FOLKMANIS, INC. COMPANY BACKGROUNDER

FOLKMANIS^® Puppets—Handle With Fun!

History

Conceived as a “cottage industry” business in Watertown, MA., in the late 1960’s and nurtured among the street vendors lining Berkeley’s famed Telegraph Avenue, Folkmanis^® Puppets are the expression of Judy Folkmanis’ active imagination, sewing wizardry, and love of nature.

Creating her first animal puppets to entertain her own children, Judy was astounded when her unsung, but cuddly, creations began attracting a growing group of paying customers. Most often these were other parents who sought high play value from their toy purchases and an appreciation of the natural world for their children.

Joined in the burgeoning endeavor in 1976 by her Ph.D. husband Atis—who happily abandoned a career in biochemistry for pattern-cutting—the couple realized that launching a menagerie of carefully detailed and realistic animal puppets was their “right livelihood.” They hired several seamstresses and never looked back.

Still headquartered in Emeryville, California, today Folkmanis, Inc. has grown to become the premier manufacturer of plush puppets worldwide. Folkmanis^® offers over 200 of the most heartwarming and realistically designed creatures—both exotic and familiar—on the market today. And, after more than 25 years, Folkmanis, Inc. is still a family business. Judy and Atis oversee both the creative and operations sides to ensure that the quality and love of the natural world they wish to convey through their toys remains true to their original vision.

Honors and Awards

Among the most celebrated of toys, Folkmanis^® Puppets are consistently awarded excellent marks by such independent toy evaluators as Dr. Toy, Parents’ Choice and Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, and win the country’s top toy awards.

Folkmanis’ most recent honors include:

Award/Character

2002 Parents’ Choice Silver Award/Fairies Puppets

2002 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award/Griffin Puppet

2002 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award/Fairies Puppets

2002 Dr. Toy 100 Best Children’s Products & 10 Best Creative/Puppet Theater

2002 Publisher’s Weekly Best of Show, BookExpo 2002/Soft Book—My First Puppets

2002 NAPPA (Nat’l Assoc. Parenting Publications) Gold Award/Fairies

2002 NAPPA (Nat’l Assoc. Parenting Publications) Gold Award/Royal Family

2002 NAPPA (Nat’l Assoc. Parenting Publications) Gold Award/Puppet Theater

2001 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award/Peek-a-boo Monkey/Bunny Play Cube

2001 Dr. Toy 10 Best Toys/Soft Book—My First Puppets

2001 Dr. Toy 100 Best Vacation Products/Soft Book—My First Puppets

2001 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award/Golden Retriever

2001 Family Fun Toy of the Year Winner/Red Dragon

2001 Parents’ Choice Honors/Golden Retriever, Sea Serpent

2001 Earlychildhood News Director's Choice Award/Panda Puppet

2001 Earlychildhood News Director's Choice Award/Jack Russell Terrier Puppet

Where to buy Folkmanis^® Puppets

Folkmanis^® toys are carried nationally by FAO Schwarz, science/nature museums, zoo and aquarium gift shops, and thousands of independent toy and gift stores and specialty retailers nationwide and in Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan and many other countries around the world. For a complete listing of virtual and traditional stores by state and region, see www.folkmanis.com .

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