Infantium Victoria

European baby & children’s fashion label inspired by fairy tales and Victorian elegance.

Infantium Victoria, founded 2013 by Julia Gaydina and Dinie van den Heuvel, is a high-end organic, vegan and ethically-sourced kids’ brand based in Germany. This fashion for kids offers chic dramatic styles in three initial collections: By the Sea, URGothic and Dark Romantic. New for Fall 2016: Flowers in Concrete.

“Infantium Victoria is a new dimension in fashion for kids,” Julia says. “We are not at all afraid not to fit in, in fact this what we actively aspire to.”

Julia and Dinie are influenced by romantic themes and nostalgia, and their brand offers what they call “a true alternative to mainstream fast-fashion.” At Infantium Victoria, they care deeply for the current and future well-being of our children, which is why they use only organic materials and source, produce and distribute sustainably.

Julia and Dinie both have a long history in fashion and share a passion for it. “Baby couture is real!” Dinie says. “We have proven it and we are determined to further explore the limits of contemporary kids fashion.”

Sustainable Production

All patterns for Infantium Victoria clothes are handmade by atelier D’andt in Lier, Belgium. Based on the patterns and samples, the company’s production partners in North Rhine-Westphalian, Germany, and India create the final fashion. Julia and Dinie select their partners based on their track record of sustainable utilization of resources, sound waste management, ethical working conditions and an independent monitoring of these key indicators.

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

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!

Those Pencil Sticker Things

Just in time for back-to-school.

Do your pencils need a lift? One company has an answer: the perfect kind of stickers made exactly for your “boringville” plain pencils.

When you visit Those Pencil Sticker Things online, you can’t help but get excited. You find out that it’s the best ever website, simply because it’s the place to get Those Pencil Sticker Things. And whether you’re a school-age student or a slightly older wiseacre, you probably have a few boringville pencils that need a lift. They say if your pencils had hands, they would so be high-fiving you now. And it’s true – you can read what pencils are saying about Those Pencil Sticker Things:

“Before I was just a regular yellow pencil that looked the same as everyone else. Then my human got Those Pencil Sticker Things™ and now I’m all different and extra great.”

– Carleton the Pencil

Those Pencil Sticker Things come complete with (entertaining) instructions on how to pencil stick, critical to any creative learner’s pencil box (as opposed to toolbox, which is what folks usually say here). I happen to be quite the fan of pencils. They help you make mistakes in real time, then fix ‘em easily to your heart’s desire. After all, what fun is learning without mistakes?

Making Pencils Proud

Mark Cohen and the other designers at Wit are the masterminds behind Those Pencil Sticker Things … although I expect they are also “super brainiac aliens from some distant galaxy,” like they say on the About Us page. (By the way, I didn’t even laugh when you mention Atlanta; I lived there twice and loved it. Love more than a few Hot-lantians who still live there, too).

Anywho … your kids are gonna love Those Pencil Sticker Things.

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

Little B’s Clothing

From the iconic world of Barbara Gerwit comes a fabulous resortwear line for girls.

Launching this month – Little B’s Clothing is ideal for little girls ranging in age from two to 14, and every one of these little ladies will be able to rock the colorful prints her Mom has been sporting for decades. Leggings, tops and dresses are retailing for $33 to $48.

Early Start to Iconic Resortwear Brand

At 12 years of age, Barbara Gerwit starts a fashion career after her Mom gives her a sewing machine for her birthday. From that moment on, she decides to dedicate her life to the world of fashion, and becomes one of America’s foremost clothing designers.

Easy, Breezy American Dream

After meeting her husband and fashion salesperson Ken in 1976, the two decide to invest their last $500 on their American Dream of manufacturing their own clothing line at affordable prices. The gamble pays off and now, Barbara Gerwit is one of America’s top brands in the resort industry.

Gorgeous, Colorful Prints

Barbara’s designs for women feature hand blocked, hand beaded embroidered tunics and tops, casual printed knit dresses and tops that are worn from casual daytime shopping to balmy tropical night events in fine resort hotels, restaurants and cruise ships around the world. Her light and airy fabric designs are made from brightly colored cotton lawn, cotton Swiss voile and laundered linen, constructed for easy care and wash-ability.

Now, Little B’s continues the tradition of relaxing, having fun and enjoying life in comfortable, affordable, breezy resortwear by Barbara Gerwit.

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

INIMINI

Newly launched, LA-based, unisex baby brand is fresh, fun and mindful.

INIMINI is a new brand of baby essentials conceived by founder and fellow parent Christina Okubo as a simple solution to buying contemporary baby clothes that allow for versatility and embrace children for who they are – regardless of their gender.

INIMINI (pronounced ‘eenie meenie’) is swathed in sophisticated color palettes and simple silhouettes, thoughtfully designed for babies’ and toddlers’ comfort, offering maximum product life, ease of wear and use.

“INIMINI is a commitment to provide children a chance to be children, unrestrained by stereotypes and filters that we often find ourselves subjected to,” Christina says. “Why not provide children, an opportunity to be celebrated for who they are and not what they are?”

The clothes are made from imported super soft 100% cotton, small batch dyed, pre-washed, pre-shrunk, finished in the USA. View the entire line of one-pieces, tops, pants and accessories here.

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

Tabitha Fink: The Cat with One Eye

I Fink Different.

She may only have one eye, but that’s just what makes her special. Other than that, she’s one fabulously storied cat. The 5-star, award-winning Tabitha Fink: The Cat with One Eye is written for children ages two through five that tells Tabitha’s story in playful rhyme and delightful illustrations that kids totally love.

“A not-to-be missed story for the preschooler in your life – uplifting, enjoyable, and just plain fun. I loved every word!”

– Ellen Feld, Feathered Quill

The First Place Winner of the 2016 Beverly Hills Book Award and a Feathered Quill 2016 Bronze Award Winner for Best Children’s Illustrated Book, the stories of Tabitha Fink start with the truth that no one is perfect, that we are all special and unique and that we should celebrate the uniqueness in everyone. Certainly this friendly, one-eyed cat is a fabulous example of that, as she scampers off on amazing adventures that will help children explore their emerging and sometimes challenging worlds. Tabitha’s next adventure is chronicled in Rick’s newest book, Tabitha Fink On a Mission to Mars.

“The world of Tabitha Fink is a simple and playful reflection of the many special things that are part of children’s lives,” says author Rick Felty – who is one swanky cat himself, especially to me. During the many years we worked together in the broadcasting and promotion business, Rick was THE go-to creative mind, winning every kind of creative excellence award in the business, including the coveted Emmy. So it doesn’t surprise me one bit that Rick has created a unique world for Tabitha Fink filled with entertaining lessons for kids as well as cool products that keep her message alive. Fun t-shirts, hoodies and stickers are just a few that proclaim, “I fink different.”

“An adorable book with an uplifting message. Tabitha Fink teaches children to be happy with themselves instead of trying to be like someone else…celebrating their uniqueness and individuality.”

– Mamta Madhavan for Readers’ Favorite

The Real Tabitha Fink

Rick is also a photographer, musician and private pilot who lives in New England with his wonderful family, a dog, a bunch of fish and the real one-eyed cat named Tabitha Fink. “We have found that some people want to know why Tabitha Fink has only one eye. This is a very natural question and we are happy to tell you all we know.” Come to find out, Tabitha was adopted that way. The vet isn’t sure why she has only one eye, and thinks either injury or illness played a part in her uniqueness. “In any case, the veterinarian told us that she would be able to live a very full life with only one eye,” Rick says, “and we can report that she does!”

Some cats only have a Facebook page. Tabitha Fink has an entire world for kids to explore and learn from. How cool is that?

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

Mango, Abuela, and Me

An endearing tale from an award-winning duo that speaks loud and clear about learning new things and the love that bonds family members.

Mia’s abuela leaves her sunny house with parrots and palm trees to live with Mia and her parents in the city. The night she arrives, Mia tries to share her favorite book with Abuela before they go to sleep and discovers that she can’t read the words inside. So while they cook, Mia helps Abuela learn English and Mia learns some Spanish too, but it’s still hard for Abuela to learn the words she needs to tell Mia all her stories. Then Mia sees a parrot in the pet-shop window and has the perfect idea for how to help them all communicate a little better.

Appropriate for children ages five through eight, Mango, Abuela, and Me is written by the award-winning Meg Medina, who has authored several books for young readers, including the highly acclaimed YA novel, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass and the picture book Tía Isa Wants a Car, for which she received an Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award. Now living in Richmond, Virginia, Meg grew up in Queens, New York.

“I turned to writing because my family wouldn’t stop talking. Ever,” Meg says. “I’m part of a very ordinary Cuban family, which is to say, a meddling clan of aunts, uncles, and grandparents who are tireless storytellers. Stories are such a powerful way to remember and make sense of what happens to you in life—and plenty had happened to them by the time they arrived in the U.S. during the early 1960s. My parents left in the middle of a revolution in their country, and they arrived the way many immigrants do: with empty pockets, no language, and in shock. But they also knew the power of stories. Families need their own tales to survive hard times, and those stories are a rope that can attach even the youngest children to their roots. Stories help you learn all the things that really matter to the people who are trying to help you grow up.”

The book is illustrated by Angela Dominguez who lives in San Francisco and teaches art at the Academy of Art University.

Pura Belpré Author & Illustrator Awards

Both Meg and Angela are honored with the 2016 Pura Belpré Author and Illustrator Honor Book Award, named after the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. Established in 1996, the awards are presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. It is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, an ALA affiliate.

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

The Incomparable Sally Huss

“Happy children make a better world. I write children’s books to help brighten the lives of children and add a little dollop of wisdom in the process.”

-Sally Huss

Children need core values, good habits, handy skills and a good sense of humor to keep them moving forward in a happy, healthy and productive manner. So says Sally Huss – imaginative artist, insightful writer and a friend of mine. Sally’s 80+ children’s books are stories full of fun rhymes and truly adorable illustrations that teach kids (and adults, too!) meaningful social and emotional skills. Plus, she adds to her children’s book collection all the time (sign up here for a free download).

Fab Review – “…Kids like their crazy outfits … and their clothes combinations are no nuttier than llamas who like to wear pajamas… This is another lovely book of cute rhymes and adorable fanciful drawings that delight the imagination.”

-Healthy Living

Growing up in Bakersfield, California, Sally started painting at 10 years old. She studied art Occidental College before graduating with a degree in Fine Art from USC. Along the way, Sally followed her dream of playing tennis – first as a U.S. and Wimbledon Junior Champion, then a semi-finalist in the Women’s division at Wimbledon. Now a top senior player, Sally is a member of the Kern County Sports Hall of Fame (1977) and the Occidental College’s Athletic Hall of Fame. (2015).

Fab Review- “How clever is this? Through a delightful adventure to the moon, the author explains not only how moon cheese is made, but how The Man in The Moon lights up the sky by doing his work happily, thus inspiring the visitors to do the same. We loved this book and I know we will read it often.”

– Jill McDonald

After Sally married Marv Huss -the love of her life and a top executive with Hallmark- she created several lines of greeting cards, clothing and ceramics, plus baby bibs, wallpaper for children, and more. Sally also writes and illustrates a King Features’ syndicated, inspirational panel for newspapers called Happy Musings. In the 80’s, the two developed Sally Huss Galleries across the country. “I continue to paint commission works for homes, offices and hotels and offer many of my prints on Fine Art America,” Sally says. “These include gift prints, prints for children’s rooms and large contemporary landscapes.”

Sally’s art, her children’s books and her writings always put a smile on my face …

and I bet they’ll do the same for you and your kids. You can also find all of Sally’s books on Amazon.

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

Good Night Yoga

Do you know the President’s Council has added the practice of yoga to the fitness activities in the annual President’s Challenge?

Sounds True is an independent multimedia publishing company that embraces the world’s major spiritual traditions, as well as the arts and humanities, with a library of more than 1,500 titles including children’s books.

Good Night Yoga: A Pose-by-Pose Bedtime Story

“I wrote this book because after years of teaching children’s yoga, I wanted a way for my students to (literally) take it home,” says author Mariam Gates. With a master’s in education from Harvard University and has more than 20 years’ experience working with children, Mariam’s renowned Kid Power Yoga™ program combines her love of yoga with teaching to help children access their inner gifts. “This book became a way to hand children the tools to create their own practice and for parents, caregivers, and teachers to share in that experience.”

For parents and caregivers looking for a fun and effective new routine for bedtime, Good Night Yoga is full-color book beautifully illustrated by Sarah Jane Hinder that tells the story of the natural world as it closes down for the night, while teaching children a simple flow of yoga postures inspired by their favorite characters from nature.

“There is a power in being able to pause and take a deep breath in and a long breath out. As I teach kids and train teachers around the country, I am amazed by how this simple tool of slowing things down through breath and movement can be so essential to how we experience a moment, a day, and our lives. This book is my way of bringing that practice to life.”

As a parent, part of Mariam’s purpose for writing this book is to create more ritual around bedtime, especially for her daughter, who needed a longer lead-in to sleep. The simple flow of the story gives kids a way to relax mentally and physically “let go” of the day.

Good Night Yoga is a complete guide to a simple sequence that is both fun and ultimately relaxing. Each pose has both visual and written cues as a support, and Mariam includes a spread where the entire flow is shown so you and your child can see “where you’re going.”

Mariam and her artist partner Sarah Jane follow Good Night Yoga with Good Morning Yoga, a practice for kids and parents to greet the morning with joy and embark on their daily adventures with intention and confidence.

Namaste

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