, and opening day of the official season was April 4. Are you ready? By “ready,” of course, we mean – do you have the right outfits? (We at Peek were mostly gym-class flameouts, but we love to watch — and we do appreciate any excuse for a fashion upgrade.)
We’ve prepared ourselves for the onslaught of the national pastime with some tributes to classic players. Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that there are lots of different ways to appreciate baseball. Dad might be sitting there quietly assessing stats, while Mom becomes emotionally attached to the Giants because that Tim Lincecum is so gosh-darn cute.
For kids, sometimes it’s stories about great players of the past that can draw them into the games of the present. The players we picked are exceptional for a number of reasons, and even if the kids aren’t inspired right away, when they see how Grandma and Grandpa go nuts over their Mickey Mantle jersey, they’ll begin to understand the way baseball is more than a sport to so many people.
Jackie Robinson is best-known as the first black player in the Major Leagues. (For those of you who remember the Trivial Pursuit question naming Moses Fleetwood Walker, fine – the first black player after the Major Leagues excluded, then re-included, black players.) But Robinson’s Brooklyn Dodgers career was only a fraction of the story. He was a Michael Jordan-level athlete who excelled at every sport he played, earning varsity letters in football, basketball, and track in addition to baseball at UCLA. He was good. Really good. Good enough to guarantee he’d become a hero despite people’s reservations about allowing a black guy to play. He also pulled a Rosa Parks when he was in the military in 1944, refusing to go to the back of an Army bus; the resulting court martial kept him from being deployed overseas. There’s lots more to say about Robinson, of course. Just don’t forget he was also arguably the greatest second baseman who ever played.
Babe Ruth played for the Yankees starting in 1919, and proceeded to change how baseball was played. Before his tenure as a prodigious home-run hitter, low scoring games were the norm. Ruth’s big swing got fans excited about every game he played, and he kept raising the bar. 1920: 54 home runs. 1921: 59 home runs. 1927: a whopping 60 home runs, a record that stood till fellow Yankee Roger Maris broke it in 1961. Plus, he was an incredibly colorful character, known as much for his off-field antics as for his on-field achievements. But the Babe Ruth stat people most like to cite to kids is his other record – for strikeouts. Because while he led the league with 714 home runs, he also struck out 1330 times – the message being, keep trying. Because even if you fail a lot, you could succeed even more, and end up becoming a home-run king.
Mickey Mantle was another Yankee, and a real fan fave. He hit the Major Leagues when he was just 19, winning 7 World Series and 12 pennant races during the Yankees’ golden era. He’s a mythical figure to New Yorkers of that era, like Billy Crystal and Bob Costas; imagine all four Beatles rolled into one and swinging a bat, and you’ll begin to understand his popularity, charisma and humor. He was a switch hitter with amazing power and speed who battled thorugh horrible injuries to keep playing. Most affecting, toward the end, he warned anyone who saw him as a role model to avoid the alcoholism that he finally saw had overshadowed his glory. This only made his fans love him more.
Sandy Koufax played for the Dodgers in New York and LA, and was such an amazing pitcher they had to change the rules of the game to slow him down. He pitched four no-hitters, including one perfect game (no men on base even because of an error or a walk – he was only the sixth guy to do that, ever), so they lowered the pitching mound. He won the Cy Young award three times, all unanimously. The guy was just an outstanding pitcher. He’s also known for being a great Jewish athlete who refused to play on Yom Kippur during the 1965 World Series.
Did we miss your favorite player? Let us know for our next round of baseball tees! Now, batter up!
Why is it that we can’t take our doctor’s advice until we have a horrible health scare, and it’s not until gas prices go up that we’re motivated to get a hybrid, join a carpool, or ride the bike to work? It’s human nature: we know things in our heads, but it’s not till we feel it in our hearts that we take action.
At Peek, we’re working on sparking that emotional connection so we can make conservation part of our daily lives. That’s the thinking behind our “Conservationist” t-shirt series: create great designs that kids want to wear, and inspire discussion about what those designs mean.
When kids ask, “What’s important about conservation?” you’ve got to have a ready answer, and “because I said so” is just not going to fly. (We know. We’ve tried it!) So here are a couple of real-world answers to save-the-world questions. You might have to adjust them to your household or area, but we know you can use these suggestions to come up with annoying (and effective!) answers of your own.
It’s a start. For every little conservation move you make, there’s an immediate payoff if you look hard enough.
Fun history fact: The conservation movement in America really took off in 1850, during the Industrial Revolution. It was great to have all these newfangled gizmos helping to make the stuff people needed – but the downside was its impact on nature, and almost immediately, people like Henry David Thoreau began writing about the importance of balance and remembering to appreciate nature.
Peek wants to know: How does your family conserve? What’s your payoff? Who are your conservation heroes? Tell us in the comments!
