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Friday, August 28, 2015

Introducing Folkmanis® Newest Puppets Mini Owl, Great Horned! Perfect to Help with All Back to School Homework...


No one likes homework, and someone we know here used to complain about it quite a lot.  But if you have to do it, you might as well make it fun!  This wise little owl is the perfect homework helper for back to school, and is an entertaining finger puppet by Folkmanis, the best in puppets worldwide.  We've been singing their praises for years, and they make nearly every animal imaginable, and probably the ones you didn't imagine too!
This makes a fun gift for every student you know who is sad about summer ending...! With her big watchful eyes, this MINI GREAT HORNED OWL finger puppet seeks a perch atop your finger. Whooo wants to play?




Whom You Know announced our continued coverage of Folkmanis here:

Folkmanis® Puppets is the premiere manufacturer of high-quality, specialty plush puppets. Widely regarded as the most creative, innovative puppet-maker in the world since 1976, Folkmanis consistently designs beautifully crafted, award-winning toys that inspire imagination and play for all ages. 

Born from the bright mind of Judy Folkmanis in her living room more than 35 years ago, Judy combined her skill of sewing with her desire to entertain her two young sons and began making puppets. Encouraged when her creations began attracting a growing group of paying customers, most often other parents who sought educational toys with high play value, she continued to sew and sell. Throughout the next few years, Judy took her love of nature and animals and began designing and expanding her hobby, selling through word of mouth and at street fairs, such as the famed Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California. 

In 1976, when her husband Atis achieved his Ph.D., her puppets had become so popular that the couple decided to turn Judy’s part-time hobby into a full-time vocation. Over the past three decades, Judy’s and Atis’ dream has become a burgeoning enterprise, and they, along with their talented staff, have built a world-wide reputation for developing puppets that spark creativity, promote hands-on discovery, encourage interaction, teach fine and gross motor skills, help develop early language, and become a child’s lovable companion to be treasured for years. Brilliantly designed and carefully detailed, the company’s lineup includes a virtual menagerie of plush pets and friendly wildlife friends with new designs constantly on the drawing board.

Still family owned and operated, the two sons, Dan and Jason who inspired Judy more than 35 years ago, both work in different capacities on different continents. The core beliefs that have sustained and grown Folkmanis world-wide remain today as the company endeavors to maintain the wholehearted approval of kids, parents, teachers, and child development experts around the world. Folkmanis aspires to create puppets that kids will love to play with; that parents will love to use to interact with their children; and that child development experts and teachers will utilize for their educational and social benefits. Their low-tech, time-tested, award-winning puppets are educational, captivating, lovable, and have endless play value for generations.


“The success that Folkmanis Puppets has enjoyed for more than 35 years simply reinforces the fact that when it comes to children, old-fashioned, open-ended play patterns are the best, and the simplest toys are really the healthiest gifts one can buy for a child,” says Elaine Kollias, marketing director. “That is why puppets are so firmly in the ‘good toy’ category – not just that they encourage and inspire imaginative play, but that they represent a thoughtful and fun gift that is more than ‘just’ a toy.”

Folkmanis believes imagination is the key to a healthy childhood, encouraging play and discovery to develop the skills necessary in life. The company has been making the most innovative and engaging specialty puppets in the world since 1976, delighting imaginations and winning nearly every industry, child development, and kid-tested award – many repeatedly. Most Folkmanis® Puppets are recommended for ages 3 and up and are available at specialty toy and gift stores, including: science/nature museums, zoo and aquarium gift shops, thousands of independent toy and gift stores, and specialty retailers nationwide and in more than 15 countries around the world. 

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