2015 HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA – Dream Frenz Plush Pillow Toy

We'd love it if you shared it!

The product(s) featured in this post was provided to me free of cost to me for inclusion in the holiday gift guide. Please note that, as always, any personal opinions reflected in this post are my own.

As a mother of two I know all too well how quickly our children grow up. Children deserve and need a time to be young, and a time to dream and use their imagination. I love the idea of a low-tech toy that serves to not only encourage creativity and imagination but also serves to comfort.

Dream Frenz

• Pricing – SRP: $24.00
• Suggested Age – Children 3 and up
• Purchase online through dreamfrenz.com and at independent retailers. Plans are currently underway to expand to retail outlets nationally.
• You can find more information about this product on the Dream Frenz website. You can also find Dream Frenz on Facebook and Twitter.

With an oversized, soft head and a tiny body that tucks inside, Dream Frenz is a cuddly plush pillow but also a toy, a stuffed character and a comforting companion that never fails to evoke a smile. Dream Frenz believes that every child should be a dreamer; the characters are designed to inspire self-expression, story-telling and imagination in children. The Dream Frenz products are low tech by design. In a world where children are wired by toddler age, Dream Frenz intentionally goes the opposite direction – there are no batteries, sounds, or lights. The Dream Frenz come alive through the power of a child’s imagination.

There are currently 10 Dream Frenz characters. The characters are multi-cultural and the different characters are designed to appeal to both boys and girls. More are currently in development, including a sports line, a heroes line and an international line.

Dream Frenz was founded by Florida-based mom-entrepreneur Halie Fulton, who left the practice of law to focus instead on the “Mommy Track”. While raising her daughters, Halie was inspired by the ‘tadpole drawings’ of her oldest daughter – she subsequently launched her company to bring the drawings to life. Tadpole drawings are drawings by pre-school age children. Researchers believe that the tadpole represents the child’s body self-image and that these drawings, typically with big, colorful heads, tiny bodies and happy faces, are an early attempt at realistic drawing.

Halie’s three young daughters, Mary, Shelby and Katy, now 14, 12 and 9, are instrumental ‘partners’ in Dream Frenz. The original inspiration came from sketches Mary began drawing when she was three years old. Inspiration finally struck Halie when Mary reached the third grade and was still doodling. Halie enlisted Shelby’s sewing instructor to create the original Dream Frenz prototype. All of Halie’s daughters have a voice in the design and materials used to create Dream Frenz. They also contribute to the marketing.