The popularity of bean bag products continue to grow.
As a former teacher,
I find it refreshing that a toy can be produced with a learning
theme attached.
ZOOOO was introduced to me and I requested an interview about
this interactive product.
1. What inspired
ZOOOO to develop a product, which was interactive for children?
ZOOOO's mission is to connect kids and animals. We know kids can
make a difference in preserving the Environment and helping us
all enjoy the animals, which make the world so amazing.
We heard on National
Public Radio that 75% of the new laws in Vermont relating to animals
and the environment were due to kids writing or e-mailing suggestions
to the state legislators.
As far as the interactive experience is concerned: Both Alan and
I love stories about heroes and myths. He Remembers a volume of
twelve storybooks like Charlemaine, Pinocchio and Lassie Come-Home
that his aunt gave him as a boy, which he read and reread until
he gave them to his younger sister to read. Alan's modern hero
is Walt Disney.
I loved mythology, particularly the Greek stories such as Pegasus.
It was my best class in school. We wanted more than well-made,
unusual bean bag toys; we wanted something to engage the child's
imagination. So of course, we wanted stories. We discovered the
stories like diamonds in our own backyard. (More on this) The
ZOOOO story makes the character come alive, and the ZOOOO Baby
helps the child appreciate the story. The ZOOOO Collar that comes
with every ZOOOO Baby lets you personalize each character. They
all fit together.
2. What made you
choose the animals that are featured in ZOOOO Stories and their
ZOOOO Baby counterparts?
Jamie King, my daughter, had written a touching story about a
magical manatee when she was only seventeen. Alan and I felt the
story had a lot of potential. We wanted characters that were memorable
and likeable, young heroes whose story contained a valuable message
for kids and kids at heart.
We asked Jamie for more stories, and let her chose and develop
the characters for which she felt a natural affinity. Then Alan
and I, along with our illustrator, and our manufacturer's designers
worked as a team in creating the ZOOOO Baby with a bean bag personality
from the story. We even gave our designers the early prototype
ZOOOO Stories so they would have a better feel for the character.
3. How do ZOOOO
Babies differ from other bean bag products?
First, ZOOOO has put together an ensemble, a set that includes
a book, a matching toy, and a collar in a heart locket, all for
one price of $19.95. They are sold as a package. If you look at
the price of most book and toy sets, you know that's a tremendous
value for parents, grandparents and kids. Our retailers have all
told us that ZOOOO has a very attractive price point.
Second, we start with a memorable and likeable character in the
story and then we design the toy around that character. When you
think about it, that's exactly what Walt Disney did and how all
the Disney merchandise evolved out of the movies. When children
play with Raindrop, they think of what she means. She's not just
another bean bag toy; she's the heroine of a ZOOOO Story.
4. What are your ZOOOO Babies made of and are they washable?
We researched over
30 companies which make bean bag toys. We looked for kid appeal,
reliable quality, a lot of value, and the ability to meet our
design specifications, particularly in the elusive area of personality.
Barry the Bear, the Puddles' ducks and Kodi the Koala's ears are
made of a a long plush polyester fiber which gives a warm fuzzy
feeling. They all have lots of beans to give them more fullness
rather than a baggy, anorexic look. MaryBelle the Manatee, Raindrop
and Kodi has a velvety smooth polyester plush. All are washable.
5. What is the reading
level of your books?
Z0000 Stories are written for 4 to 10 years and above. We heartily
suggest that parents read to their children and then ask them
questions about the story and the character. ZOOOO Stories are
written for "over and over" appeal rather than the "been
there, done that" feeling of many children's stories.
Just as important, there's a story inside each ZOOOO story that
parents and teachers will appreciate...about nature, environment,
tolerance and diversity.
6. Please provide
a brief company history:
Medias was founded by Alan Lovejoy and myself. The company is
named after MEH-DEE-AS, our black and white Peruvian Paso horse.
It's not just ZOOOO products that makes Medias what it is, it's
our company philosophy and how we do business, how we treat people.
At Medias, our strength is in picking winners. We're very proud
of our business partners. We're not a huge corporation, which
can impose itself on its suppliers or customers. We depend on
many small companies. We learn from them, they learn from us.
They believe in us, and we believe in them. This may sound a little
corny, but it works.
Alan was in the management consulting business for over twenty
years, working mostly with entrepreneurial companies, and coaching
their teams. He brings a great deal of management and marketing
know-how to Medias. I'm a naturally born entrepreneur and have
started businesses such as a pedigree dog breeding operation,
a child care center, a major dating service and a restaurant.
I bring creativity and operations abilities. Medias' first product
was the MouseBoard, a kind of super mousepad that goes on your
leg or lap, to make mousing a lot more comfortable. Now our focus
is on ZOOOO ...connecting kids and animals.
7. Please provide information on the author of ZOOOO Stories:
Jamie King, 22, is my daughter, and the author of our first series. Jamie's writing has a magical touch, which reaches kid's hearts and makes parents feel like kids again. She has loved animals since she was a child and had pets such as ferrets, parrots, hedgehogs, horses, gerbils, dogs, cats, chinchillas and rabbits. Jamie lives with her extended family, two dogs, her cat and a pocket parrot. Without giving away any secrets, her next ZOOOO Story will be out in September and we think it will become a Halloween classic. ZOOOO is also looking for more authors who can write stories to connect kids and animals.
8. Why do you think
ZOOOO Babies and ZOOOO Stories will be popular in this market?
First, ZOOOO is a fun, kid friendly, family name. It has so much
positive association for everyone. Who doesn't love going to the
zoo? (By the way, ZOOOO is a registered trademark of Medias &
Company.)
Second, if you watch the media, nearly every news show, every
major newspaper and magazine always has a story about new polar
bears at the local zoo, a dog saving a child in the swimming pool,
hawks nesting on top of skyscrapers or the plight of the sea otters.
There's a built-in interest in animal's great and small, particularly
baby animals. And if the public is interested, the media is interested.
Third, there's more awareness of the importance of early reading
on the part of parents and grandparents. But reading needs to
be fun, and it needs to be interesting to kids. You can lead a
child to a book, but you can't make them read. At ZOOOO, we don't
try to teach children, we find ways to encourage them to learn.
ZOOOO Babies and the Stories do this.
9. Have you tested
ZOOOO Stories and ZOOOO Babies with children?
This was one of our first steps, and was it fun! We went out to
La Petite Academy, Renaissance Charter School, Most Precious Blood
(K-8), numerous public schools, beanie shows, and even a slumber
party of seven girls ages 7 and 8.
The kids' response was enthusiastic and heart warming. We loved
reading to them. They really got into it. Once they saw the ZOOOO
Baby, they wanted to hear the Story. Once they heard one Story,
they wanted to hear all the Stories.
For example, kids would
ask us "Why is Raindrop all the colors of the rainbow?"
Once they understood WHY, they wanted Raindrop.
Every time we tested the ZOOOO sets with kids, we first asked
them to pick out ONE ZOOOO Baby they liked the most. After we
read all the Stories, to our surprise, almost all chose a DIFFERENT
ZOOOO Baby as their favorite.
Our conclusion: At first, most kids will pick the "cutest"
beanie, but after listening to the Story, their heart makes the
choice. Alan and I feel that is a very important lesson.
Just as important, teachers tell us children pay rapt attention
to ZOOOO Stories, which is an excellent indicator of their interest
level.
Finally, parents read the Story before they buy it for their child.
They praise the illustrations and the quality of the Story and
the ZOOOO Baby, and appreciate how we help the child want to read.
10. Please provide
a description of ZOOOO products for prospective buyers:
ZOOOO Stories and ZOOOO Babies are matching sets of books and
bean bag toys for kids and big kids who love animals. The first
five include:
* Barry the Bear Meets the Mother of All Bears, with a black bear
cub;
* Kodi's Heroic Journey, with a little Koala joey;
* Puddles Times Two, which comes with two fuzzy young
ducklings;
* MaryBelle the Manatee, with a young manatee sea cow;
* Rainbows in the Rainforest, which comes with a rainbow
colored chameleon.
They are priced at $19.95 a set.
11. The bean bag
market is inundated with products. What makes ZOOOO stand out
and appeal to collectors?
We're not deliberately marketing to collectors, that is, to the
true collectors who collect because they enjoy products with intrinsic
value, and which stand on their own merit. Each ZOOOO Story and
ZOOOO Baby set is an original creative work, somewhere between
fantasy and reality. Our goal is not to be bigger, but better.
Many collectors, like grandparents, don't really collect for themselves
as much as they do for their grandchildren. We don't plan to play
the early retirement game, we won't flood the market with product
and we definitely won't clone products to produce a "1000
Dalmatians" look. If collectors decide they like ZOOOO, we
will be honored. People can order on-line at http://www.zoooo.com
I would like to thank Charlee King for this interview and allowing me to introduce you to ZOOOO Products.