Happisnappi

Interchangeable hats, hair accessories, socks and clothes … with a cause.

Designed by Carly, a child therapist, Happisnappi products encourage creativity and self-expression in girls of all ages with quality clothing and accessories that can be changed in a snap, using a snap, with fun and unique embellishments that are completely interchangeable … all while supporting the fight against childhood cancers.

Girls require several creative outlets to build independence, develop self-expression and to maintain self-esteem. When girls create their very own outfits with countless combinations of Happisnappi clothes and accessories, it not only promotes balance in all areas of a girl’s development, they will love wearing their self-designed Happisnappi styles and enjoy creating them.

Happisnappi Supports Katy’s Courage

The nonprofit organization Katy’s Courage honors Katy Stewart, who inspired all who knew her throughout her lifetime. She died of a rare pediatric cancer at 12 years young. Her smile and kindness shine on in the memories of those who loved her. Founded in 2012, Katy’s Courage provides support for parents and children facing medical challenges, especially pediatric cancer, through scholarships, children’s bereavement counseling and pediatric cancer research.

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

Goblies

Young inventor combines science, fun and “messy” play with her new toy company.

Briana Gardell is a 23-year-old Lehigh University graduate inventor and CEO of Mezzimatic, her new company behind the patent-pending Goblies -one of the toy sensations that launched at the New York Toy Fair 2016. In fact, CNBC named Goblies one of the hottest toys at the fair!

What Are Goblies?

Goblies are walnut sized-balls that can be thrown like water balloons – paintball with a colorful splat. “The idea for Goblies was inspired by a homework assignment in my technical entrepreneurship program asking us to combine manufacturing processes with our own creative direction,” Briana says. “The result is Goblies. I’m excited to officially establish Goblies as a new brand in the toy industry.”

After a successful Kickstarter in 2015, and a Eureka! Venture Series award, Briana readied Goblies for market, registering for her patent and exhibiting her toys at the Mini Maker Faire hosted by Barnes and Noble before officially introducing Goblies to the industry. She recently launched her toys on Maker Shed and at the Da Vinci Science Center.

“As a judge in the 2014 Eureka! Competition run by Lehigh’s Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, I was instantly impressed with Briana and her Goblies,” Alita Friedman, toy industry veteran and CEO of Alita’s Brand Bar, says. “She had conceived an innovative and playful new S.T.E.M platform and won the Grand Prize in our competition. I look forward to watching her ongoing success.”

By combining chemistry with creativity, Goblies showcases the best of S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education activity kits. Currently available in both a starter kit and refill packs, Goblies include ingredients that allow kids (of all ages) to create squishy throw-able balls in an infinite number of colors. The final product is a wet powder that is not sticky and can be cleaned out of most items. Learn more about the science of Goblies right here.

Meanwhile, Briana has her eye on the future with plans to produce ready-made Goblies for instant fun and is also interested in licensing her new brand to established toy companies.

Congrats, Briana!

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

Kissi Couture

This team of fashion forward thinkers are ready to make the golf course their runway.

Kissi Couture is created by diva athletes for diva athletes. When junior golf sisters Makenna and Morgan Rodriguez begin to pursue their dream of golf super stardom, their parents begin their own search for stylish athletic apparel, to no avail.

In 2012, the sisters start designing their own outfits for golf tournaments with the assistance of Mom Nicole Rodriguez and Dad Benjamin Rodriguez. The girls refer to their sassy athletic style as Kissi Couture -and when their parents realize fellow junior girl golfers are just as excited about this fierce style as the girls are, they know it’s time to kick Kissi Couture into high gear. So Nicole and Benjamin embark on a fashion journey to achieve all the creative visions of their daughters.

Kissi Couture is designed for the fashionable junior girl athlete, for the golf course and beyond. Polo shirts, tees, baby, bottoms, holiday, socks, jewelry, custom bling, hats, hair bows plus golf gear and umbrellas, bags, mugs and stickers. The polos feature girly styles with colors, cute sayings, ruffle sleeves and a crest logo that would make any girl feel like a princess. This girls golf and sports apparel strives to dress every little diva on the field.

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

My Twins Are Cuter

“Twinspiring” clothing line that comes in two’s.

Dawn Motolese is mom to twin girls and helped them start a clothing line for twins. “All of our designs are created around the number two, including our logo,” she says. “Designs come in sets for girl/girl, boy/boy and girl/boy twins and we also have shirts for mom and (coming soon) grandma.”

Dawn’s twins Olivia and Sophia are only eight years old when they get the “twinspiration” for the My Twins Are Cuter brand, back in 2012 while on a beach vacation with the family, which includes four girls all-together. The company’s name, however, comes directly from Dawn herself. “Let’s face it, what mother or father doesn’t think their children are the cutest, especially when there’s two of them?” Dawn says the phrase so much; her twins urge her get it printed on a shirt. Well at the time, Dawn thinks her girls have a great and fun idea, so the first day back from vacation she purchases the URL, http://www.mytwinsarecuter.com/. Dream come true.

In the future, Dawn and the twins hope to expand their line beyond tees for toddlers, youth and moms as well as baby onezies. For now, “It has been so much fun watching their creativity blossom and it is fulfilling to share all the aspects of business with them. They are learning and sharing so much,” she says.

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

Faerie Ballgowns by CHIARIstyle

Come dream with us.

Chari Coffey is a Los Angeles-based product development designer and the mastermind behind CHIARIstyle. Among the many creative fashion projects she has going in the women’s, men’s and kids wear markets are these exquisite Faerie Ballgowns.

“For 16 years, I have made miniature dresses that I have given away to little girls that believe in faeries,” Chari tells me. She weaves the magical tale of finding these little dresses hanging high in the trees. “The faeries slip from their dresses and leave them there. If you are lucky to find one just before sunrise, they are magical treats.” Each tiny dress is made by hand, created with imagination from pieces of lace and gems collected, and every dress is inspired by the tiny faerie that will wear it to the Fairy Tale Ball. Chari says, “When asked if I could produce the dress for girls, I put the idea into work.”

The limited edition Faerie Ballgowns for girls are perfect for weddings, dances, tea parties and, of course, fairy tales.

Chari has also been working on The Ella Jewel Collection in honor of her daughter Ella. With extensive experience in all phases of the apparel business from design room management, trend analysis and product development to final packaging, “There is nothing better than creating new product that gets results,” she says. Chari is surely conjuring up fashion magic!

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

kidpik

Girls’ shopping reinvented.

The recently launched shopping site kidpik hopes to change everything you thought you knew about shopping for girls. Created by the executives behind The Children’s Place, kidpik combines the luxury of personal styling with the convenience of home shopping, designed exclusively for girls and tailored to fit any budget. Seasonally, kidpik is expected to deliver a curated, coordinated and fashionable selection of quality outfits right to your doorstep, with the added benefits of free shipping, free styling and no membership fee.

No Commitment kidpik Experience

“Children’s preferences in clothing have evolved over the decades and so should the shopping and delivery system,” says Ezra Dabah, kidpik founder and CEO. “We are excited to deliver this ultimate shopping experience.”

Every item is designed and curated in kidpik’s NYC studio, where stylists and proprietary algorithms work collaboratively to remove the difficulty, time and guesswork from the shopping experience. Whether your daughter favors a look that’s Girly Glam or Classic Chic, Modest or one of kidpik’s five lifestyle looks, the interactive fun style quiz will help identify her unique style. Girls ages three through 12 (sizes 4-14), with the help of grown-ups, can define and own their signature style on the kidpik site.

“Pik” What She Loves & Send the Rest Back Free

Each fashionista will receive her own personalized box containing about six coordinated quality fashion apparel pieces such as tops, bottoms, dresses, layering pieces, shoes and accessories -designed to complete several mix and match outfits. “Pik” what she loves and send the rest back free. The average kidpik box price is under $100 and the cost of each item is just $12.50 if she decides to keep the entire box.

One of the Coolest Parts …

Purchase the entire box and get a 30% discount; keep what she likes and kidpik will donate any returned items through its charity partnership.

kidpik is the newest endeavor from prolific fashion entrepreneur Ezra Dabah and the executive and creative teams behind classic children’s brands including EJ Gitano, The Children’s Place, Disney stores, Nina footwear and Rum American Kid’s Wear.

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 Little Linguist’s Alphabet by LoveYourLingo

Beautiful, multilingual products to inspire little linguists to love their languages.

“I’m Mom to bilingual girls who speak English and French, and I have created a special alphabet to help make life easier for multilingual children, so they continue to love and speak their languages,” Úna McCarthy-Fakhry tells me nearly two years ago, just after she launches a crowdfunding campaign to get her creative endeavor off the ground. This January, with the help of 203 Kickstarter backers, the production of The Little Linguist’s Alphabet is a reality. Available as a poster, mini card or ebook, Úna’s multilingual alphabet is illustrated with 26 objects that all start with the same letter as their translations in English, Français, Español, Português, Deutsch, Nederlands and Italiano (coming soon). For example, D is always for Dinosaur and P is always for Princess, no matter which combination of these languages your little linguist speaks.

“The people who backed me came from all over the world, from Costa Rica to Japan, from the USA to New Zealand,” Úna says. “They have kept me going when things got difficult, and have been forever patient and supportive at every stage. I genuinely feel I now have 203 new friendships and want to thank each and every one of them for helping me make this a reality.”

As a result, Úna founded LoveYourLingo to make multilingual products that help little linguists thrive. The entire idea grew out of necessity as her own children began to discover the alphabet. Úna and her family currently live in Melbourne, where they share Australian, Irish, French and Lebanese roots. This OPOL (one parent, one language) family has Papa speaking French exclusively, while Úna’s main language is English. She has observed her daughters’ puzzled expressions while trying to identify which letter is which. “It is ‘p pour parapluie’ with her French Papa, but on the English alphabet on our wall, it is ‘u for umbrella’,” she says. “As we also knew many other little linguists facing a similar challenge, the idea just would not leave me alone.”

The sweet illustrations for, who also created the adorable little linguist Anna. “I have lots of plans for Anna, so if you have a curious little linguist who would like a little friend…watch this space (i.e., LoveYourLingo).”

Úna says she is constantly amazed by her little girls as they show her just how natural it is to speak more than one language. “I have also witnessed challenges they met along the way and feel that a positive language experience, in the delicate early years, can be crucial in determining whether a child continues to speak their languages or not.”

One of my own regrets in life is speaking only one language (English). Even though I graduated high school with years of French and Spanish under my belt, I still carry a dictionary when traveling. As a child, I never learned Polish, my relatives’ native tongue. Keeping the multilingual fire alive in young children is definitely the key to raising little linguists at home. Thanks, Úna!

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 & Mighty

Hand drawn designs and homemade touches add a distinctive look to this colorful children’s clothing collection.

American made in Austin, Texas. “We are Little & Mighty and we make apparel for little explorers,” says Rachel Bucher, one of the fierce moms who founded this brand along with fellow fierce moms Amanda Jigmond and Komal Patel. “All of our designs are drawn by us, printed in our local print shop and American made.”

The onezies and tees for babies and little kids are created to inspire adventure. “We want to encourage little ones to explore and marvel at the great big world around them, and by doing so, to discover their own ‘Mighty’ abilities,” they say.

The trio began their adventure in the children’s clothing trade last fall. Most of their moderately-priced, original designs are screen printed locally using water based inks on 100% fine ring-spun, combed cotton. They chose water based inks because they sink into the fibers to become part of the fabric, producing a vintage, worn-in look while staying breathable – with that ultra-soft feel.

“We put a lot of care and effort into our items, from handpicking our shirts to drawing all of our designs in house. We go through a few rounds of picture and color selection in order to find the perfect combinations to enhance the designs.”

Little & Mighty has come to the attention of a few fierce mommy bloggers as well as local press, including the Austin American-Statesman – and now CRT. Very nice, Moms! So … could the next drawing on your list be … a smiling goat face?!

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!

Glossy Chick

Be Your Personal Best

Glossy Chick is a children’s clothing brand with a special VIP Chick Club® that is called “an exciting and rewarding lifestyle experience.” Club members enjoy custom events, monthly gifts and prizes, while participating in a unique platform to build friendships, character and confidence. How? Through engaging contests. Members are instantly eligible to earn points and redeem them for the trendiest Glossy Chick merchandise.

Get In on The Fun

Once registered, kids receive a VIP Chick Club Welcome Package full of Glossy Chick swag, including membership tee shirt, charm bracelet, rhinestone jewelry box, rhinestone case card holder, membership card and invitations to castings, shoots and events. In addition, members receive “the Glossiest mail delivered straight to their door,” each month, including a beautiful themed charm with a matching tee shirt and pouch. Members also have access a monthly newsletter and coloring book.

The Glossy Chick collection caters to young fashionistas between the ages of two and 12 with fashion forward pieces, a sporty casual yet trendy look that’s all about comfort. Tees, tops ans dresses, sweaters and hoodies designed in New York, hand-crafted in Peru and made from the very finest authentic Peruvian Pima Cotton. Look for jewelry charms and sequined bags, too.

The Story Behind Glossy Chick

They say it all starts in 2012 …

“Hatched under the bright lights of New York City in Times Square, at the intersection of Broadway and Fashion Avenue, a curiously vibrant chick confidently breaks out of her shell, creating an inspirational platform for young girls everywhere to embrace sisterhood and empower them to be the chick they want to be. Her outfits pave the many runways she walks and her style may differ from day to day, but underneath it all, she is and will always be Glossy!”

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