Pepperi

What’s a Pepperi?

Pepperi is a species of frog that displays the most beautiful colors and markings of almost any animal on the planet. Known for being able to see in almost every direction, Pepperi frogs have very powerful legs to help them leap to great distances.

Pepperi is also the spirit animal of a company offering a mobile commerce solution for brands and wholesalers. Great for onsite and online B2B sales, the fully customizable apps for catalog presentation, order taking, merchandising and e-commerce puts everything your sales reps, merchandisers and customers need at their fingertips.

Children’s Accessories & Toys

For brands and wholesalers of toys and accessories looking to increase sales, Pepperi simplifies ordering with capabilities built specifically for the infant, children’s and toy industries. Product searching can be filtered with attributes such as age, gender, theme, category and sub-category. With Pepperi, sales reps use a mobile app to take more and bigger orders on the go, showcasing product catalogs at customers’ offices, retail stores and trade shows. B2B customers can order directly from your web storefront, anytime, anywhere.

Pepperi’s business development folks will tell you companies that use Pepperi

see a lift of over 20% in sales
cut order processing costs by as much as 30%
deliver a memorable buying experience for B2B customers

“Over 1,000 businesses in 58 countries use Pepperi,” Business Development Manager Stacey Woods tells me, “integrated to their back-end ERP and accounting systems to transact more than $1.25B a quarter and continually grow their business.”

Based in New York, Pepperi mobile sales software is a game-changer for brands and wholesalers of all sizes across all industries, including Rip Curl, Toy Networx, Boboli, Blue Range and others. See How Simply Southern Tees Integrated Pepperi into QuickBooks for Increased Sales Growth.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new articles each week about innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children. Contact me today with your great idea!

Lofty Elephants

Boutique toddler clothes handmade from beautiful, unique printed fabrics.

Farah Chherawalla is owner of Lofty Elephants, what she calls a “lofty endeavor to provide boutique toddler clothes made from beautiful and unique fabrics and prints at department store prices, while employing men and women in desperate need of income to feed their babies or put their children through school.”

Handmade in India

This Mom-owned and operated online apparel business sells children’s clothes that are handmade in small batches in India, using materials from small businesses. “Most of our prints cannot be seen anywhere else, and chances are they will not be repeated,” Farah says.

Part of Lofty Elephants sales proceeds benefit the operation of an education center that empowers women by teaching them skills, which make them employable. In return, Lofty Elephants aims to employ most of these women.

How to Buy

Due to technical difficulties on http://loftyelephants.com, Farah asks that you email info@loftyelephants.com with any interest in buying. “We will soon be available on Amazon.com,” Farah says. “Sorry for the inconvenience and we promise you an even more exciting collection soon.” Stay in touch with Lofty Elephants on Facebook.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new articles each week about innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children. Contact me today with your great idea!

Hoot Company Inspires Imagination Through Play

Get to know the new Hoot Company at this week’s Atlanta International Gift Show.

The folks at Hoot Company® believe childhood should be a hoot (very cute) – and offers unique, high-quality toys and books that focus on fun and imagination. Columbus, Ohio-based parents and entrepreneurs Kerri and David Love have created this new toy company to follow their passion for igniting their own young children’s imaginations – and now they’re excited to be introducing their two-year-old company to the children’s gift industry at The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market. Visit them in Bldg. 3, Fl. 3, Booth #404.

Introducing Lovelets Plush Animals & Princess Kitty Butterfly – the First Toy Collection & Children’s Book

Hoot Company is entering the toy and gift markets with two initial brands that demonstrate the company’s commitment to fun and imagination: Lovelets® plush animal friends and Princess Kitty Butterfly®, an illustrated, read-along book and accompanying plush animal.

“We’re thrilled to introduce our company to those in the market looking for high-quality toys and books that inspire children’s imaginations. As parents ourselves, we believe children learn best through play and have made it our mission to create a family of toys that foster open-ended play.”

Lovelets® plush animals are one of two exclusive Hoot Company toy brands launching in Atlanta. The Lovelets collection features six super soft, 13.5-inch plush animal characters, each with a unique feature – arms that reach out as if to say, “Let’s Hug!”

“Lovelets ‘hugging arms’ encourage the positive and powerful act of hugging, which builds trust and a sense of safety, and also elevates mood and happiness. Not only do these adorable animals provide children hugs when they may need extra comfort on daily adventures, but they empower children to nurture others with hugs in return.”

Hoot Company is also introducing an illustrated, read-aloud picture book entitled, Princess Kitty Butterfly, about a chubby cat who dreams of becoming a butterfly. Readers follow Princess Kitty on an adventure and learn themes of self-confidence, perseverance and imagination. The book is available as a stand-alone item and also available as a gift set with an 8-inch plush toy.

“‘Princess Kitty Butterfly’ teaches young readers that if you believe in yourself, anything is possible. As with all Hoot Company toys and books, we hope it will inspire children’s imaginations and foster positive emotional growth through fun and play.”

After the Loves recognized many toys in the market today are void of imagination, diversity and positive emotional messaging, they set out on a mission to bring toys to the market that spark imaginations and encourage open-ended play. Hoot Company is an entirely new kind of toy company formed a wholesale distributor. Toys, games and books will be available through independent, specialty, children’s gift and online retailers, as well as bookstores.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new articles each week about innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children. Contact me today with your great idea!

Atissu

New lifestyle brand Atissu is on a mission to make everyday objects more lovely.

The début collection of contemporary boxed tissues from one of the UK’s newest lifestyle brands, Atissu, is quite distinctive. What we really like – experienced brand expert, packaging designer and creator Sam Dumont is pluck enough to include the kids’ rooms in her designs.

These days, parents are keen to complement the beautiful modern interiors of their homes with equally beautiful accessories – including tissue boxes. Why hide them when they look like this?

Desirable for the Design Conscious

“I hope you will love (as much as we do) and will agree that our tissue range is spot on for children’s bedrooms and playrooms,” Kerry O’Connor, who runs PR for the company, says. “These little boxes often sit next to carefully curated items like ornaments, prints and favorite toys; things that people have taken time, energy and money to source.” The launch collection of 12 new contemporary boxed tissues is designed and made in Britain, and the folks at Atissu work closely with like-minded suppliers to source materials sustainably.

“Parents tell us that there’s nothing available that they actively like, and certainly nothing that compliments their children’s bedrooms; their children just adore our new designs, we’ve been told!”

All About Atissu

Apart from choosing a fabulous name for a tissue company, Sam and her team like to work with select illustrators, artists, textile and graphic designers on original box designs that please the eye. For the premiere children’s collection, they collaborated with illustrator duo Loopz art. Four different boxes are available with four little buddies on each side of each box, totaling 16 cute but cool characters: Fox & Co, Tiger & Co, Bear & Co and Panda & Co. The box designs are printed on matt board from well-managed forests so as to not compromise on sustainability or quality. “We print locally in London using only vegetable based inks and water based varnishes,” Kerry tells me.

All About the Tissues!

For those little delicate noses, the tissues are made from 3-ply super-soft FSC material.

In addition, Atissu has just launched a beautiful new collection of Giclee prints. As Sam likes to say, it’s just “a little bit of lovely every day.” Available wholesale and online.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new articles each week about innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children. Contact me today with your great idea!

Important Info – Recalled Products for Children

Recalled toys, sports equipment and furniture for infants and children cause thousands of injuries, even death.

Has This Ever Happened to You?

Maria searches a swap meet for the perfect stroller for her baby due in a couple of weeks. When she settles on one to purchase, she has no idea that this particular stroller is on a Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) list of recalled products known to cause injury and deaths.
To help save money, Dylan’s family and friends give the mother-to-be used baby items that they had purchased for their own children back in the day.

These are common ways baby care items, clothing and accessories are recycled through a network of thoughtful people who are trying to help, but often don’t realize that the toys, sports equipment and furniture they’re re-gifting are frequently recalled products.

Now, in an effort to keep children and babies from the increased danger of recalled items, Safe Kids California (SKC) is launching a program to educate the public about the danger of unknowingly purchasing or accepting products that have been recalled. The campaign’s centerpiece of public service announcements, or PSAs, recorded in English and Spanish showcase important safety messages about recalled items. While many items are safe, it is important that parents check the CPSC list when accepting new or used items.

“When we discovered that almost 30 percent of recalls in 2012 were children’s products, and that there were 230,000 emergency visits to the ER involving injuries from nursery items and toys, we knew that we had to take action,” says Iana Simeonov, project director from the Public Health Institute. “Our goal was to demystify and contextualize the process of children’s product recalls for consumers while making the information more accessible to English and Spanish speaking parents.”

Watch Here. The Wheels Make the World Go Round PSA highlights strollers and outdoor sports equipment, which are among the most frequently recalled products that can be recycled without warning through swap meets, garage sales, second-hand stores and among friends and family.

The Baby’s Day PSA uses a clever crib mobile visual to help parents understand that products for infants and toddlers are recalled more frequently than other products. To learn more, visit http://www.safekidscalifornia.org/recalls.

In addition to the new PSAs, the project includes a mobile-optimized Safe Kids California website, a Twitter stream of recalls and a “widget” that notifies users of important recalls directly from the CPSC in real time.

“SKC has the bandwidth to reach hundreds of thousands of parents,” Iana says. “With its help, we will roll out the content to Safe Kids coalitions and partner agencies in California and across the country.”

About the Children’s Product Recall Project
Safe Kids California is part of the Safe Kids Worldwide global network dedicated to keeping kids safe from preventable childhood injury – the number one cause of death among children ages one to 19. Funded by the Public Health Institute in Oakland, CA, the fiscal agency is the Folsom Cordova Community Partnership (FCCP), dedicated to enhancing the education, health and well-being of the children, youth, and adults of the community. For more information, contact Iana Simeonov at 415-341-5035.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new articles each week about innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children. Contact me today with your great idea!

DollBaby

Every doll needs a crown, doesn’t she?

DollBaby is a young accessories company that creates whimsical crowns, headbands, cuffs and sashes for little ladies. “The collections are created to encourage a positive self-image and embrace her unique charm,” they say.

The pretty accessories are designed with understated simplicity yet stand out with vintage flair, perfect for flower girl attire, other special events and –let’s face it- photo shoots, selfies with her friends, special dates with Dad –you name it!

With names like Crown of Glory (the company’s favorite), ‘Breath of Air, Crown of the Year and Sweet to the Soul, it’s easy to see why little girls love to dress up in DollBaby accessories.

Retailers, take note. Right now, the company is looking for a few fabulous stores that are interested in stocking DollBaby accessories. Wholesale inquiries please contact one of DollBaby’s sales representatives:
Midwest: Lisa Tompkins – lisa@treehouseoffashion.com
South: Jennifer Rush Showroom – jrushkids@aol.com
West: Stephenie Higgins – stephenie@bowandarrowshowroom.com

Children’s Retail Today publishes new articles each week about innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children. Contact me today with your great idea!

KidStyleSource.com

Two websites in one, for savvy kids fashion shoppers of all kinds!

Kindred Spirit. Whether you’re a style-minded shopping parent or a fashion-forward retail buyer, KidStyleSource.com is a fabulous online find – one after my own heart. The entire site features the latest news in apparel, accessories and furnishings for infants through tweens, organized for the shopping public as well as for professionals in the children’s product industry.

The brainchild of editorial director Tracy Mitchell, who has covered the children’s market in various editorial roles at Fairchild Publication’s Children’s Business magazine for almost 20 years, KidStyleSource.com features breaking collections, undiscovered designers, emerging labels and familiar brands –for both parents and professionals- presented in a grown-up, insider-type way.

As an industry insider, KidStyleSource surveys the market and tracks down the trends as they develop. And more importantly, we’re known for presenting those trends in a meaningful way that we believe enhances the retailers’ shopping experience. Translating this curated approach from online to the show floor is designed to take the retail buying experience to the next level.”

-Tracy Mitchell

Comprehensive Coverage. The site also features merchandise by trends and by categories in easy-to-navigate sections. The style showcase ranges in price “from mass to class,” which makes visiting a great shopping experience.

Fashion director Lynda M. Johnson is a fashion journalist and stylist with 28 years of experience working for both trade and consumer publications and leads the fashion resourcing efforts for the KidStyleSource, among other things.

A division of Style Source media LLC, the six-year-old KidStyleSource.com is a unique destination for both parents and industry executives to find great fashion stories.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new articles each week about innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children. Contact me today with your great idea!

Pink Pewter Purseline Collection

The popular accessories brand just launched a new line of stunning handbags due for delivery in May.

Pink Pewter, the brand synonymous with high-fashion accessories that are fun, edgy and favorites of fashion-savvy girls and women all over creation, has just launched a new, gorgeous couture collection of handbags! Trendy as ever- beautifully jeweled clutches suitable for a range of looks, from runway elegance to casual nights out with your friends … each piece also complements Pink Pewter’s signature design and style.

Retailers and Buyers – Handbags can only be purchased by phone (888-214-5678) or by contacting your sales rep.(sales@pinkpewter.com). Visit Pink Pewter at upcoming markets at the Dallas Market Center, International Gift Show, Atlanta Apparel, Stylemax, and ATS.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new articles each week about innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children. Contact me today with your great idea!

Tortle

With more than a million babies each year being diagnosed with Flathead Syndrome in the USA alone, Tortle is an essential item that we hope will be on every expectant parent’s buy buy BABY registry list.

-Dr. Jane Scott, inventor and Mom

Almost 1 in Every 2 Babies. Since 1992, the incidence of Flathead Syndrome has increased to epidemic proportions. It can occur due to a baby’s lack of movement, or the amount of time infants spend on their back –the best position for a baby to rest.

If left untreated, Flathead Syndrome can cause long-standing physical issues for a child, and the expensive treatment can be somewhat uncomfortable.

Almost 100% Preventable. Denver, CO-based Tortle Products makes a lightweight knit beanie that provides parents with a cost effective and simple solution to prevent Flathead Syndrome.

Developed by board certified Pediatrician and Neonatologist Dr. Jane Scott, the Tortle beanie is an FDA-cleared patented Class 1 medical device that promotes proper head and neck movement essential for appropriate development.

The stylish Tortle beanie helps prevent and treat early stages of Plagiocephaly (the flattening of the baby’s skull) and Torticollis (unbalanced neck muscles) –known as Flathead Syndrome- by gently repositioning a baby’s head, gently moving it from side to side.

An expert specialist in this field, Dr. Scott has counseled and educated hundreds of parents to help prevent and treat the many problems associated with Flathead Syndrome during her 30-year practice. Her mission is to prevent Flathead Syndrome all over the world.

The Tortle is now available in more than 16 buybuy BABY locations across the country.

Thanks Hilary Abbott Communications, for introducing me! Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

Pink Olive School

Pink Olive is a whimsical boutique filled with beautiful gifts that make you smile.

Ever since savvy entrepreneur Grace Kang opened Pink Olive in 2007, I’ve been a fan. The former buyer for Bloomingdale’s, Saks.com and Barney’s New York has curated a treasure box of wonderful things for people of all ages –not only in New York’s East Village, Manhattan and Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhoods but online as well. Whether it’s working with local artists, artisans and small businesses, to celebrating their wonderful customers, to championing local charities and other causes, the Pink Olive team strives to discover creative products that inspire giving and beautiful living.

“Our recent venture, OliveBox (a monthly subscription service), has been a wonderful expansion of this mission, building on our community from New York to California to Canada,” Grace tells me, “working hand in hand with companies we never would have had the chance to work with otherwise.”

We are stronger together than we are alone.

Pink Olive School. Now, Grace and her team are taking their commitment one step further, with the introduction of Pink Olive School.

“While we have always loved showcasing local talent, and working with designers, now is the time to expand in our mission to mentor creative product-based entrepreneurs to step up and thrive in this ever changing economy,” Grace says. “Without the diverse array of creative products, stores would all look the same and customers will leave uninspired. You wouldn’t want that, right?”

Creatives, Small Businesses and Local Talent –Take Note! Pink Olive School is a one-stop opportunity to start and grow your creative business. By mentoring creative product makers of all kinds, Pink Olive School can help you take your creative passion into a sustainable business. Grace says, “Whether you’re in the very beginning stages of development, or have a fully functioning business, we can help take you to the next level.”

Congratulations, Grace and Pink Olive! If you share Grace’s mission, please email her at hello@pinkoliveschool.com. “In celebration of our launch and my birthday month, I have a special gift that I am offering creative makers want to create a product business they love,” Grace says. Click here for details.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!