Skip to main content

Prepare your kids — SpongeBob SquarePants is now an Alexa skill

spongebob
Ricky Brigante / flickr.com
Our children have already mastered the art of the touchscreen, deftly swiping their way across tablets and smartphones even before they’ve mastered the art of the crawl. And now, we’ll be able to introduce them to yet another marvel of modern technology — voice commands. Nickelodeon has unveiled the SpongeBob Challenge as part of its new Alexa skill meant specifically for kids. Because what better way to teach your kids to obey your commands than teaching them how to issue commands themselves?

In the SpongeBob Challenge Memory Game, children will find themselves in the midst of the SpongeBob SquarePants series, and will have the opportunity to become a new Krusty Krab restaurant employee. They may just emerge with a newfound respect for the service industry, as the game involves memorizing increasingly complicated food orders and relaying these orders to staff members, who include SpongeBob, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs.

To start playing the game, simply find your nearest Alexa-enabled smart speaker, and say, “Alexa, start The SpongeBob Challenge.”

“Nickelodeon is at the forefront of where kids will be playing next and our collaboration with Amazon to create The SpongeBob Challenge is the latest example of that,” said Matthew Evans, executive vice president of strategy, new business and digital for the Nickelodeon Group. “This brand-new kid skill combines our deep understanding of kids, and how they engage with technology, with one of our most iconic properties, SpongeBob SquarePants.”

The SpongeBob challenge boasts more than 70 unique characters and 80 challenges that span 25 levels, and promises to recreate both the soundscape and the environment of Bikini Bottom. But instead of having your kids sit mindlessly in front of a television, they can experience this world by way of a memory game that actually exercises their brains. Indeed, Nickelodeon claims that this new skill promotes memory recall, verbal skills, and listening comprehension.

“We’re excited for Nickelodeon to bring a skill to Alexa,” said Rob Pulciani, Director Amazon Alexa. “Now, kids can just ask Alexa to interact with some of their most beloved characters like SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs, and we think families will love playing and learning together with The SpongeBob Challenge skill for Alexa.”

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Labor Day washer and dryer deals: bundles and singles starting at $400
An LG WashTower in a kitchen area.

If you missed out on Labor Day yesterday, you'll be happy to know that there are still some Labor Day deals floating around for those who have been looking forward to the holiday to upgrade their washer and dryer. There are some fantastic washer and dryer deals involving the top brands such as LG, Samsung, Whirlpool, and GE, so there's no shortage of options, but you're going to have to decide on which bundle to buy quickly because we're not sure how long stocks for any of them will remain available.
Best Labor Day washer and dryer bundles to shop right now
Insignia 4.1 Cubic Feet High Efficiency Top Load Washer -- $400, was $550

The Insignia 4.1 Cubic Feet High Efficiency Top Load Washer has 11 automatic washing programs which cover a wide variety of different needs from heavy duty to delicates or hand washing. It has a variety of soil levels as well as a tub clean function, extensive temperature options, and delay start time option so you’re in full control of what you’re doing. Its stainless steel wash basket is built for durability while the large capacity is good for most homes. The Insignia 4.1 Cubic Feet High Efficiency Top Load Washer keeps things fairly simple but it has all the essentials you could need so you’re all set.

Read more
Labor Day carpet cleaner deals: Shark, Hoover, Dirt Devil, more
carpet cleaner black friday deal 2021 hoover smartwash pet complete automatic

It's probably not at all shocking that carpets get incredibly dirty, and even though Labor Day is over, you can still grab yourself an excellent carpet cleaner deal with the late deals we've collected below. In fact, there are a surprising amount of options out there, even if you're looking for something that's a bit more budget-oriented. That's why we've collected the best Labor Day sales on carpet cleaners that are still around after Labor Day, although if you want a more traditional vacuum, check out these Labor Day cordless vacuum deals instead.
The best Labor Day carpet cleaner deals

Dirt Devil Portable Spot Compact Carpet Cleaner --
Hoover CleanSlate Plus Portable Carpet Cleaner --
Hoover PowerDash Pet Compact Carpet Cleaner --
Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet Cleaner --
Hoover PowerScrub Deluxe Carpet Cleaner --
Hoover SmartWash+ Automatic Carpet Cleaner --
Hoover SmartWash Pet Automatic Carpet Cleaner --
Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro Plus --

Read more
Amazon Labor Day Sale: You can still grab our favorite tech deals
A woman wearing the Apple AirPods Max.

It's probably no surprise that Amazon had a huge amount of excellent Labor Day deals yesterday, but you can actually still grab a lot of them, even though Labor Day is officially over. While there are a lot of various products on sale, we've been mostly looking at some of the best tech deals, which range from headphones deals to smart speaker deals and everything in between. We've collected some of our favorite tech offers below to get your mind jogging and your brain thinking about what you really want to score as the Labor Day sales peter out.
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) -- $30, was $50

The Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) is featured in our roundup of the best Amazon Alexa smart speakers for its amazing sound quality and the ease of access that it provides to Amazon's Alexa, despite its compact size. You'll be able to ask the digital assistant to carry out a wide range of tasks through voice commands, such as searching for information, playing music, setting timers, and controlling your other smart home devices. The Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) is also equipped with sensors that will detect when someone enters the room, which will allow linked smart lights and smart thermostats to automatically make adjustments.

Read more