Disney Junior Vampirina Craft & 7 Fun Facts About The Show

Thank you, Disney, for hosting me during the Thor: Ragnarok press event.

While in LA for the Thor: Ragnarok press trip a few weeks ago, we stopped by Disney Junior to speak with Executive Producer Chris Nee about her new Disney Junior show Vampirina. Chris Nee is the creator of the very popular show, Doc McStuffins. The new show, Vampirina is based on children’s picture book Vampirina Ballerina. Today, I’m sharing a fun Vampirina craft I made to celebrate the show and 7 fun facts I learned about the show from Chris Nee!

If you haven’t had a chance to watch the show yet, Vampirina is about a young vampire girl who faces the joys and trials of being the new kid in town when her family moves from Transylvania to Pennsylvania. Check out the fun clip below before reading the Vampirina facts I am sharing from Chris Nee below. Then scroll on down to see my very easy Vampirina craft, a Vampirina paper lantern.

7 Fun Facts About Disney Junior Vampirina

1. Chris wrote the character Gregoria for Wanda Sykes. It was a leap of faith because 1) she didn’t know if Wanda would take on the roll and 2) Gregoria is a pretty cantankerous character for a preschool show. I love Wanda’s character Gregoria on Vampirina. 

2. Vampirina’s teacher Mr. Gore is inspired by Chris’s own 6th-grade teacher, also named Mr. Gore. The real Mr. Gore was a teacher that every younger student was terrified to get but ended up being one of the greatest teachers she ever had. Everyone has their own “Mr. Gore” in their life, so it’s easy to love a character celebrating an awesome teacher.

3. Vampirina is able to go outside in daylight because of some very intense sunblock. I’d love to find out what SPF that sunblock is, we could use some of it in Arizona year-round. 😉

4. Broadway composers, Dimond and Kooman are the music composers for Vapirina. It’s the first Disney Junior show with a Broadway musical sound. Chris really wanted the show to have music parents could stand since you’d be watching (and hearing it) a lot. 

5. Speaking of Broadway, Patti LuPone has been cast to play Vampirina’s grandmother, Nanpire.

6. It’s 2017, so they wanted to make a show where the family is not ashamed of who they are in any way. And emphasize that it’s ok to say you’re different from me and I still want to be your friend. We can still find common ground and being different is acceptable. 

7. Isabella Crovetti voices Vee (Vampirina) and has an amazing singing voice. She’s a Broadway level singer that luckily lives in Los Angeles. 

Watch Vampirina on Disney Junior and Disney Channel (and on the DisneyNOW app).  Follow Disney Junior on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

DIY Vampirina Paper Lantern

Who’s ready to make a fun Vampirina craft? This is a great craft for any little fan of the show to make to hang in their room or perhaps as a Vampirina birthday party decoration!

Vampirina Craft Supplies:

• Lilac paper lantern
• Black, white and purple duct tape
• Black construction paper
• Pink washi tape
• Popsicle sticks
• Parchment paper
• Vampirina image (to use as a template)

I found an image of Vampirina online and then blew it up so the face was similar in size to that of my paper lantern. I used it to trace the eyes, mouth, and teeth on to parchment paper. Attaching duct tape to parchment before is essential when cutting it. Then I added the face to the paper lantern.

I cut the batwing pigtails from black construction paper and attached a popsicle stick to the back, so they wouldn’t flop around. Be sure to add a strip of pinkish tape at the base of each pigtail.

That’s it. It’s a pretty easy Vampirina craft to make since you are simply tracing and cutting! Be sure to help little ones with the scissors if they want to make their own Vampirina paper lantern.