Photo courtesy of: The Big Bang Theory and Stylin Online

“Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr!”

Fans of the CBS TV comedy, The Big Bang Theory, will recognize the “Soft Kitty” song that an ill Sheldon teaches to Penny and convinces her to sing to make him feel better. This cute and snuggly plush kitty sings the soothing song (in Penny’s voice) when the paw is pressed, and is guaranteed to bring a smile to your child’s face, whether she is sick or not!

Parents who may be concerned about giving their child a collectible item from The Big Bang Theory, which is a show that sometimes contains more “adult content”, can rest assured that there is nothing inappropriate for kids with the song or the plush toy. But you don’t just have to take my word for it. Here’s a short video to give you a better idea:

Photo courtesy of: The Big Bang Theory and Stylin Online

Here are the details you’ll need to know about the Soft Kitty Singing Plush Toy:

• This plush is a trademark The Big Bang Theory product.

• The kitty is 10-inches long.

• The plush toy is gray and pink.

• It requires three 1.5V button-cell batteries (included with the toy).

• It plays “Soft Kitty” when the button on the paw is pressed.

• The kitty is made of polyester fiber and is all new material.

• The plush is not machine washable. Surface cleaning should be done with a damp cloth.

• The toy is recommended for children (and adults) over the age of 3.

• The Soft Kitty plush is now available on Stylin Online for $29.99.

**I received no payment for this review, but did receive a free Soft Kitty Plush toy in exchange for an honest review on Creative Kids Ideas.**

There were a total of 18 entries made for this contest. Thanks to the help a cool widget from random.org, the winner of Creative Kids Ideas’ first contest was determined this morning. The winning number is 15.

Congratulations to Renee Dykes! You are our first winner. Look for an email from me soon with further instructions on how to claim your prize from Zubels.

Giveaway - Win Your Own Zubels character! Photo courtesy of: Zubels

Creative Kids Ideas is always on the hunt for great products for kids, so when I was contacted by Zubels, I was more than happy to pass the information along to my readers. Even better, one lucky reader will win an adorable hand knit character from Zubels!

So here’s the lowdown. What are Zubels?

Zubels are  fun, affordable hand knit characters, made with 100% organic cotton yarn and eco-friendly dyes. Zubels, brought to consumers by Renzo Company Inc., offers quality made dolls, hand puppets, rattles, and baby teethers in a variety of styles, sizes, and characters.  They provide kids with safe, creative characters such as “Cow-leen”, the cow who love to eat mac n’ cheese, Ricky “Rotten” Banana, the rockstar monkey who loves to rock-a-bye, and “Arr-Nee,” the treasure-hunting pirate.

Caty with "Twirly Cute" Bella, "Mr. Claus" Santa, and the football rattle all from Zubels

Zubels provided Creative Kids Ideas with a few sample products to review. We received “Twirly Cute” Bella, “Mr. Claus” Santa, and a football rattle. Both of the dolls in the picture to the left are the 7″ ones. (By the way, they are the perfect size for stocking stuffers this Christmas!) So, my five-year old and I decided to put them to the test. We tugged (Because, let’s face it. There will be tugging and pulling on dolls when more than one kid is involved!), we hand-washed, and we played. And this is what we found:

What we didn’t like:

• Nothing! We loved them. In fact, I had to pry them away from her just to get a closer look! Santa has slept with her every night since he arrived in the mail.

What we liked:

• The quality and durability of these hand knit characters are excellent! We pulled and tugged on these dolls and the stitching never even budged. If they can hold up to my five-year old (who’s still learning about gentleness with her toys — and sometimes with her sister!), Zubels products have my endorsement for durability.
• The bright colors and attention to detail make every character unique and get your child’s attention. I also love that the doll held up great to a handwashing test! None of the colors bled, the yarn looks the same as before it was washed, and it’s still soft.


"Cow-leen" the Cow. Photo courtesy of: Zubels

• They are eco-friendly and safe for kids of all ages. The dyes Zubels uses are low impact and don’t contain harmful chemicals. They also don’t add small pieces or plastic materials, so the products are suitable for ages birth and up.
• They are affordable. Zubels offers quality toys at very reasonable prices. The majority of the products range from about $7-17. And you’re getting a very nice item that’s well worth the price!
• They encourage creativity in kids. Zubels provides children with cute characters and leaves the rest up to their imaginations. They’re a nice, quiet toy for kids to snuggle or pretend with, without all the distracting bells and whistles.

Now for the fun part! You can win a Zubels character of your own!

Zubels has agreed to send one lucky reader an adorable Zubels character (12″ or smaller). Take a look at the Zubels online catalog and choose your top three favorites. If, for any reason, none of those choices are available, a suitable replacement will be sent. Zubels will do their best to provide the winner with one of their three favorites.

Here’s how to enter:

Post a comment on this post including your name and email address. For each one of the items listed below that you do, I will add another entry with your name into the drawing. Be sure to also let me know all the things you do in your comment!

1. Become a fan of Creative Kids Ideas on Facebook. Are you already a fan? Well, thanks a bunch! Let me know that in your comment too.
2. Share Creative Kids Ideas with your friends using the “Suggest to Friends” option on the left side of the CKI Facebook page.
3. Share the link to this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook.
4. Become a Google friend of Creative Kids Ideas.
5. Add Creative Kids Ideas to the blog roll on your own blog. Post a link in your comment!

The contest begins as of now, October 15th, and will end at 11:59 PM on Saturday, October 23rd.

Ready. Set. Go!

Disclaimer: Creative Kids Ideas was provided free samples for review from Zubels. I received no payment for this review and was under no obligation to write a positive review in exchange for the items. This review was solely on my own experience and opinion of the products.

Toy Review: Activity Bus by PlanToys

Product Description
The Activity Bus is made of solid wood – chemical-free rubberwood – and creatively designed to turn into a classroom when opened up. Included with the bus are two action figures, three wooden desks, a teacher’s/bus driver’s seat, a chalkboard/map, and school books. All of the items can be conveniently stored inside of the bus for storage.

Here are the details:

• The school bus (closed) measures about 8 1/2″ long/ 5 1/4″ tall/ 4 1/2″ wide.

• The action figures are about 2 1/2″ tall.

• The recommended age is 3 years and up. There are small parts, so I’d advise parents to adhere to this recommendation.

• The product number for the Activity Bus is 7503.

• The toy is reasonably priced at $25-35.

Education, Learning and Development Value
The Activity Bus is great for individual role playing or for building social interaction with other children. Kids can pretend to be the bus driver taking the students to school or park the bus and open it up for class time. However the kids choose to use the toy, it offers excellent opportunities for sparking their imagination and thinking skills.

Quality & Durability
The adorable bus and all of its accessories are made from a durable rubberwood. The quality of the items is top-rate and environmentally safe. And there’s no need to worry about lead paint or other toxins with the product. All of the products provided by PlanToys are made from chemical-free rubberwood and toxin-free glue and dyes.

Fun Factor
Creative Kids Ideas believes this rating is best determined by kids, so the creator put the Activity Bus to the test with her four-year-old. The toy was a big hit! One who is typically ready to move on to another toy after a few minutes, she has spent countless hours on the floor playing with just the one toy. That proves the fun factor for us.

Would we purchase this toy or other PlanToys products for children in the future? Yes, without a doubt. This is a toy both kids and parents will love!

The Activity Bus can be found on Amazon.com, Only-Toys.com, Gifted Imaginations, KangarooBoo, and various other online locations.

Thanks to PlanToys for providing a free sample of this excellent product for Creative Kids Ideas to review.