warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

2014 Teen Choice Awards: Gift Suite

Sarah Collins |
August 10, 2014 | 6:10 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

Twitter @teenchoicegirl
Twitter @teenchoicegirl
On Saturday, celebrities from the 2014 FOX Teen Choice Awards trotted through Backstage Creations’ “Celebrity Retreat” featuring Olay. The event served as a pre-event to the Awards show on Sunday, hosted by Tyler Posey and Sarah Hyland and featuring the hottest teen icons in television, music, film, sports, fashion, comedy and the web. Performers included Demi Lovato, Rita Ora, Jason Derulo, MAGIC! and Rixton, in addition to presenters Jennifer Lopez, Megan Fox, Lucy Hale, Hilary Duff, Cody Simpson, Chloe Grace Moretz and more. 

The gifts given to celebs served as a thank you for their support. The stars also took part in the Giving Suite, choosing to give donations on their behalf to various causes, including City of Hope and Kids in Need Foundation. 

Neon Tommy got a firsthand look and celebrity commentary on some of the gifts being given. Here’s the exclusive look!

READ MORE: Beyonce Will Perform, Receive Vanguard Award At 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.

Boomer the Zoomer Dino (Sarah Collins/Neon Tommy)
Boomer the Zoomer Dino (Sarah Collins/Neon Tommy)

Zoomer Dino & Zoomer Zuppies: Spin Master has come out with a next generation of toys, including the interactive robot puppy and a dinosaur named Boomer. “It’s like having a real pet dinosaur,” said the Spin Master representative. “He’s got quite a personality. He loves to play around and explore, but he can also get angry,” she warned. After she twisted the toy’s head around, I watched as Boomer’s eyes turned red and his plastic body thrashed around. “It’s crazy that we live in an age where there’s dinosaur robots,” "Switched at Birth" star Lucas Grabeel told Neon Tommy. He was, indeed, like a real little pet. The toy dinosaur and puppy are designed for young boys and girls ages five and over, the rep informed Neon Tommy, but they are even popular with adults. The puppy works in a similar manner, but, in addition to giving affection, it can also play music to match its mood and play games with its owner. They are definitely a great way to keep kids entertained. 

Olay Fresh Effects: Though many are familiar with Olay products, the company has recently released a new line for a specific group. “This is for the girl who’s either just starting out, hasn’t used face products before or skin care products and she’s just experimenting, or for the girl who’s constantly on the go…and wants to look fresh and ready and rested in the morning. This is an amazing product for her,” the representative informed Neon Tommy. Celebrities chose a combination of Olay Fresh Effects products, which came in a handy bag for them to have it on the go. 

Trapper Keeper (Sarah Collins/Neon Tommy)
Trapper Keeper (Sarah Collins/Neon Tommy)

Trapper Keeper: “Trapper Keeper was at the height of its popularity in the 80s into the 90s. People got really crazy over Trapper Keepers,” said the company’s representative. 

The line includes binders, notebooks, folders and student planners, available in the colors blue, purple, green and red. “We’re bringing it back in 2014 with a new full line of school supplies.” Set up in a faux locker, the supplies make handling notebooks more convenient, circumventing the need to open the binder rings to put in folders. “Trapper Keeper…is such a blast from the past,” said Lucas Grabeel. “They banned them in my middle school when I was a kid, because people were making so noise with them, but, it’s crazy to see them back.”

Ideavillage Products Corporation’s Snackeez and Flips Audio: “I’d have to say my favorite so far is probably the headphones,” thirteen-year-old singer Carson Lueders told Neon Tommy, and it was easy to see why he was excited. “They’re great quality headphones, noise cancelling and everything like that, and then they actually flip out to be amplified speakers,” the representative said. After trying them on, I was completely engulfed with a jazzy tune, and then amazed at the sound quality after flipping them outward, releasing the melody to the surrounding area. “They’re perfect for the beach,” the rep told Neon Tommy. The product allows for a two-in-one headphone and speaker, so that the consumer doesn’t have to lug around multiple pieces of equipment. 

Flips Audio Headphones (Sarah Collins/Neon Tommy)
Flips Audio Headphones (Sarah Collins/Neon Tommy)

Also two-in-one is the company’s Snackeez, popular for the kids to teens demographic. “The top you put a snack; the bottom, you put a drink. And they’re super popular,” said the rep, who added that Tori Spelling emailed the company personally to speak of her admiration of the product. While going to class, it’s definitely difficult to juggle school supplies, textbooks, and personal items, so Snackeez works to simplify. 

Cold Stone: Cold Stone Creamery “[serves] super premium ice cream across the U.S.,” the representative told Neon Tommy. Ice cream is made fresh daily in their stores, and celebs got to pick out a personal sized flavor of their choice from the quaint ice cream stand. On a hot day like Saturday, everyone was in the mood for the frozen sweet treat. 

MCFADIN Designs (Sarah Collins/Neon Tommy)
MCFADIN Designs (Sarah Collins/Neon Tommy)

MCFADIN: MCFADIN is “a beautiful leather goods line,” the representative told Neon Tommy. Created by two Texan sisters, the bags feature neutral, green, or red colors, decorated with flat or nail head studs. “All of these are handmade bags,” she said. The line ranges from clutches to shave bags for men. “The fringe bag is really what the celebs are absolutely in love with,” the rep told Neon Tommy, showing photos of stars like Kendall Jenner and Selena Gomez sporting the designer. “They’re inspiration is their Western heritage and their own style they like, and they blend them together.” The designers’ target audience is women in their 20s and 30s. 

The Boodle Box: “We are a monthly subscription box for young girls,” said the cofounder. The box has two age ranges: five to ten and eleven and up. “We carry a box of fun beauty products, fashion accessories, jewelry, you know, fun things that little girls would love.” There have been several gift box packages for older girls and women, but never for the teen and tween age group, the cofounder told Neon Tommy, so she and her partner decided to fix that with The Boodle Box. “It’s been an overwhelming success. A lot of girls love it,” she said. The boxes each month are themed, the last month’s being cupcakes and strawberries. “It’s just a lot of fun products to ease the teen and tweens into the beauty world.” Subscriptions come in one, three, six or twelve months. 

The Boodle Box (Sarah Collins/Neon Tommy)
The Boodle Box (Sarah Collins/Neon Tommy)

So what are the celebs looking forward to at the 2014 Fox Teen Choice Awards? 

“I’m just excited to be [at the Teen Choice Awards] and to watch the show. This is my first time going. I watch it every year from my TV at home so I’m excited to be in the audience this time,” "Awkward’s" McKaley Miller told Neon Tommy. 

Lucas Grabeel told Neon Tommy that he is excited to be “getting inside away from the heat. "It’s always so hot outside. I don’t know why they always have it on the hottest day of the year, it seems like, but, we’re always melting on the carpet, and then we get inside and it’s amazing,” he said with a laugh.  

“I’m very excited,” Carson Lueders said to Neon Tommy. “This is my first year walking the carpet. So I’m very excited to that. And just be in the environment, and, of course, watch the show.” Watch for Leuders wearing “from top to bottom and black and white shirt and jeans with a black sports coat.” And, for shoes, “I’m wearing Vlado footwear; they hooked me up with some very sick shoes.” 

The Fox Teen Choice Awards aired live on August 10 at 8pm ET. 

Follow Backstage Creations on Twitter here

Contact reporter Sarah Collins here. Follow her on Twitter here



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.

 
ntrandomness