Technology

Meet BubblePal: One Product to Revive Hundred Dusted Toys

Published

2 years ago

August 16, 2024

SINGAPORE, Aug. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Did you ever imagine yourself living in the world of “Toy Story” when you were a child? Surrounded by loyal and brave characters like Woody and Buzz Lightyear, enthusiastic and cheerful characters like Jessie, and lovable characters like Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head… As your closest playmates during your childhood, they witnessed many important moments and were loyal listeners. The only regret was that they couldn’t speak to you.

Now, this one-way interaction will change with “Haivivi” releasing its AI hardware product, BubblePal, which is based on AI tech, bringing plush toys the ability to provide interactive dialogues.

What is it？

Haivivi BubblePal has a half-round bubble-shaped appearance and is made of edible silicone material. By simply pressing it, the device will light up and receive user input for conversation, generating relevant answers based on the conversation. Users can tie it to any plush toy with an adjustable lanyard attached to the device.

The product is coupled with an app called HaiviviPal. Children have different favorite toy characters, so in the app users can set or create different characters, such as Elsa and Olaf from “Frozen,” Woody and Buzz Lightyear from “Toy Story,” and so on. Based on the differences in the characters created by users, BubblePal generates answers that also have the attributes of different characters. Parents can add personal preferences, such as wanting to guide children in their studies, ask more questions, or practice English, and BubblePal will consciously output related content during the subsequent conversation.

What’s Different？

In the past, children’s companion products had a common feature in terms of product design – the role behind the product was either a parent or a teacher.

For example, the educational lamp that reads books with the child, the stylus that monitors learning, acts more like a post-class teacher for the children; the various story machines, children’s watches, and monitors are more like parents’ eyes used to monitor their children.

But another important role in children’s growth was missing: the friend.

According to Haivivi product team, BubblePal does not want to be the high-and-mighty companion products, but truly AI Friends that provide emotional value.

If efficiency tools do addition, emotional products do subtraction. In terms of product design, “Haivivi” has boldly cut off many functions, such as IoT control modules, which means that you cannot ask your plush toy to turn off the lights or the curtains, etc.

“We want it to be a child’s AI Friend. You don’t often tell your friends to do this or do that. Just have a normal conversation with them like a friend.” said Li Yong, the CEO of Haivivi.

Although BubblePal can help with parenting, these AI Friends are not intended to replace parents’ roles. Parents can also choose the way each AI Friend accompanies their child based on their child’s unique traits, such as “encourage the child to be more brave”, “talk more about music”, or “talk about literary knowledge”. Moreover, parents might be able to check progress and mood reports in the future version of the app.

How to Make Toy Talk？

BubblePal is based on an open-source model, which has been fed with a large amount of children’s dialogue data and cartoon material, making it more suitable for children’s companion scenarios. The model will also adjust a more suitable answer tone based on the child’s emotions during interaction.

At the same time, Haivivi also integrates with several mainstream large models. According to the product team, they have a distribution strategy that can distribute some flexible interactions to different upper-level large models. But for users, the switching and selection of such models are almost imperceptible.

To increase the fun and interactive feedback in different scenarios, Haivivi conducted extensive market research in advance. The team sorted out over 30 scenarios of children’s “pretend play,” such as restaurant chefs and customers, doctors and patients, forest exploration, space travel, and ocean treasure hunting, and optimized the training models for children’s interaction logic specifically for these scenarios.

With the dual-layer large model, BubblePal gives the plush toys a “soul.” From now on, children can fluidly converse with their AI Friends – “Does mom love my little brother more?” or “What is a black hole?”. Children can also play various role-playing stories with their AI Friends, allowing children to change the plot development at any time.

The product is priced at $89 now and could be bought through Haivivi official website. Amazon and TikTok Shop are said to be coming soon in the next few months.

www.haivivi.com

CONTACT: Ruolin Yang, wubai@haivivi.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/meet-bubblepal-one-product-to-revive-hundred-dusted-toys-302224218.html

SOURCE HAIVIVI TECHNOLOGY PTE. LTD.

Technology

Asian Hall of Fame Heritage Gala Highlights Impactful Legacy

Published

8 hours ago

May 13, 2026

Benefit supported Women In Tech, Entertainment, Science & Sports Scholars

LOS ANGELES, May 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Global ambassador Asian Hall of Fame highlighted positive messages of interracial synergy with its Heritage Gala on May 1, 2026 at the iconic Biltmore Los Angeles. CBS LA Anchor Suzie Suh served as Master of Ceremonies of the festive Asian Heritage Month celebration brought to life by vibrant heritage costumes representing Asia, Latin America, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The intergenerational benefit funded Women In Tech, Entertainment, Science & Sports (WinTESS) scholarships for 103 applicants from all racial backgrounds.

Guests from California, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, and New York applauded the Class of 2026 Official Announcement, including Asian Hall of Fame’s first-ever Major League Baseball Inductee Hideo Nomo, nominated by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and DTLA muralist Robert Vargas as Goodwill Ambassador.

Dedicated San Marino philanthropist and Board of Governors Chairwoman Melinda Rogers was honored as the 2026 Woman of the Year, with a moving speech presented by her younger brother William Rogers. Chairwoman Rogers highlighted the endearing impact of family, and delighted audiences with her custom Korean hanbok, designed alongside Anna Kim at her Koreatown boutique.

Distinguished philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis (Inductee 2007) shared an inspiring fireside chat with stories of family legacy and community empowerment. Guests received commemorative autographed memoirs, and complimentary gifts from Nan Yang Delight and SUP. Inductees in attendance were Marc Anthony Nicolas, Kristen Lui, incoming Inductees Kitty Lo and Maggie Tseng, Official Design Partner of the 2026 Season.

The dramatic Heritage Costume Show, sponsored by Meridien Vacation Homes, presented pageant holders including a Rose Pageant Princess, Miss Asia USA, Miss Teen Latina Global, Hi-Teen USA, Miss International U.S. Virgin Islands, Miss Taiwanese American, and Mrs. Asia Glamour.

Maki Mae performed from her upcoming album release with pianist Jason Lo and cellist Ryan Phipps. Walter Nishinaka and Los Angeles Taiko Collective kicked off raffle drawings, including an 18-carat gold ring donated by long-standing supporter Vartan Kazanjian, owner of Estate Jewelers of South Pasadena.

ABOUT ASIAN HALL OF FAME
Established in 2004, Asian Hall of Fame strengthens interracial synergy by advancing mainstream recognition of Asian and Native legacy. Inductees include Connie Chung, Kristi Yamaguchi, Margaret Cho, amongst others. Contact: press@asianhalloffame.org, (626) 600-9418, www.asianhalloffame.org.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/asian-hall-of-fame-heritage-gala-highlights-impactful-legacy-302771594.html

SOURCE Asian Hall of Fame

Technology

Notice of Data Privacy Incident

Published

8 hours ago

May 13, 2026

MOUNT STERLING, Ill., May 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Brown County

Brown County, Illinois provides notice of a data privacy incident involving personal information of certain county constituents and staff.

What Happened? On April 3, 2025, we received alerts of unusual activity in one of our email accounts. We launched an immediate investigation, and retained independent cyber incident response specialists to assist. The investigation determined that two email accounts experienced unauthorized access. We have no evidence of fraud or identity theft from this incident.

What Information Was Involved. The information involved varied by individual, and may have included a first and last name along with a Social Security number, driver’s license number, government issued identification number, medical information, or health insurance information.

What We Are Doing. In addition to the above, we are offering complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services to individuals whose Social Security numbers were believed to be involved.

What You Can Do. Generally, it is best practice to remain vigilant for incidents of identity theft and fraud from any source by reviewing your account statements and credit reports for suspicious activity and errors. If you discover any suspicious or unusual activity, promptly contact your financial institution or service provider.

Individuals are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228.

Individuals may further learn about identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps to take to protect personal information by contacting the credit reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), or state Attorneys General. The FTC encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. It may be reached at 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261.

For More Information, you may contact us at 1-800-405-6108, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST for further assistance.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/notice-of-data-privacy-incident-302771596.html

SOURCE Kennedys CMK LLP

Technology

SharkNinja Set to Join S&P MidCap 400; Flowers Foods and F&G Annuities & Life to Join S&P SmallCap 600

Published

8 hours ago

May 13, 2026

NEW YORK, May 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — S&P Dow Jones Indices will make the following changes to the S&P MidCap 400, S&P SmallCap 600:

SharkNinja (NYSE: SN) will replace Flowers Foods Inc. (NYSE: FLO) in the S&P MidCap 400, and Flowers Foods will replace CSG Systems Intl Inc. (NASD: CSGS) in the S&P SmallCap 600 effective prior to the opening of trading on Monday, May 18. NEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) is acquiring CSG Systems Intl in a deal expected to close soon, pending final closing conditions.F&G Annuities & Life Inc. (NYSE: FG) will replace Mister Car Wash Inc. (NASD: MCW) in the S&P SmallCap 600 effective prior to the opening of trading on Tuesday, May 19. Leonard Green & Partners L.P. is acquiring Mister Car Wash in a deal expected to close soon, pending final closing conditions.

Following is a summary of the changes that will take place prior to the open of trading on the effective date:

Effective Date

Index Name

Action

Company Name

Ticker

GICS Sector

May 18, 2026

S&P MidCap 400

Addition

SharkNinja

Consumer Discretionary

May 18, 2026

S&P MidCap 400

Deletion

Flowers Foods

FLO

Consumer Staples

May 18, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600

Addition

Flowers Foods

FLO

Consumer Staples

May 18, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600

Deletion

CSG Systems Intl

CSGS

Industrials

May 19, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600

Addition

F&G Annuities & Life

Financials

May 19, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600

Deletion

Mister Car Wash

MCW

Consumer Discretionary

ABOUT S&P DOW JONES INDICES

S&P Dow Jones Indices is the largest global resource for essential index-based concepts, data and research, and home to iconic financial market indicators, such as the S&P 500® and the Dow Jones Industrial Average®. More assets are invested in products based on our indices than products based on indices from any other provider in the world. Since Charles Dow invented the first index in 1884, S&P DJI has been innovating and developing indices across the spectrum of asset classes helping to define the way investors measure and trade the markets.

S&P Dow Jones Indices is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), which provides essential intelligence for individuals, companies, and governments to make decisions with confidence. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

S&P Dow Jones Indices
index_services@spglobal.com

Media Inquiries
spdji.comms@spglobal.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sharkninja-set-to-join-sp-midcap-400-flowers-foods-and-fg-annuities–life-to-join-sp-smallcap-600-302771602.html

SOURCE S&P Dow Jones Indices