August's Arrival!
Another SWANtastic summer month has arrived!
Odette has been having fun in the sun with all of her family and friends and has enjoyed waking up to the sound of birds chirping across the Kingdom!
Did you know that three Swan Princess movies have been released during August over the years?
The third movie in The Swan Princess series was released 27 years ago this month. "The Mystery of the Enchanted Treasure", a story filled with romance and rescue, continues to captivate viewers almost three decades later!
This would also be the last adventure we would see in the franchise for 14 years!
After re-introducing the franchise to the world through the release of 5 new SWANtastic adventures, The Swan Princess celebrated the 25th anniversary of the release of the original movie in 2019, and during August of the same year, the 9th movie in the series, "Kingdom of Music", was released!
A year later, fans were treated to another story with the 10th installment of The Swan Princess, where we traveled to another kingdom as a guest of "A Royal Wedding"!
Keep reading for a SWANtastic cherry pie recipe and an activity to try!
Princely Plush
Despite his many adventures with Odette and their friends, JeanBob's ongoing quest is to "return" to being a Prince!
Our froggy friend believes that a kiss will break the spell! However, when Odette gave him a kiss at the end of the first movie, his reaction was quite something to behold!
Dressed to impress in his royal attire, our JeanBob plush captures his excitable response to receiving his long awaited kiss!
Click here to purchase yours today!
Explore our full range of plush toys here!
Water Pistol Painting
Enjoy the outdoors with this artsy activity!
You can paint your own masterpiece or simply have fun spraying the colors!
Why not be like Prince Derek and "practice practice, practice" your aim by painting some targets before you start!
You Will Need:
• Water
• Poster paints in your favorite colors!
• Water pistols (one for each color)
• A large canvas (you can also use an old sheet)
Method:
1. First, get your chosen paints together, including mixing any colors that you need to (e.g. mix red and blue to make purple). You'll ideally need one water pistol per color, however, you can wash each water pistol out and switch the paints as you finish with a color if you need to.
2. Water down your paint colors by making a solution that consists of 50% water and 50% paint.
3. Pour the paint solution into the pistol then aim at your canvas and start "painting" by spraying the water pistol(s).
JeanBob's Cherry Pie
Our favorite frog has a real treat for you this month - a mouth watering cherry pie!
As usual, JeanBob offers more help eating than preparing the dessert - last time they made this pie, by the time Odette and Alise were ready to add the cherries, JeanBob had eaten most of them! However, they soon collected some more with the help of their friends!
Ingredients:
For the Pastry:
• 400g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 225g cold butter
• 75g white caster sugar
• 50g ground almonds, plus 2 tbsp
• 2 egg yolks
For the Filling:
• 800g cherries
• 150g cherry jam
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 50g caster sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
• 2½ tbsp cornflour
• 1 egg white, beaten
Method:
1. First, we need to make the pastry. Add the flour, butter, sugar, 50g almonds and ¼ tsp salt to a large bowl and combine/mix until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs (you can also use a food processor)
2. Beat the egg yolks together with 2 tablespoons of cold water.
3. Drizzle the beaten eggs over the butter mixture and mix (or use a food processor) again until you can clump the dough together.
4. Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and knead briefly before bringing it together into a smooth dough.
5. Divide the dough into two pieces and shape each half into a puck-like shape.
6. Wrap both pieces and chill them for 30 mins (you can keep it chilled for up to two days if you need to prep ahead of time).
7. Next, remove the stones from the cherries by cutting them in half and popping out the stones.
8. Put the cherries into a bowl along with the sugar, jam and cornflour. Mix until there are no floury patches.
9. Preheat the oven to 400F/200C/180C fan/gas 6.
10. Dust a surface lightly with flour and remove the pastry from the fridge (leave it to stand for 20 minutes If you have chilled it for longer than an hour).
11. Unwrap the first piece of pastry and roll it out until it becomes large enough to line the base and sides of a 8inch (25cm) pie dish (or cake tin).
12. Lift your rolled out pastry using the rolling pin to transfer the pastry to the pie dish (you should have some overhanging pastry around the edges).
13. Sprinkle the extra 2tbsp of almonds over the base.
14. Add the cherries to the pie dish and spread them evenly across the bottom.
15. Roll out the other piece of pastry until it is large enough to cover the pie.
16. Lightly brush some of the beaten egg white around the pastry edge.
17. Carefully place the second piece of pastry over the top of the pie.
18. Gently pierce a hole into the center of the pie (to allow the steam to escape).
19. Trim the excess pastry around the edge with a knife.
20. Use a fork to crimp the pastry around the edge of the pie.
21. Brush the pie with a layer of your beaten egg.
22. Sprinkle caster sugar over the pie.
23. Bake for 55 mins-1 hr, making sure to check the pie after 40 mins.
24. Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool for 1 hr.
25. Serve on its own, with some SWANtastic custard or SWANderful ice cream!
Happy Birthday Queen Uberta! Queen Uberta's birthday is in August which makes her zodiac sign a Leo and her birthstone the peridot.
Every Leo sees themselves as a celebrity starring in the movie that is their life. They are theatrical, dramatic, artistic, and creative.
They are natural leaders whose energy draws in people from all walks of life.
Leos can be divas, they like all attention on them. This can bring out their ego, their pride and jealousy doesn't like when they are put in the background or ignored.
Despite their flamboyant nature Leos are loyal and consistent and put their whole heart into their relationships.
Leos are ambitious and determined, but most of all they are known for their bravery. Brave to stand up for their friendships, bravery to stand out from the crowd to be different, brave in their fashion choices, and brave in saying what they want out of life.
We think this sounds just like Queen Uberta!
The peridot is said to calm anger and is used to bring about a fresh start. When the peridot is set in gold, like in our heart locket, it is said to protect the wearer from bad dreams.
Is your birthday in August or do you just like the color green?
Purchase your gemstone heart locket here!
About The Swan Princess
The Swan Princess is based upon the folk tale and ballet, Swan Lake. The story is transformed into a playfully fun adventure with exciting music, lovable forest friends, and of course, the handsome Prince Derek. The Swan Princess, Odette, has stayed true to the original fairy tale princess with her kindness, grace, and loyalty.
Three reasons you should follow us on Facebook 1) Get a behind-the-scenes look as Princess Odette and Prince Derek continue their adventures 2) Be one of the first to be notified when new products are released and 3) Share your Swan Princess stories and tales with other die-hard fans.
