Corduroy™ Plush by Russ Berrie Wins Prestigious All-Star Award – Toy Wishes Magazine Gives Award to Creative Properties Brand
02/17/09
New York—Read Along Corduroy, the plush bear made famous in a series of best-selling children's books by Don Freeman, was given the prestigious All-Star Award by Toy Wishes Magazine, the preeminent guide for toy shopping, children's entertainment and parenting tips. The plush bear in signature green overalls, created by Russ Berrie, reads his own classic book in a soothing voice while moving his head slightly. Toy Wishes calls the product "the perfect bedtime storyteller."
The publication reviews over 1,000 new toys each year and evaluates them based on play value, innovation, quality, age appropriateness and fun. Parents, editors, teachers and kids are all part of the selection process. Read Along Corduroy is available at specialty and gift shops, bookstores, and department stores nationwide.
Penguin Young Readers Group provides extensive exposure for this evergreen franchise by publishing new titles every year in a variety of innovative book formats, which are heavily promoted at retail. New titles for 2009 include Corduroy Helps Out, and Happy Hanukkah Corduroy. Last year, Penguin published a special 40th anniversary edition of the original Corduroy classic, which has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide and has been translated into multiple languages. According to the publisher, Corduroy is even more popular today than he was when he first came on the scene over 40 years ago.
Commenting on the Toy Wishes All-Star Award, Regina Hayes, president and publisher, Viking Books for Young Readers said, "We're thrilled that, after 40 years, our favorite little brown bear with green overalls and a missing button continues to charm and inspire children in new and inventive ways."
Corduroy is licensed by Creative Properties, which is developing a broad-based licensing program to include educational toys, games, puzzles, electronic learning & entertainment games and software. In addition, they seek quality licensees in the following categories: gifts & accessories; apparel for baby, toddler and pre-school; bedding and room décor; health & beauty products; and feeding products. Creative Properties is also exploring advertising and promotional opportunities that are a good marketing match for the Corduroy brand. The property is targeted to boys and girls, newborn through pre-school, and their parents.
In addition to Russ Berrie, current licensing partners include American Greetings, Books to Bed for sleepwear, Steiff North America, Inc., and Chick-Fil-A.
"Winning this prestigious award says a lot about Corduroy as well as Russ Berrie's innovative approach to the brand. This product brilliantly captures Corduroy's likeness and what we call his 'cuddle quotient,'" says Carolann Dunn, founding partner of Creative Properties. "We love the fact that today's parents are reading aloud the same Corduroy books they loved as children. That's why expanding into other licensed categories makes sense. We're delighted to see parents responding positively to a line extension that fits the character."
Creative Properties is a full-service licensing company based in the New York metropolitan area with a long, successful track record on a wide range of classic and contemporary properties. In addition to Corduroy, Creative Properties licenses the art of avant pop artist Peter Mars and contemporary painter Trish Biddle, as well as the children's property, Monster-Proof created by Kathy Carabasi. The company's founding principals, Liz Conyngham and Carolann Dunn, later joined by senior vice president, business development, Steven Scebelo, previously managed multi-million-dollar brands, including Peanuts, Major League Baseball, Precious Moments, Coca Cola, and the NBA.
Read Along Corduroy Wins Toy Wishes Magazine's Prestigious All-Star Award
The classic book property, based on the bear made famous in Don Freeman's bestselling children's titles, is represented for licensing by Creative Properties, which is developing a broad-based licensing program to include educational toys, games, puzzles, electronic learning & entertainment games and software, as well as gifts & accessories; apparel for baby, toddler and pre-school; bedding and room décor; health & beauty products; and feeding products.