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Joey Chestnut roasts other hot dog eating contenders as he reclaims Nathan’s crown

The GOAT of competitive glizzy guzzling is back.

Joey Chestnut, the longtime champ of Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, made a jubilant return to Coney Island on July 4 following a year-long ban that saw him miss out on the 2024 title, breaking an eight-year winning streak.

This year, though, Chestnut chowed down 70.5 franks and buns in just 10 minutes — not quite the record 76 he ate in 2021, but still beating the next closest eater by 24 dogs — snatching his 17th Mustard Belt.

Nathans Hot Dog Contest Joey Chestnut
Sherwood News

After his 2024 embargo from Nathan’s, owing to an endorsement deal with plant-based meat brand Impossible Foods, 41-year-old Chestnut will now surely be relishing his victory despite failing to match his efforts last year at a Netflix Labor Day event in Las Vegas, where he ate a world-record-breaking 83 dogs.

Meanwhile, the women’s world record holder, Miki Sudo, extended her hot streak on Friday, winning her 11th Nathan’s title by eating 33 franks and buns.

Nathans Hot Dog Contest Joey Chestnut
Sherwood News

After his 2024 embargo from Nathan’s, owing to an endorsement deal with plant-based meat brand Impossible Foods, 41-year-old Chestnut will now surely be relishing his victory despite failing to match his efforts last year at a Netflix Labor Day event in Las Vegas, where he ate a world-record-breaking 83 dogs.

Meanwhile, the women’s world record holder, Miki Sudo, extended her hot streak on Friday, winning her 11th Nathan’s title by eating 33 franks and buns.

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Tamagotchis are making a comeback, 3 decades after first becoming a global toy craze

If you were a ’90s kid, you might remember the craze around little egg-shaped toys with an 8-bit digital screen, displaying an ambiguous pet-thing that demanded food and attention.

Now, on the brand’s 30th anniversary, the Tamagotchi the Japanese pocket-sized virtual pet that launched a thousand cute and needy tech companions, from Nintendogs to fluffy AI robots — is making a minor comeback.

Tamagotchi Google Search Trends
Sherwood News

Looking at Google Trends data, searches for “tamagotchi” spiked in December in the US, up around 80% from just six months prior, with the most search volume in almost two decades.

While the toys are popular Christmas gifts, with interest volumes often seen ticking up in December each year, the sudden interest might also have something to do with the birthday celebrations that creator and manufacturer Bandai Namco are putting on, including a Tokyo exhibition that opened on Wednesday.

Game, set, hatch

More broadly, modern consumers appear to have a growing obsession with collectibles (see: Labubu mania), as well as a taste for nostalgia (see: the iPod revival, among many other trends).

But, having finally hit 100 million sales in September last year, the brand itself is probably just glad to exist, giving a whole new generation the chance to experience the profound grief of an unexpected Tamagotchi death.

$5.6B

Disney could be well on its way to its third billion-dollar film of the year following a $345 million opening weekend for “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” The film’s opening gross puts the “Avatar” franchise’s total box office earnings at $5.6 billion — and counting.

The latest film, the second “Avatar” entry under Disney’s tent, earned about 75% of its total box office gross internationally — in line with previous movies in the (as of now) trilogy. Domestically, this one earned $88 million, falling short of expectations.

“Fire and Ash” was the widest Imax release ever, debuting on 1,703 screens globally and earning $43.6 million through the format. The $345 million “Fire and Ash” opening weekend was the second-highest of 2025, behind Disney’s “Zootopia 2,” which recently passed the $1 billion mark, globally.

Year to date, Disney has earned $5.8 billion globally at the box office.

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