As many inventors and entrepreneurs will attest, the launch of a successful new product is often the result of a chance coincidence, a desire to fill a missing void in the marketplace and plenty of hard work and sleepless nights – and that’s certainly the case for Laura Jiencke, president of Kayle Concepts and her new line of plush toys, “The Bluebee Pals.” According to Jiencke, who is a veteran of the billion-dollar international toy industry, the sight of seeing her lovingly designed animal companions emerging from the manufacturing line in China was a thrilling, unforgettable experience. Having served as a consultant to a number of companies that provided America’s largest retailers – including Kohl’s, CVS, Wal-mart, Sears and Walgreens – with hundreds of adorable plush toys over the years, Jiencke admits that she felt a bit sad that children’s playtime was increasingly being dominated by tablets, smart phones and other technological toys and learning devices such as Leapfrog and V-Tek. The notion of having an inseparable, cuddly animal friend had apparently become a habit of the distant past. “Fifteen or twenty years ago, the number of people buying plush toys was double or triple what it is today,” says Jiencke.
In 1999, Laura Jiencke’s talent for design won the support of K-B Toys, then America’s largest toy retailer, which was especially fond of her “Sweet Dreams” bear design. The firm gave Jiencke a major order, allowing her to launch her own company. A prolific designer, Jiencke’s company was especially well known in the industry for the premium plush fabrics used in each creation. With the economic downturn in 2008, however, consumer demand for plush toys went into decline – and a year later, Jiencke decided to take a break from the industry. By that time, Jiencke’s company had produced hundreds of different plush toys for a variety of major retailers.
A chance encounter in an Apple store in early 2013, however, inspired her to get back into the business. “A salesperson was teaching me how to operate my new laptop computer,” Jiencke says, “and after I told her about my work designing plush toys, she told me that she had spotted a plush turtle designed by a company called Kayle Concepts that she had spotted on eBay, selling for $75 – far more than the price that retailers were charging just a few years earlier.” The fact that there was a proven public demand for her designs convinced Jiencke that it was time to consider getting back into the business.
“It was clear to me,” Jiencke says, “that my designs still had appeal, but I knew that I’d somehow have to include technology in the animals if they were going to even be considered by children – or the buyers for the major toy stores and retailers.” Having visited manufacturing centers in China many times over the years, one of Jiencke’s friends told her about a brilliant man in China by the name of Herbert Lo, who shared the same idea of combining adorable, “old-fashioned” plush toy designs with state-of-the-art technology that the children had once made such a major part of their daily lives. At first, Low’s idea was to somehow “put an iPad” inside a huggable stuffed animal, but he soon came up with a more practical and effective solution. The source of Low’s inspiration was the fact that he felt there were many lonely children there in China because of the prevalence of one-child families – and he felt that a huggable animal companion that could be combined with a wide range of online content and apps would provide these children with a great source of constant stimulation and entertainment.
Agreeing to collaborate on making their vision a reality, Jiencke and Low jumped right into the development process, and in less than a year – working almost literally “night and day” – they quickly moved from the idea stage, right into full production. It has definitely been a “fast track” process, compared to the two or three years that similar development frequently requires when undertaken by a toy company. “There’s nothing like the high of seeing your designs emerging from the factory,” Jiencke says.
This month, Toys “R” Us began carrying the line – known as “The Bluebee Pals,” a nod to the fact that a Bluetooth receiver inside each animal. The Bluetooth connection inside each animal allows each Bluebee Pal to sing any song a child might desire, helps them learn to read, and even connects them by phone with loved ones anywhere in the world. “Until the Bluebee Pals came along,” says Jiencke, “the only ‘talking’ toys were made of stiff plastic and only offered a set number of prerecorded messages. They certainly aren’t huggable and they don’t offer this kind of versatility.” Regarding the phone feature, Jiencke said that she recently met a toy buyer at Macy’s who said that giving her young niece a Bluebee Pal to communicate with her mother who was currently stationed in Afghanistan, would be a huge stress-reliever.
As she prepared to launch the Bluebee Pals line, Jiencke also established partnerships with a number of Internet partners. When children connect their Bluebee Pal to iStoryTime – a free app that offers access to a large collection of storybooks – they can follow along on their iPad with the story of their choice, while their Bluebee companion “reads the story aloud.” The result is an unparalleled level of engagement that supports the learn-to-read process. “I recently shared my Bluebee puppy with a little girl on an airplane who was crying, and she was captivated – and happy – for hours,” says Jiencke. Cubic Frog, another official partner of the Bluebee Pals, offers a range of online programs that help children learn the alphabet, colors, sounds and even foreign languages. Even adults have begun enjoying Bluebee Pals as well – allowing them to “channel” an iPhone conversation with a spouse or co-worker. Those who have welcomed one of the Bluebee Pals into their lives in recent weeks have been sending Laura Jiencke rave reviews. She’s thrilled to see that there really is a place for huggable plush toys in the lives of children these days, and the new technology opens a vast range of possibilities when it comes to entertainment, education and communication.
For more information and to see just how versatile and fun the Bluebee Pals can be, visit:
The Bluebee Pal Puppy can be purchased online through Toys “R” Us by visiting:
Contacts:
Tom Martin, 203-297-2137
Tom@TomMartinMedia.com
