Author: Kara Faulk

COMMENTARY: Learning Healthy Habits Has Never Been This Much Fun!

Posted by | Mar 27, 2014 | , , , , , , ,

As adults, we’re always obsessing over chasing that elusive 10 pounds that we gained so easily after college, but still haven’t figured out how to lose. Going to the gym and eating organic foods are second nature to those who have adapted healthier lifestyles in an effort to be at their best. It’s difficult to make those changes—switching french fries for brussels sprouts and being active instead of sitting on the couch all day. Why, then, don’t we give our kids a head start in this crusade? We should be teaching these healthy habits as early as possible. At Toy Fair 2014, there was one booth that stuck out to me, mostly because there was a dancing carrot in superhero gear in front of the table. Hey, whatever you have to do! But the premise of this company is just that—to put a fun, positive light on vegetables and to get the attention of kids. Super Sprowtz teaches kids to “eat their super powers,” and encourages healthy and active lifestyles at an early age. Books, apparel, puppets, DVDs, apps, and educational kits make up the collection, and all feature positive messages and superhero vegetables. Erica Eggplant, Brian Broccoli, Suzie Sweetpea, and Colby Carrot are the unexpected heroes that will get kids excited to eat those veggies! Move & Groove from Thinkfun is the perfect dancing game for toddlers. It’s...

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COMMENTARY: Not a Barbie Girl!

Posted by | Mar 12, 2014 | , , , , , ,

Barbie just celebrated her 55th birthday, and to commemorate the occasion, made a splash on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Wearing a skimpy, and quite-controversial, neutral-toned swimsuit, Barbie caused quite a stir. Many argue that it may be time for Barbie to finally step down as the queen of the children’s doll world. Nickolay Lamm, creator of the new Lammily doll, would certainly agree that there is a new girl in town: the “average is beautiful”-promoting Lammily doll. Lamm claims that Lammily is the world’s first normal-sized doll. Last year, Lamm designed images of what he dubbed, “normal Barbie,” in an attempt to make the doll reflect the proportions of real female bodies. He used the measurements of the average 19-year-old woman from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and molded them into a 3-D model of Barbie. Barbie’s unrealistic proportions have long been criticized by feminist campaigns. Although her waist was expanded and her bust made smaller in 1998, her figure remains significantly out of proportion and unrealistic for the average teenager. Studies show that if transformed into a real woman, Barbie’s 16-inch waist would be four inches thinner than her head. She would be required to walk on her hands and feet, as her 6-inch ankles and vast, missing areas of body would not be able to hold her upright. Studies also show that body image...

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COMMENTARY: Plush With a Purpose

Posted by | Feb 26, 2014 | , , , , ,

Last week at Toy Fair, I was incredibly moved and encouraged to see so many toy companies giving from their compassionate hearts. When I was younger, I wanted to write about cancer research or world hunger. This week, Toy Fair reminded me that the toy business is an incredible outlet to make a huge difference, and these toy makers are using the toy industry to teach kids the importance of giving, love, and compassion. I’ve fallen in love with a handful of toy makers who are using their platform to make a real difference. Toys may seem trivial, but aren’t kids the ones in whom we delegate our future? Bunnies By the Bay is a plush and baby company with a Red Thread collection, and 10 percent of sales go to orphanages in other countries. After conducting research on child development, Jeanne-Ming Hayes, President of Bunnies, realized that babies who aren’t swaddled and nurtured in the earliest phases have a hard time accepting love and support after adoption at a later age. She uses the proceeds from Red Thread sales to assign a nanny for every three children in orphanages, so that babies receive one-on-one attention and nurturing. Speaking with the partners at Bunnies By the Bay, it was evident that the reasons they’re in the toy industry are completely pure. They are a breath of fresh air, and...

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COMMENTARY: Go! Go! Sports Girls Promote a Healthy Image for Girls

Posted by | Jan 27, 2014 | , , , ,

After struggling with self-image for many, many years, I feel that relaying the importance of confidence to a younger generation of girls is of the utmost importance. Young girls see and hear older women discussing hatred toward their bodies and the latest on fad diets; it’s such an unhealthy message to send. In a world where most “girl” action figures and dolls are stick-thin, and every famous tween girl looks ill-fed, a break in this trend is always quite refreshing. Go! Go! Sports Girl products offer girls products with a positive image to encourage healthy minds and bodies. The line was created after Jodi Norgaard had a disappointing shopping experience with her 9-year-old daughter, unable to find anything “stylish” that didn’t bare a stomach or involve high heels. Norgaard’s company, Dream Big Toy Co., aims to empower young girls with its motto “Dream Big and Go for It.” It seems that similar specialty toy companies have started to take notice, creating lines with a related approach. Dream Big Toy Co. created Go! Go! Sports Girls as a fun and educational way to promote self-appreciation and the benefits of daily exercise, healthy eating and sleeping habits, self-esteem, and overall healthy life skills among girls ages 3 to 12, regardless of race and socioeconomic class. The Sports Girls are age and size appropriate, and most importantly, they do not encourage an older or...

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COMMENTARY: Minecraft Brings A Whole New World

Posted by | Dec 25, 2013 |

I admittedly didn’t know very much about the Minecraft toy and game selection until Halloween, when my uncle sent a photo of the costume that he had made for his son; who am I kidding—I knew nothing until then! My cousin Carson is a 5 year-old obsessed with the stuff! At the time, all I knew was that Carson could make anything look adorable, and that he had clearly moved on from trains and into this world where players can build constructions out of textured cubes in a 3-D generated world. I can’t even begin to understand all of the insider ins-and-outs of Minecraft, and it seems as though the name represents an entity of games and licensed products. I do, though, like to get as involved as I can with Carson, as I am much more aware of the favorites of his sister, Kennedy, since they were the same as mine: all things pink. Man, girls are simple! In time for the holidays, I took the game home to see what this Minecraft business is all about, so I can get those ever-elusive little kid “brownie points” while I’m home for Christmas. My roommates and I were up all night playing it, realizing around midnight that the game was quite addictive. The game is split into two separate modes: Creative and Survival. Both versions can be played with...

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