As far as licensed characters go, I am admittedly partial to Julius, the cartoon monkey from Paul Frank. My kids are partial to him too, but they call him Paul. So how could we resist a chance to get up close with him at a traveling party that’s touring the country right now?

The Paul Frank Academy of Awesome Tour is, pretty much, awesome. If you’re in one of the cities on the tour it has yet to hit, pencil in an hour max, and bring the kids. Upcoming cities include Minneapolis, Denver, the Kidzapalooza concert in Chicago this coming weekend, and cities up and down the west coast.

Kids can grab a picture with Julius (or “Paul”), listen to live music,
grab some temporary tattoos, try their hand at ping pong or bean-bag
toss, and even jump in the Winnebago where they can create iPad art or
chill on the big orange cushions. We hit the Brooklyn event this past
weekend, and my girls were just happy to be in a huge truck “that people
live in, Mommy!”

But the thing they loved best? The chance to mug for the cameras in front of a step and repeat. As you can tell. –Liz

Get info on the Academy of Awesome Mobile Tour from Paul Frank on the website.