By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
If you’re having a rough time at Expo this year, maybe drop by the LoCoco Licensing booth where you can spend some time with Moodles.
LoCoco is representing the innovative emotional plush and doll line Moodles, an award-winning toy that has been strongly endorsed by parents, educators and child therapists. The toy line was formerly known as Whatsitsface, names for its ability to change its expression with the turn of a knob, or the flip of a face.
So, what makes Moodles so special?
The toys were developed by inventor Joanna Paul, who patented a novel mechanism that allows the Moodles to display multiple faces, each with a different expression. Unlike a regular doll or plush, Moodles can change their expression to suit the mood of the child (or exhausted Expo attendee) who is playing with it.
Paul says she was inspired to create the toy by her own children, who used playtime as a way to engage, interact and learn. Joanna’s toy was immediately embraced by kids, parents, educators and therapists, and was the recipient of a number of parenting and toy industry awards, including a coveted 2020 Toy of the Year nomination by the Toy Association. It was also honored with the National Parenting Product Award, a Tillywig Award, and a PAL Award.
“Children have huge emotions, whether it’s feeling overwhelmingly excited by the sight of ice cream to the stress and sadness of being left with a babysitter,” Paul explains. “Everything feels amplified when you’re young because you may not understand why you’re feeling such emotions, let alone knowing how to control them or successfully express them.
“This can often lead to frustration, anger and to dreaded tantrums. Fostering emotional growth and development in your child can help your children build emotional strength and resilience and prepare them for life’s challenges, not to mention the added benefit of a happier and healthier household!”
Moodles are essentially designed to help kids learn about emotions through interactive play, which child development experts say is a critically important tool in a child’s emotional development. Each MOODLES plush or doll features six separate facial expressions—Happy, Sad, Amused, Surprised, Angry and Sleepy—offering children endless opportunities to create new imaginative play scenarios.
LoCoco Licensing is now actively pursuing licensing partners for Moodles to extend the brand into new categories. The agency recently secured a licensing agreement for Moodles with the toy company Sunny Days Entertainment for plush and dolls.
The highly successful product launch resulted in the licensed Moodles products being places in top retailers nationwide, including Walmart, Amazon, Kohl’s, Fred Meyers, and Meijer, among others.
Founded in 1994, LoCoco Licensing is a leading licensing and design agency in the Art and Design category. The agency has facilitated deals in more than 75 countries, resulting in thousands of products representing nearly $800 million in retail sales.
Anyone interested in exploring a licensing partnership with Moodles can visit LoCoco Licensing at Licensing Expo, Booth C191, make an appointment through the Licensing Expo meeting platform, or email the company at info@LoCoco Licensing.com.
You can also find more background at LoCoco Licensing.com or whatsitsface.com.
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