Not everyone can take the kids to Disneyland, but you can give them a taste of the Magic Kingdom at Aunty’s Breakfast Celebration held daily at the Aulani resort in Ko Olina. The party at the Makahiki restaurant, hosted by ukulele-playing Aunty, features cheerful songs, games and appearances by such luminaries as Minnie Mouse and Goofy, who are available for hugs and photos with the kids. Adults will be happy with the extensive buffet, which includes Chinese and Japanese offerings; youngsters will like the waffles shaped like Disney characters.
Prices: $35; $18 for ages 3 to 9; free for kids ages 2 and younger. The event often sells out two or three weeks in advance, so reserve early at bit.ly/1R3dUNq or call 674-6200.
—Elizabeth Kieszkowski
Emojis make leap from texts to plush pillows and wallets
Emoticons relay our feelings in texts when words alone won’t do. And if you need help communicating face to face, use a plush, 13-inch emoji pillow to say “I love you.” Pick one up for your Valentine for $15.95 at Downtown Gifthings at Ward Centre or visit funkyrico.com, where you’ll find other emoji products ranging from house slippers ($12.99) to wallets ($6.99).
—Nancy Arcayna
Bookstore offers a trove of Year of the Monkey items
Dragon Gate Bookstore is ground zero when it comes to picking up paper goods for the lunar new year, including red money envelopes and lucky paper. New this year are six Chinese dragon temporary tattoos for $1.99, or Funky Monkey stickers ($1.50) and children’s books to help little ones celebrate the Year of the Monkey ($15.95 to $16.95). Adults curious about their fortune for the new year will find annual forecast books by such authors as Joey Yap and Peter So, whose “Your Fate in 2016: The Year of the Monkey” ($28.95) includes a daily almanac of suitable and unsuitable activities. The bookstore is in the Chinatown Cultural Plaza at 100 N. Beretania St. Call 533-7147.
—Nadine Kam
T-shirt honors UH football coach
The folks at Butigroove, HiLife and Barefoot League believe rooting for the home team has no offseason. The three brands collaborated to create the “Pride Rock & Rolo” T-shirt ($26) in honor of new University of Hawaii head football coach Nick Rolovich. The slogan riffs on comments the coach made at his first press conference, drawing a parallel between the potential of the Rainbow Warrior program and the setting of Disney’s “The Lion King.” The father of four said, “I liken us a lot to Pride Rock. We were great once; we can be great again.”
The shirts, available up to size 3X, can be purchased at Butigroove at the corner of Kapiolani Boulevard and Piikoi Street (589-2884) and online at hilife.lightspeedwebstore.com. Spring practice is right around the corner. #GoWarriors!
—Kalani Wilhelm, Liliha
Die-cut cards celebrate Chinese New Year
Honolulu-based Mozaic Paper has been commemorating Chinese New Year with beautiful die-cut greeting cards for years. This year’s card, celebrating the Year of the Monkey, is a beautiful work of art with plenty of room for your New Year’s message ($6.50 each, $19.20 for three, $38 for six). The monkey design is also available as a bookmark ($3) and miniature gift card ($4 for three); a gift set with greeting card, bookmark and three gift cards is $12. They’re available at the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Japanese Cultural Center, The Paperie in Kahala Mall and Miemiko in Ward Centre, or order online at mozaicpaper.com.
—John Berger
