Items tagged “Children (4-7 years)”

There’s a reason Bob Barker is always telling us to spay and neuter our pets. Pet overpopulation is no joke, and as people become more aware, fostering and rescuing dogs has become more popular. Carianne Burnley launched Petsapalooza LLC in 2009 to create high-quality fun toys for pet lovers that also teach about the importance of pet adoption. The idea for Petsapalooza came from Carianne’s love of animals, and also from years of volunteering at a local shelter and being on their Board of Directors. She knew kids loved animals and pretend play, so why not combine the two?

Any place there are a lot of kids, there’s usually a ton of fun. There’s also a lot of chaos. Think of the last kids’ party you were at: The hostess hands out bottles of water. Kids drink deeply, toss the container on the table, and run off to play. They come back throughout playtime to grab a drink, but it doesn’t always end up in the same place on the table. Some kids solve this by just drinking whatever is nearest, creating a hazmat situation right in some unsuspecting parent’s backyard. Of course, one way to solve this kind of problem is by having the labeling products from Kidaroo Crew on hand to help each child identify his or her own beverage.

Attending a panel discussion presented about how retailers can better work with bloggers and social media outlets, I remembered Marshall McLuhan’s famous quote from my college days: “The medium is the message.” He meant something about the medium influencing, and thus becoming part of, how the message is perceived. It kinda confused me then, just as I realized after the Q&A session that there is a lot of confusion about the ever-changing online media called “social.” Some retailers remained puzzled as to why anyone would be interested in what moms say about their families. One reason they should care is because many of these messages are influencing buying decisions and helping to build brands.

Tickle-Me Elmo. Beanie Babies. Cabbage Patch Kids. These toys are not just guides on a walk down a retailer’s memory lane. They were all stellar sellers. The common thread? They were all cute fads. While trends come and go, cuteness is always popular. No toy section is complete without a standard grouping of plush creatures, and for a good reason: kids will always love stuffed animals and gift givers always feel safe about buying them. This is because stuffed toys cross age boundaries and generations, tugging at the heart. Lisa Moy’s Ponytail Pals are filling the need for on-the-go snuggles with wearable stuffed animals.