CONTACT: Elaine Kollias,
Folkmanis, Inc.
800.654-8922
elaine
@
folkmanis.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
INNOVATIVE BABY
FOLKMANIS®
LINE MAKES FIRST
TOY FAIR APPEARANCE
First-ever line of
puppets designed for use
from birth
(EMERYVILLE, CA—January
17, 2002) Entering its
first full year of
distribution, BABY
FOLKMANIS®,
will introduce eight new
innovative puppets for
the youngest toy
users—beginning at
birth—at the American
International Toy Fair
in New York, February
10-14. These will join
the premiere 12 items
that were in limited
distribution in fall
2001. The imaginative
new sub-brand caught the
eyes of child
development experts and
toy tests, winning
recognition from
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio,
Dr. Toy, Parenting,
Parents, Child,
Baby Talk, and
more.
The spring 2002 new
introductions include an
amazingly innovative
story-telling glove, a
soft book, an eating
group of animal puppets,
and a super-soft
collection of rattle
puppets. These, along
with the entire Baby
Folkmanis line, are
designed for interactive
play between parent and
child—beginning at
birth. The unrivaled
puppets have colors,
textures, shapes, and
sounds to stimulate
infant and toddler
development while
entertaining little ones
with whimsical
characters, fun
manipulatives, and
hidden surprises.
“We knew we had filled a
consumer need when the “My
First Puppets” Soft
Book sold out in stores
nationwide,” says Judy
Folkmanis, company
founder and creative
director. “We put many
hours into creating
puppets that would
stimulate infant and
toddler development
while encouraging the
children to have fun and
stimulating a life-long
love of puppets. And the
child development
experts agree, and have
awarded Baby Folkmanis
many honors.”
The wonderfully creative
HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE
Storytelling Glove
Puppet takes the
age-old nursery rhyme
and gives it a totally
unique platform. The
soft fabric glove is
designed to fit on
either hand and is
designed to emulate a
glittery night sky. A
moon flap is on the palm
and, when lifted, a
scroll with the words of
the rhyme is revealed.
The gloves of the
fingers include a cat
playing the fiddle, a
jumping cow containing a
hidden rattle, a
laughing dog, and a dish
running away with a
spoon.
AGE APPROPRIATE: 6
months and up
AVAILABILITY: Spring
2002
SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE:
$20
A grizzly bear, beluga
whale, and piglet make
up Baby Folkmanis’
innovative, new “eating”
puppet collection. Each
comes with one of its
favorite foods that it
can “eat” through a
small hole in the
puppet’s mouth.
Delighting little ones,
the chocolate brown
EATING BEAR is made
of super-soft chenille
and comes with a
pink-and-gray salmon
finger puppet. A bright
orange “scaly” fabric
squid is the food of
choice
that comes with the
off-white chamois
EATING WHALE. The
black-and-pink chamois
EATING PIG
has his favorite ear of
corn. Included with
these puppets are
stories designed to help
the caregiver and child
interact and talk about
eating with questions
such as “Do you have any
teeth like the whale
yet? Do you eat corn
like the Piglet?”
AGE APPROPRIATE: 6
months and up
AVAILABILITY: Spring
2002
SUGGESTED RETAIL
PRICES:
Eating Bear—$20
Eating Whale—$16
Eating
Pig—$18
BABY FOLKMANIS’ infant
rattle puppets are
adorable, full-bodied
animals. Created in
their “resting”
position, their dangly
legs are sprawled out in
front of and behind
them. These playful,
chamois-fabric friends
have rattles in their
front feet, so that the
puppeteer can elicit
giggles and squeals of
delight from babies when
they animate and wiggle
the legs. There is also
a workable mouth on all
three creatures: the
brown-and-white spotted
COW RATTLE,
spotted LEOPARD
RATTLE, and
black-and-white ZEBRA
RATTLE.
AGE APPROPRIATE: Birth
and up
AVAILABILITY: Spring
2002
SUGGESTED RETAIL
PRICES: $16
BABY FOLKMANIS®
puppets are appropriate
for all ages, birth and
up, and are available at
specialty toy and gift
stores nationwide, and
at select online
retailers. FOLKMANIS®
Puppets are recommended
for ages 3 and up. You
can also find Folkmanis®
near you by checking
www.folkmanis.com.
For more information
call Elaine Kollias at
800.654-8922.
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