I am very excited to share some great news.  As you all know, I am the star of the debut StinkyKids book titled StinkyKids and the Runaway Scissors.  I share this book with my friends Max, Hannah and Julie and we are all very happy about the news we just learned from our publishing family at Raven Tree Press.

Today we recieved our first book review, and as we all knew, it is a HIT, a very positive review.  Below is the actual review.  Please visit the website Author’s Choice Reviews (www.idealinhope.com) where you can find the review and learn about the reviewer, Carolyn R. Scheidies.  Enjoy!!

‘Britt has a secret she doesn’t want to share with her parents.  If she does, they won’t let her have her playdate with her friends Hannah, Max, and Julie.  When she explains to her friends, they try to help, but everything they do makes things worse.  Finally, they have to deal with the consequences.  An all-too-realistic story of cutting hair with delightfully drawn kid characters who act like kids.

An upbeat story that helps kids understand the consequences of choices, the need to ask for help at times and to make wise choices.  Parents should have this book to read with their children.

RECOMMENDED!’ 

 http://www.idealinhope.com/bookreviews/picturebooks.html

Both boys can’t wait until the new book comes out!

Again, thanks so much. It was very kind of you to do that – especially with your crazy schedule!

—comments like this make it all worthwhile.  This was from a mom of a elementary school student who won the StinkyKids coloring contest during our first book signing event in Atlanta, GA where we sold 130 books in one hour!!!

She is a coach for a program called Girls on the Run, which my friends and I at StinkyKids support via our special addtion tee shirt sold on our on-line store.  (StinkyKids donates 40%, after costs, of each StinkyKids Girls on the Run tee shirt sold to the program.)

Jen not only helped my little stinKers and I by ordering a StinkyKids Girls on the Run tee shirt for herself and her ‘little princess’, but she also helped by sharing our story with her readers on her blog titled Domestic Diva Jen.

The link to the story is below.  Jen has a beautiful way of using words to describe what StinkyKids is all about.  Not just from the business side of selling products, but from our mission to share our motto ‘Always Be A Leader of Good’ with all of the little stinKers in the world. 

To quote her:

” I found a new way of thinking.. something like ‘paying it forward’, but not just one time.  It’s like paying it forward–everyday, all day long, forever…what a concept!”

I love that through our StinkyKids characters and motto, we are inspiring people like Mrs. Domestic Diva Jen everyday, and chaning the way people are thinking in a positive way.  That is what really matters, and that is why StinkyKids are proud of what we have accomplished…and we have only just started!!!!

Enjoy Jen’s blog by clicking on the link below:

http://domesticdivajen.blogspot.com/2010/09/being-leader-of-good.html

I have a special friend here today, who would like to share a story with us about how she was a ‘Leader of Good’ today. 

It is my cousin StinkyKid Joey!!  Ok Joey, take it away…

Hi everyone.  I am StinkyKid Joey and I am a Leader Of Good for my compassion for animals.  Today was a great day as I helped save a little doggies life!!  Here is what happened..

I was walking my cousin, StinkyKid Max’s dog, Pudgy, who is an English Bulldog puppy today and saw a little dog in the middle of the street!!  I was a bit scared because I had Pudgy with me who is only 8 months old, and I did not know if the two dogs would hurt each other.

So as much as my mind was telling me to keep walking to protect Pudgy, my heart, said that I needed to stop and help the doggie find her home.  I also thought about what if my dog Clyde was lost.  I would hope that someone would stop and help him find our home.  I would be so sad if I lost him.

So as a Leader of Good, I told Pudgy to stay calm, and we called the lost dog over to the side walk.  I did not go in the middle of the street!!  Too dangerous.  When the dog came to us I held her collar and found out that her name was Joey, just like mine!!!  She also had a phone number on her collar so I used my mom’s cell phone (she was walking with me) and called Joey the dog’s owner. 

The owner was SOO happy and told me that she was so proud of me for calling her about her dog Joey.  She said she loves Joey very much and her kids would have been so upset if she was lost forever.  She asked me what she could do for me in return for my Leader Of Good act, and I said that everyone should do kind acts like this and no reward was necessary.

I felt so good that Joey the dog was returned to her owner and Pudgy was such a good girl while I rescued the other dog.  My day was complete and my mommy hugged me and said she would take me for ice cream later.

Just wanted to share my Leader of Good Story with you.  Here is picture of me hula hooping in my backyard.  Enjoy.

Thanks Joey, I cannot wait to come over later to hula hoop in your backyard.  Bye!!

As you all know, StinkyKid Britt was named after me, the creator of StinkyKids, Britt Menzies.  I would like to share a personal story of my own with everyone as the creator and and not as StinkyKid Britt.

The story starts a little over a year ago, July 16, 2009, when my whole world changed in the matter of minutes.  While shopping for a gift for my niece Julie (who is StinkyKid Julie) with my daughter Emma, I began to have pain in my tummy.

The pain continued to get worse leading me to an emergency visit to the hospital, to find out that I had a rare situation that if not taken care of immediately, could take my life.

Luckily for me and my family, I was in the hands of amazing doctors and was operated on successfully, and while having to stay in the hospital for a week, my life was saved. 

While the recovery was slow and somewhat painful, I was getting better.  Until, September 16, 2009, exactly 8 weeks later, I found myself  back in the emergency room with a complication from my initial operation, resulting in another week long stay in the hospital and more worry about my health between myself and my family. 

But once again, I was in the hands of amazing doctors, and recovered, and recovered to become the text book of health today.

I wanted to share this story because it has now been a year since this unfortunate health scare occurred, and the year has not only brought life back to me, it has brought life and tremendous success to my StinkyKids characters. 

What a difference a year makes!!!

Within the year, here is a list of the successes and opportunities that have occurred with me and my little stinKers:

• Plush dolls launched at 110 Nordstrom locations, Nordstrom.com and FAO Schwarz NYC
• Plush dolls sold out at FAO Schwarz and Nordstrom locations
• Nordstrom.com tripled their order in sales
• Plush dolls sold better than other famous brands within Nordstrom and FAO Schwarz landing 33 out of 100 best seller)
• Plush dolls sold out with no advertising and marketing behind the launch
• Signed on with Stone America Licensing to expand the brand into many licensing opportunities
• Partnered with Madame Alexander Doll Company as the exclusive licensee for the soft bodied dolls (see www.madamealxeander.com for full line of plush)
• Partnered with Pearson Publishing for first adventure book in the StinkyKids book series titled ‘StinkyKids and the Runaway Scissors’
• Featured in the July/August 2010 issue of The Toy Book (click link below for article)(http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/7c4b3223#/7c4b3223/1)
• Completed the manuscript for the second adventure book in the StinkyKids book series titled ‘StinkyKids See A Full Moon’

There are many more exciting opportunities that occurred with StinkyKids, but these are the highlights and I am extremely appreciative for every one of them. 

Not all of this success came without a lot of work. Even at my weakest moment this past year, I never lost the intense passion that I have to make StinkyKids a household name and a brand we can all trust and enjoy. 

Now, almost exactly a year later that I was in the hospital worried about my health, StinkyKids, my family and myself are looking forward to the re-launch of the StinkyKids plush dolls under the Madame Alexander Doll Company name, the launch of the first StinkyKid book published by Pearson, and much more opportunities to expand the brand and live to see our dreams come true.  Curently the plush will be sold at (but not all inclusive) (update on the book to come soon):

• FAO Schwarz
• FAO.com
• FAO pop up’s in Toys R Us locations (approx. 300)
• Nordstrom
• Nordstrom.com
• Fat Brain Toy Catalog
• Target.com
• Walmart.com
• Amazon.com

My purpose for sharing this story is to inspire.  To appreciate everything that we have and all that we work so hard to achieve.  It is a story that has a very happy ending and a lot of valuable lessons attached, that little stinKers of all ages can learn from and strive to accomplish.  I wonder what next year will bring and I look forward in the opportunity to not only enjoy it, but live it.

What a difference a year makes!!! 

Place: Harlem, New York at the Alexander Doll Company, Inc. headquarters.

It was a rainy Friday morning, and to most people, this would represent the start of a ‘not so great day’.  But for some people, rain represents good luck, and for me, it was definitely a lucky day!!

I was meeting with the President of the company, along with the VP of Sales, Marketing Manager and Design Director to brainstorm our approach to launching the StinkyKids soft body doll line licensed under the Madame Alexander name.

The meeting was extremely productive but most important, it was fun and refreshing to know that my little stinKer friends and I would be taken care of very well by Madame Alexander.  As I introduced them to the current samples of soft body dolls that I manufactured myself, I, StinkyKid Britt, became the topic of discussion.

Gale, the president of Madame Alexander, really loves me (StinkyKid Britt) and as you know I am the star of the first StinkyKids book titled ‘StinkyKids and the Runaway Scissors’.  I was wearing my signature outfit, my favorite pink leotard with blue flowers and purple sandles.  Gale suggested that an accessory should be added to my outfit.  So…

As most little girls, I enjoyed ballet at an early age and loved my tutu.  That memory lead me to answer  ‘Gale, how about I ‘get my tutu on?!’ ’ Before I knew it, I was swept away by the Design Director, Marianne, and brought to a magical room in building which had a number of sewing machines, tons of beautiful fabric and talented individuals ready to make me my very own custom tutu.

Marianne and Gale proceeded to bring out different rolls of fabric to make sure that we picked out the very best one for my tutu.  Once they showed me the pink tool with silver sparkles, I knew right away we found the right one.  I left this magical room and about 20 minutes later, I knew that the rain was luck.

StinkyKid Britt was wearing the most beautiful tutu, which not only made her red hair glow, but made everyone in the room glow with pride in the we made a decision that would take StinkyKid Britt to the top of her class (i.e. most popular StinkyKid).

March 12, 2010, the day StinkyKid Britt ‘got her tutu on’, was a lucky and magical day and I am very grateful to my new friends at Madame Alexander for helping me be the best I can be!!

So from now on, StinkyKid Britt will always have her magical pink and silver sparkle tutu and all of the little stinKers who enjoy their own tutu, will want to have their very own StinkyKid Britt soft body doll to carry with them to all of their performances.

A lucky and magical day!!!

Madame Alexander to Immediately Expand Current Sold-Out StinkyKids® Line at FAO Schwarz, Nordstrom’s and Nordstroms.com for Summer 2010; Will Ship All Retailers Christmas 2010

NEW YORK, NY   March 4, 2010 – Stone America Licensing (www.stoneamerica.com), one of the nation’s leading licensing firms, announced today that Alexander Doll Company (www.alexdoll.com),  creator of Madame Alexander Dolls, has been appointed exclusive manufacturer for StinkyKids® (www.stinkykids.com) soft-bodied dolls.

StinkyKids doll line, recently seen in The Toy Book and ToyBook.com as a featured property for 2010, launched in 4th quarter 2009 and sold out at all 110 Nordstrom stores, at Nordstrom.com, and at FAO Schwarz New York.  Madame Alexander will not only fill their reorders, but expand the program to additional specialty, mid-tier and mass retailers.

“We are thrilled to partner with Madame Alexander to produce StinkyKids dolls,” said Robert Stone, President of Stone America.  “StinkyKids has already proved its success at retail, and with Madame Alexander’s reputation for quality, as well as its excellent retail relationships, we know they are the perfect partner to help us grow this exciting brand, with additional licensed products to include apparel, bedding, social expressions and more.”

StinkyKids are a group of 10 diverse “little stinkers” who learn to make right choices through the mistakes we all make as kids, and who live by the motto “Always Be A Leader Of Good.”  They help encourage positive principles in children’s lives in a playful manner that kids love.

“I couldn’t be more excited to partner with Madame Alexander to produce my little stinkers,” said Britt Menzies, CEO of SinkyKids LLC.  “Together with Stone America, we are building the momentum for the brand that I’ve been working towards.  Reaction to the brand, from retailers to consumers, has been nothing but positive.  2010 is going to be an amazing year.”

Stone America is also in negotiations with major publishers to produce the much-anticipated first book, which is now finalized and being requested by retailers.

####

About Madame Alexander

The Alexander Doll Company (ADC) was founded 80 years ago by Madame Beatrice Alexander Behrman, the daughter of Russian immigrants. She was raised over her father’s doll hospital—the first in America—and often played with the dolls waiting to be mended. Her love of dolls led this dynamic woman to creating her own line of dolls.

Madame Alexander infused a sense of excitement and wonderment in her fine quality, handcrafted dolls. She initiated a series of firsts in the toy industry: the first doll based on a licensed character (Scarlett from Gone With the Wind), which led to the creation of dolls based on characters from popular motion pictures; the first to bring feature baby dolls to market; the first to create dolls in honor of living people (Queen Elizabeth, the Dionne Quints). Madame Alexander was also the first to introduce the first full figured fashion doll (Cissy) with haute couture outfits.

About StinkyKids®

From the creative mind of Britt Menzies, a mom who was inspired by her daughter’s simple request to paint her as a ballerina, StinkyKids is a brand with a fun, unique and fresh approach that teaches life lessons through its products and books featuring the 10 diverse StinkyKids characters. The name “StinkyKids” comes from the phrase “little stinKers,” which Britt used to describe the innocent behavior of her two kids when they were little.

The StinkyKids characters are little stinKers who learn to make right choices through their childhood mistakes and who live by the motto “Always Be A Leader Of Good.” StinkyKids is an innovative brand that appeals to parents for the values it represents and appeals to kids because the characters are real kids getting into real mischief.

Since inception, StinkyKids donates a percentage of its profits to Books, Bears and Bonnets, Inc., (www.booksbearsbonnets.org), a charity founded in honor of Britt’s aunt who died from uterine cancer. Books, Bears and Bonnets, Inc. delivers gift boxes to children and adults fighting cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.

About Stone America Licensing

Stone America Licensing, one of the nation’s premier full-service licensing firms, specializes in enhancing brand equity for some of the world’s leading companies, individuals, trademarks and logos. Stone’s unique approach maximizes brand potential through total licensing and merchandising solutions that turn brand equity into profit centers for its clients, while upholding brand integrity. Stone America has extensive experience in branded trademark extension licensing and has been involved in licensing of many Fortune 100 brands. The company’s current client list includes: Laura Ashley, Bed Head TIGI, Nadia Gellar, Paris Blues, International Truck & Engine, Kampgrounds of America, Under the Canopy, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Andy Capp, JLG, University of Oxford, Norman Rockwell, School of Rock, Ne-Yo, Pam Anderson, David & Goliath, Scientific American, Scratch DJ Academy, CON Surfboards, US Speedskating , American Bass Anglers, Mel’s Drive-In, StinkyKids, Me to You, Lexani and the Bold and the Beautiful.

Today reminded me, once again, about a lesson my dad focused on throughout my years as a kid, that, to this day, I still live by, and now instill in my own childrens lives and in my brand.  This lesson that is so dear to me is..

You must have someone’s best interest at heart and people whom you deal with must give you the same resepct. 

Today, I truly believed I had someone’s best interest at heart and was expressing my true appreciation.  But at the end of the day, I learned that maybe it was too early to express my emotions.  So, the lesson learned today is not to hold back my feelings nor give up my dad’s valuable words of wisdom, but to learn when the best time is to express my emotions so that my audience can truly see I have their best interest at heart and want to help make a difference.  I know it will all work out for the best and the roller coaster ride of emotions will end in a high.

With this said, I thought that this would be a good time to share with you a brief description of what StinkyKids is as a brand as it reflects exactly what I experienced today as a StinkyKid myself.  Here goes..enjoy!!! 

Cheers, StinkyKid Britt.

From the creative mind of Britt Menzies, a mom who was inspired by her daughter’s simple request to paint her as a ballerina, StinkyKids is a brand with a fun, unique and fresh approach that teaches life lessons through its products and books featuring the 10 diverse StinkyKids characters.  The name StinkyKids comes from the phrase ‘little stinKers’, which Britt used to describe the innocent behavior of her two kids when they were little. 

The StinkyKids characters are little stinKers who learn to make right choices through their childhood  mistakes and who live by the motto “Always Be A Leader Of Good’.  StinkyKids is an innovative brand that appeals to parents for the values it represents and appeals to kids because the characters are real kids getting into real mischief. 

Since inception, StinkyKids donates a percentage of its profits to Books, Bears, and Bonnets, Inc. (www.booksbearsbonnets.org), a charity founded in honor of Britt’s aunt who died from uterine cancer.  Books, Bears and Bonnets, Inc. delivers gift boxes to children and adults fighting cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.

Here is a press release that I have finally found the time to share with everyone.  I am so proud and honored to work with Rob and his team at Stone America!!  They are helping make 2010 a new beginning for me and my other StinkyKids pals.  Check out how cool this is……

New York, NY January 5, 2010

Stone America Licensing (www.stoneamerica.com), one of the nation’s leading licensing firms, announced today the company has been appointed exclusive licensing agent by Britt Menzies, creator of StinkyKids (www.stinkykids.com), and Atlanta-based company.

StinkyKids are a group of 10 diverse little stinKers who learn to make right choices through the mistakes that we all make as kids and who live by the motto ‘Always be a leader of good’ and help encourage positvie principles in children’s lives in a playful manner that kids love.

StinkyKids plush line recently seen in the Toy Book and Toy Book.com (www.toybook.com) as a featured property for 2010 has been a huge success at all 110 Nordstrom stores as well as Nordstrom.com (www.nordstrom.com) and FAO Schwarz New York (www.fao.com).   Re orders on sold out inventory are now being fulfilled.

‘We are proud to work alongside Britt to represent the little stinKers’, said Robert Stone, President of Stone America. “StinkyKids is the best kept secret of 2009 and will be the talk of the industry this upcoming year.  With the plush line already a hit at retail, StinkyKids will inevitably give their licensees the opportunity to share in the success of these adorable and highly sought after characters.”

“Stone America’s experience with classic, high-profile brands makes them a natural choice to represent the merchandise licensing for StinkyKids.  I am confident that Stone America will maintain the integrity and values of StinkyKids while helping us bring these incredible characters to a wider audience,” said Britt Menzies, CEO of StinkyKids, LLC.