Ypulse Essentials: Disney/YouTube Deal Takes Effect, 'The Muppets' Meets 'The Hunger Games,' Scholastic's Storia

We’re starting to see the results of the Disney/YouTube deal (that the two struck last year. So far, the programming that Disney is offering looks like quite a few episodes of older shows, but as All Things D points out, kids love watching reruns over and over. In other streaming video news, ABC Family just released a new app for Apple devices that allows fans to view full episodes of some of the network’s most popular shows, including “Switched At Birth” and “Jane By Design.” The streaming episodes are supported by ads, but considering how readily Millennials have adopted mobile viewing, we think they’ll be glad to have access to their favorite shows on the go) (Futon Critic)

- To announce the release of the Wocka Wocka Value Pack DVD (“The Muppets” movie has released yet another parody trailer, this time spoofing “The Hunger Games.” Miss Piggy does a great job representing the Capitol citizens, and Gonzo is pretty handy with a bow and arrow. Speaking of movies, the “Ouija” movie, based on the Hasbro board game, is back on, with a significantly smaller budget, but that may not be a bad thing. Millennials love a good low budget scary movie) (Zap2It) (LA Times)

- Scholastic debuted its new digital site for children’s books (called Storia. The platform offers books not only published by Scholastic, but also from other children’s publishers. Taking advantage of the interactivity offered on the Web, the site allows kids to customize their own digital bookshelves. For younger readers, the site includes an audio dictionary feature and indicates when books come with related activities; for tweens and teens, it offers note taking features. Speaking of children’s books, here’s the list of Golden Kite Award winning books) (Publishers Weekly)

- Millennials who opt to rent instead of own (have been presented as victims of the poor economy and dismal housing market, but it may not be a bad thing. Renting frees Millennials from the costs associated with ownership and allows them to be more flexible — they can more easily move to take a job. Of course renting has its own issues, from deadbeat landlords to a system that favors buyers over renters) (Good.Is)

- Millennials are a new breed of shoppers (with radically different views on money, spending, and wealth. They may not be the “golden ticket” that retailers were hoping for, but they are the future, so brands and companies need to adapt to meet their expectations) (MediaPost)

- We’re curious to see how the Young Entrepreneurs Council plans to (#FixYoungAmerica by changing the conversation around employment, entrepreneurship, and student loans) (Portfolio)

- We’re cracking up at some of the ways that marketers are using QR codes (like on cows and online… So the next time you’re online and need some additional information, rather than just clicking a link, you can pull out your phone to scan a code to get to another webpage. The site WTF QR Codes serves as a reminder that just because you can use QR codes doesn’t mean you should)

- It’s a good thing we like this song by Chairlift because we keep replaying the choose-your-own-adventure style video (to explore all the different scenes. It’s a brilliant way to take typically static content and make it interactive and fresh for multiple viewings) (Crushable)