To Ruth Guinn, Toy Making is Serious Business

Ruth Guinn may be in the business of making toys for toddlers, but she plays no games when it comes to the products that she creates.
By: Cambridge Who's Who
 
April 1, 2011 - PRLog -- The president and a co-founder of a company called Material Kidz, Ms. Guinn takes pride in heading an all-American enterprise that is known as much for producing non-toxic toys as it is for manufacturing embroidered dolls embraced by children everywhere. “The purpose is to provide an uncomplicated, simple doll that’s American-made,” Ms. Guinn told Cambridge Who’s Who in a recent sit-down in her factory. “We use as much American-made product as possible, so [the doll is] safe, very well-controlled.”

Material Kidz was born of a doting grandmother’s wish to create something special for her granddaughter. Donna Elliott, one of Ms. Guinn’s business partners and “a grandmother many times over,” had at the time an 18-month-old granddaughter who was very fond of paper dolls. Desiring to gift the little girl with a safe, unique toy that was more durable than the paper dolls that she loved so much, Ms. Elliot approached her friend Ruth, who managed her own embroidery business. Pooling their ideas together, the two women created their first doll, an 11-inch embroidered felt doll whose clothes were attached by Velcro – the perfect amusement for a little toddler with little fingers.

“We made the first doll as a one-time thing probably about November of 2007,” recalled Ms. Guinn. “It was so popular that we had requests from others so we just gradually made a few more and a few more, until we decided it was well worth it to really go into business.” A third partner, Shannon Elliott-Ralph, came onboard then, bringing with her an expertise in retail management, marketing and fashion design. Material Kidz thus blossomed from a fusing of complementary talents. The company now manufactures two dolls – a boy named Graham and a girl named Ginger, so-called because of their gingerbread shape. Each doll comes with seven outfits and a carrying case that can be personalized either with a child’s name or the name of a nursery school or clinic, among others.

Because both Graham and Ginger are each available in 16 different permutations of hair color, skin tone and hairstyle, personalization becomes yet another enjoyable aspect of owning a Material Kidz doll. Ms. Guinn loves bringing children into the factory to select their own doll. “When we actually have kids come and be part of the buying process, choosing the doll they want, [there is] this love in their eyes and this unconditional excitement,” she gushed. “It just makes you happy, makes your heart full, and just makes it all worthwhile.”

Ms. Guinn soon realized that her dolls’ simplicity has also made them ideal diversions for children saddled with special needs and other challenges. This gives her an even stronger impetus to keep Material Kidz going. “Some of these kids are older, but they really love and cherish these dolls,” she shared. “And they’re great companions for clinic visits or hospital stays – I think one of the first ones we sold was to a little girl with leukemia, and she just took it with her to the hospital. Ginger was her special friend and companion…It brought us such joy to know that it helped her through a difficult time.”

Material Kidz dolls are sold at Junior League, wholesale and craft markets throughout Texas. They are also available nationally through the company website at http://www.materialkidz.com.

http://www.cambridgepublicrelations.com/Ruth-Guinn

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Source:Cambridge Who's Who
Email:***@babylonsolutions.com Email Verified
Zip:11556
Tags:Ruth Guinn, Material Kidz, Embroidered Felt Doll, Materialkidz
Industry:Education, Business
Location:Pearland - Texas - United States
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