Julie is Darah’s new best friend. No, she hasn’t surpassed bunny and llama, but she is definitely in the high inner circle of plush toys. Julie is a super cute soft doll from the Madame Alexander line called StinkyKids. Darah makes Julie dance (her arms and legs move easily) and has tea parties with her often. I like Julie because she is safe enough for babies (no small parts that might detach), she is washable when the need arises, and she is so stinkin’ cute (no pun intended).
I was unfamiliar with this line of dolls until I was contacted for a review, and now I’m so glad to know about them. One of my favorite things about this line is that the characters can be found in two books, StinkyKids and the Runaway Scissors, which we had the chance to check out, and StinkyKids See a Full Moon, which will be available in September but can be pre-ordered now. Darah thought it was VERY cool to see her Julie on the pages of a storybook, and as a result, she plops down and listens to the story (it’s not long, but it is a bit longer than most other books she will listen to all the way through, so I know that having Julie in the story is a big deal to her). The motto of StinkyKids is, “Always be a leader of good,” and you can see that lesson coming through in the book. The book that is currently out won the 2011 Silver Mom’s Choice Award for best children’s picture book, so I’m not the only one who thought it was a good read!
As it sometimes happens with any product that is sewn together, occasionally a problem occurs. Darah’s doll Julie seemed to have a faulty hem on her skirt, and after just 8 days was fraying considerably. I’m actually kind of glad that we had this experience with a StinkyKids item, because it gave me insight about the customer service this company provides. First, I learned that I received a sample doll, so the quality could vary slightly from what is available online. Second, I learned that of the 25,000 dolls that have been produced so far, this is the second reported problem. The sponsor told me that it is their policy to look into the defect and determine if there is a problem with manufacturing, and to make the mistake right by not only replacing the doll, but sending additional goodies from the store as an extra measure of goodwill. That really showed me that this company takes quality very seriously, and also takes customer satisfaction very seriously. So I can tell you with confidence that the odds are astronomical that anything will be wrong with a StinkyKids doll if you buy one, but if it is, you can rest assured that customer service will make it right and then some! Furthermore, Julie is very much loved by Darah, and a scraggly hem isn’t going to change that!
One other fabulous feature of StinkyKids is that a percentage of profits from each sale go to Books, Bears and Bonnets, Inc., a charity founded in honor of the aunt of the StinkyKids founder, who passed away from uterine cancer. It delivers gift boxes to children and adults fighting cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. This company takes the StinkyKids motto, “Always be a leader of good,” to heart!
Buy it!: StinkyKids dolls can be purchased at Amazon and retail for $16.99 (but I’m seeing some smokin’ hot deals on some of them right now!).
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the StinkyKid of your choice!!! The contest will run until September 2nd at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.
Mandatory entry: Pick out the StinkyKid you want for your child, and choose wisely, as the winner will get what s/he selects for this entry!
Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like StinkyKids on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect (found on the sidebar of the blog)
Be sure to enter my other current giveaways found on the sidebar of my blog.
Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.