Happy Doodles - News

Kids Draw the News

2013-04-04T13:58:23-04:00

Check out this great feature from the New York Times - the editor chooses a colorful current event, and kids are invited to illustrate it. Fabulous! For more, click here.

8 minutes but worth it!

2013-04-04T08:30:05-04:00

The Scared is Scared

Kids' creations are windows into their imaginations and their evolving perspectives on the world around them. Taking the time to experience kids' artwork is a great way to show them that you love them, but we can also gain a lot more from the experience.

This video sets you inside the mind of a 6 year old boy and as he creates his story, a marvelous, innocent and wise truth unfolds.

It's fun to watch - and for me, especially fun since it's filmed at my college. I could have used this wisdom then, but I'll take it now!

the Scared is scared from Bianca Giaever on Vimeo.

Buried in an avalanche of drawings? How to organize kids' artwork and enjoy it!

2013-04-02T13:58:50-04:00

I was happy to have been asked to be a guest writer for Organize Right Now - check out their website and blog for great ideas on how to organize your entire life!

Our Guest Expert – Heather O’Neil on Children’s Artwork

April 1, 2013 by Lea Schneider

Guest Expert Heather O’Neil is the founder of Happy Doodles. Heather creates custom-made stuffed toys from children’s artwork.

Buried in an Avalanche of Kids’ Artwork?

You love your kids. You love their artwork. But you don’t have to save every scribble!

Reading this is proof enough that you value their creativity. Put the guilt aside and consider these tips on how to dig out from under the piles of paper.

Discover the Treasures

Selecting special artwork to save is more thoughtful than throwing it in a drawer. Grab a stack of artwork and make three piles.

Read on by clicking here.

Happy Doodles on TheStreet.com

2013-02-19T10:04:28-05:00

Somehow, I don't think Mattel is worried about Happy Doodles, but nice article on TheStreet.com.

The Digital Skeptic: Moms Have an Ugly Toy Story for Ken and Barbie

By Jonathan Blum 02/05/13 - 08:00 AM EST

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Heather O'Neil, Pat Graves and Tracy Vaninger are three moms with one scary bedtime story to tell big toy companies.

"The DIY trend kind of helped us," O'Neil told my assistant Alex a few months back. O'Neil is the owner of Happy Doodles, a Needham, Mass.-based on-demand stuffed toy company. "It got people thinking in terms of custom things not having to cost millions of dollars."

This mother and entrepreneur, who has absolutely zero engineering or manufacturing background, has reinvented herself as a high-tech toy innovator. By cleverly kludging together off-the-shelf digital design and fabrication systems, O'Neil is becoming a next-gen child's toymaker.

With toys starting at $25, she does something giants including Mattel (MAT _), Hasbro (HAS _) and LeapFrog (LF _) tend not to: make a reasonable dollar turning your child's doodles into a ridiculously cute, fully stuffed, plush toy.

And she is just one of many successful high-tech toy elves. Though the three did not disclose sales, all said business was steadily growing.

"It's definitely an Internet thing," says Graves, who runs Omaha, Neb.-based My Own Cuddly, one of many just such on-demand, small-fab toymakers Alex and I found. "It's all just done out of a room in my house."

It might be easy to dismiss "moms with CAD" as no threat to star kids' brands such as Barbie, Hot Wheels or Star Wars. But in these digital times, that would be like dismissing blogging as no threat to newspapers. It turns out that these innovators sit on a leading edge of a shift in the toy, kids and youth media market -- away from established companies.

"I'm a businesswoman, so whenever I see something my mind always goes to, 'How can we develop a business around that?'" said Vaninger, yet another owner/mom who presides at on-demand plush doll fab shop Sunny Little Studio in St. Louis.

Which means, friends, just as toy giants report optimistic performance and gather for their yearly Toy Fair confab, the toy business is beginning to slog through the same value-crushing digital disruption suffered by publishing, music and financial services.

An ugly toy story
For starters, research is confirming what any parent will tell you: Kids are living in a strange new digital content age where established brands are less important.

"American families see tablets as playmate, teacher and baby sitter," said a 2012 report from New York-based Nielsen. And this portable kids portal is essentially defined by the gobs of cheap content cash-strapped Internet companies are pouring into it.

In late 2012, Amazon (AMZN _) rolled out the Kindle FreeTime Unlimited, an all-you-can-eat kids tablet content buffet of mainline brands such as Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow, Nickelodeon and dozens more. All starting at just $3 a month -- a fraction of what cable or satellite TV charges for the same stuff.

This value-crushing wave in Kid's brands is further amplified by a new generation of youth-oriented digital entertainment options that -- get ready for this -- have no brands at all. The killer app is the addictive gaming environment called Minecraft, from Sweden's Mojang. This mostly self-provisioning virtual gaming platform opens most of the process of creating interactive experiences to the 40 million or so Minecraft-loving kids and young people who play it.

"We knew too well that if the Betty Ford Clinic opened a Minecraft wing, our son could be first on the list if we didn't stage our own intervention," wrote Pam Melyan-Bratton, a blogger on NJ.com, a large, mostly local content media service.

Toy company = Publishing 2.0
Toy giants are reacting as similarly threatened movie, publishing and music companies did a decade ago. They are rushing to new technological platforms and brands without truly considering the cost, long odds and low margins they face in new markets.

Mattel announced last week just such a new global game, cartoon and interactive franchise called Max Steel.

"The multiplatform action-adventure entertainment franchise will also introduce a dynamic Web destination, featuring rich content, including interactive gameplay ... action figures, vehicles, role play items and a diverse line of consumer products," the company news release said.

For sure, Max is kinda cool. I really do like the cartoon. But in the collapsing digital age, Max and Mattel must compete against the likes of Spider-Man, The Hunger Games, The Twilight Saga and Harry Potter, to name a few.

And all that, in turn, is under siege from a new generation of personal 3-D manufacturing options from companies such as MakerBot, Stratasys Systems and Desktop Factory. The new so-called 3D Cloud Printing Engine from France's Sculpteo, for example, allows any mom to build an intricately designed piece of plastic -- in other words, a toy -- for just a few bucks. And parents can even get paid for their trouble. The company is sponsoring something called the Made in 3D Challenge, in which winning designers can win an iPad.

All of which makes our toymaker moms queens of the next-gen toybox.

"It's kind of an interesting time, the shift between marketing giant products and an appreciation for locally made things," is how O'Neil explained it to us.

Considering the Chinese consider it a curse to live in "interesting times," Barbie, Ken and the entire toy business may be soon considering new career options.

Happy Doodles in Parent Guide News!

2012-12-21T12:14:53-05:00

Whoops - we've been so busy with holiday orders that we almost forgot to mention that Happy Doodles was featured in the December issue of Parent Guide News. Check it out!

Another happy Happy Doodles review :)

2012-12-13T17:40:54-05:00

Thanks, Mama's Bacon, for the kind words!

Product Review: Custom Stuffed Animal (Doodlers+)

Posted on December 13, 2012

Product Review: Custom Stuffed Animal (Doodlers+)

Celebrate Your Child’s Creativity! Turn Your Child’s Drawing Into A Huggable Friend!

My mom hung around a lot of creative people and some of it rubbed off on me as much as I could let it. My first stuffed animal’s clothes were crocheted and my mom was always making something out of felt or construction paper and ribbons. I usually (happily) got roped into most of her projects and liked to help out. The one thing my mom is really good at doing is drawing. We always had art supplies around and my mom would actually do art work backdrops for things like the local plays at school. Yes, she was really good and was always making or drawing something interesting. One day I came home around my freshman year of high school and almost screamed when I saw what looked like a man sitting crouched over our couch like he was dying. My mom, seeing my distress, shrugged her shoulders and said that was just ‘Herky’, a character she made for some sort of play or show or something like that….it was just a normal thing in my house. While it pained my dad that I started painting murals on my walls starting in 6^th grade (he certainly had fun covering them up when I left home), I think my mom was somewhat proud I could make a decent underwater scene out of four walls. She encouraged pudding finger painting and whipped cream designs. In fact, the first time I saw the Happy Doodles Custom Stuffed Animals, I knew it would thrill my mom that (while her sewing and quilting did not rub off on me) Brooke could have a doll made out of her own artwork. Wow. Just WOW.

Happy Doodles was created by creative genius and sewing extraordinaire, Heather O’Neil, who takes your child’s ‘happy doodles’ and makes them huggable. You must check out her Gallery of Smiles to get a full appreciation of her effort. It is truly inspiring. If any of her work looks familiar, you will probably recognize it from your own child’s sweet doodles. So how does it work exactly? Well, it’s pretty simple once your child picks out a picture they love and want Heather to create their own customized stuffed animal!

Get Your Child’s Art Work to Heather! The easiest way is to scan your artwork and e-mail. You can also take a photo of it, and upload it when checking out the site. Heather asks that you scan and take the highest picture resolution that you can so she can get the Stuffed Animal as close to the real thing as possible. You can also mail the picture to her, and she will take good care of it and return it with the Happy Doodle.
How big is a Happy Doodle?
A large Happy Doodle is approximately 18” in its bigger dimension, either length or width, and about 4” thick. A medium Happy Doodle is about 12″ long or wide, and 3″ thick. You can also purchase the smaller key chains, backpack decorations and ornaments that are about 4″ high or wide, and 1/2″ thick. Remember, Happy Doodles are made in the shape of the character that your child draws so they can be of irregular shape and size. Prices vary depending on size and type!
What is in a Happy Doodle?
The artwork is digitally printed on soft cotton. The printing does not change the soft feel of the fabric. Happy Doodles are backed with incredibly soft fleece, and stuffed with polyester fiberfill.

Check it out! Here is Brooke’s ‘Before’ picture and the ‘After’ Happy Doodle Custom Stuffed Animal created by Heather that Brooke has dubbed ‘Happy Jack’ (Jack is one of her friends). My photo skills really do not do her custom stuffed animal justice, but I do hope it comes through at how special it is for us and for Brooke. Highly recommended for your budding artist!

Custom Stuffed Animal (Doodlers+)

www.happydoodles.com

List Price: $ 25.00 – $ 60.00 (Depending on customization)

Time to practice your Present Face

2012-12-12T13:03:27-05:00

"Present face" prevention: it's not too late to give a Happy Doodles gift certificate!

"Ohhhhhh. It's ... um... thank you so much ... It's that thing you don't know you need, and then you get it, and the thing is, I don't know what to say because I like it so much."

It's not too late for a Happy Doodles gift certificate!

2012-12-12T11:40:42-05:00

Happy Doodles

Does your child have a favorite piece of art or an imaginary friend she's constantly drawing? Bring her character to life as a plush toy. Happy Doodles is a service that creates one-of-a-kind stuffed animals based on your child's artwork. The site is still taking last-minute holiday orders through Dec. 1. After that, a gift certificate is the perfect option to let your child choose her doodle or create a new one specifically for the plush. Prices range from $25 to $60. happydoodles.com

Meow!

2012-11-21T14:51:07-05:00

Meow!

Thank you, Let's Go on a Picnic, for the nice review and picture of Meow in his new home!

Hilarious Happy Doodle!

2012-11-17T09:08:41-05:00

Check this one out!

Eli's mom made a Happy Doodle of his picture of a pregnant mom and family. Mom assumed that it was a picture of her. No, instead it's a picture of the future - Eli's sister, pregnant with future nephew Zachary, with himself and his brother as uncles. Awesome! Check out his mom's facebook page and blog too!

Happy Doodles of Myself

2012-11-16T07:14:35-05:00

Tikiri with Happy Doodles of Tikiri!

Happy Doodles Review from Mommy Testers

2012-11-10T06:09:07-05:00

Thank you, Mommy Testers, for this great review!

Happy Doodles - Turn a Drawing into a Cuddly Pal

Rarely do I get as excited as I am about this one. A few weeks back I was checking out my Twitter feed when I came across Happy Doodles.

Much like most kids her age, Kayla is obsessed with doodling things and I love some of the ones she comes up with but if they are on paper she'll often destroy them I mean really, what small child is capable of being gentle with a piece of paper?

That is exactly where Happy Doodles comes in. You simply scan, take a clear photo (scanning is ideal) or mail in your child's masterpiece and Heather at Happy Doodles turns it into a huggable, lovable, cuddly stuffed animal. It's that simple!

I love the idea of doing one of these each year and keeping them for Kayla when she's older. I also think they would make a cute gift for a long distance grandparent or a military parent who is deployed.

We started out with this bird that Kayla had drawn. Do you see how she had colored on the back of the paper and the brown marker shows through? What is really neat about Happy Doodles is you can have them correct things like that free of charge. Those doodles from the other side were edited out before Kayla's Happy Doodle was digitally printed on fabric and lovingly hand sewn.

These cute cuddly friends come in 2 sizes and range in price from about $25-$50. There are traditional stuffed animals like the one above and smaller key chains, ornaments and backpack charms like the one below.

Don't have a particular drawing but know of someone who would think this was awesome? Happy Doodles offers gift certificates which are my new creative birthday gift idea. Kids LOVE seeing something they made transformed. Kayla was in shock when she opened the box that Happy Doodles sent us and saw "My bird! My Bird!"

While we were admiring the coolness of Kayla's Happy Doodles I realized that children's drawings are not the only thing that would be neat on a Happy Doodle. How about a nostalgic photo of a sibling or friend for a milestone birthday? Have a friend with a pet they treat like another child? I'm willing to bet they have lots of photos of it.

Of all the items that have come across my toy filed desk for this holiday season I think this one is my favorite because of the limitless options of what you can do with it and who you can make happy with a Happy Doodle.

Want to find out more about getting your own Happy Doodle or a gift certificate? You can find out all the details on their easy to use site here: Check out Happy Doodles

Aside from what a neat idea these are I also happen to love that when you ask Heather the founder of Happy Doodles about her long term goals for her company the first thing she will say is to grow so she can hire moms of kids with disabilities who might have a difficult time finding an employer who will tolerate the things that come up, frequent doctors appointments. The second thing she will say is that she wants to be able to have a program to donate Happy Doodles to kids who are hospitalized for an extended period of time and need some cheering up as well as their siblings. Basically, she's an amazing person!

The holidays will be here before you know it!

2012-11-08T19:27:44-05:00

Happy Doodles elves are busy, busy, busy turning kids' artwork into stuffed toys in time for the holidays.

Please place your orders now if you need them for Christmas or Hanukkah. Happy Doodles gift certificates make great gifts and stocking stuffers!

Children's Artwork - What to Keep?

2012-10-11T08:22:21-04:00

You can't save everything they draw, but where's the line between "keep" and "throw"? Check out these helpful guidelines from Artful Adventures.

Work to keep:

Significant subject matter: self-portraits, portraits of family members, familiar scenes or representations of events or activities they have taken part in.

Artwork which just seems to sum your child up in some way – this is somewhat indefinable, but you will know it when you see it!

Work which is 100% that of your child in both concept and execution and therefore unique.

Artwork which is particularly beautiful or ‘complete’ – these pieces of work are often ideal for framing. It is worth remembering however, that if these have been produced in a classroom environment, the artwork may essentially be copied, and not be the child’s own concept. This may or may not be important for you, and the best art teachers will encourage a child to be creative and explore a given theme or concept in their own way.

Work that your child is especially proud of.

Try to include some artwork where the child’s own handwriting is included, since this will also add to the character of the artwork in some way.

Work to discard

Damaged artwork – but remember that if it is a very special piece, it may be possible to salvage it digitally, or you may be able to trim it if only the edges are damaged.

Colouring in sheets, or worksheets.

Copied artwork.

Unfinished work and ‘scrappy’ sketches executed with little care or effort.

3-dimensional artwork that is not robust. This includes collages with items that are not securely stuck, because bits will tend to drop off over time. These are prime candidates for being photographed.

Points to Remember

These are just guidelines, and the decision is entirely personal – do what works for you!

Sometimes just one section of an otherwise unremarkable drawing or painting might be worth keeping, or one particular otherwise ‘scrappy’ sketch may stand out for you in some way.

Don’t just rely on keeping paintings and coloured pictures. Black and white drawings can be just as ‘finished’ as a painting.

Anything you discard can be photographed if you are uncertain, but don’t photograph everything!

Although in my experience it’s not worth consulting children themselves which pieces they want to keep (so many children will just want to keep everything) it is worth asking them to choose their favourites or best pieces, to help you make the decision what to keep.

Tips for Photographing Children's Artwork

2012-09-29T11:03:26-04:00

Here's a great article from Artful Adventures on how to take photographs of children's artwork. Scanning works best for Happy Doodles (I can do it for you if you don't have access to a scanner) but I often work from photographs and these tips are fantastic! Read on here, or just click on the image below.

Boy reunited with long-lost stuffed monkey

2012-09-20T08:31:42-04:00

Try not to cry. Just try.

Happy Doodles: kids' art brought to life as huggable toys

2012-09-18T14:47:20-04:00

Looking for unique, creative holiday gifts for kids? How about a gift certificate for a custom-made stuffed toy, created from your child's drawing?

Win a free Happy Doodle!

2012-09-17T15:25:19-04:00

Feeling clever? Enter our caption contest on the Happy Doodles Facebook page to win a free stuffed toy from your child's drawing!

Fish and Eel

2012-09-17T12:14:59-04:00

This fish and eel are the best of friends, so they're holding hands (fins? feet?).

Fabulous

2012-09-17T12:01:22-04:00

The imaginations! The creativity!

This character is called the Matusi Catalog. In the young artist's words, "It has a mane, a crown because he's a king, antlers, spots, blue wings, hooves and a peacock tail. It is thinking of a gear because it's my best invention ever."

Hilarious doodlings

2012-09-17T11:55:51-04:00

This keychain was made from a fabulous drawing that someone made for her friend. I have a feeling that there's a lot more that flows from this artist's awesome imagination, and I'd love to see it!

Tooth fairy

2012-09-17T11:50:15-04:00

The boy who drew this actually saw the tooth fairy! In case you were wondering, this is what she looks like. This rare image was preserved forever as an ornament. I wonder if she has met Santa Claus.

More Happy Doodles

2012-09-17T11:43:00-04:00

Order your Christmas and Hannukah gifts now! Gift certificates are also a fun surprise - and great stocking stuffers!

Here are a few more examples of how you can make your child's drawings come to life.

Happy Doodles alert!

2012-09-14T11:38:05-04:00

Here are a few of the latest Happy Doodles - lots more to post so stay tuned!

The life cycle of kids' artwork

2012-08-15T08:46:53-04:00

I created a business around my love of kids' artwork - there's nothing more fun that opening up the file that comes with a new order to see what that masterpiece will be - but back at home, you can't save it all! I just ran across this post to remind you that if you don't save every single piece of artwork that your child produces, you're...not...a...bad...parent. I love this post from Kelley's Break Room:

I can tell just by looking at you that this never happens to you. I am willing to bet that you save every last piece of artwork your kid has ever created for you. You have them all filed in a file drawer in your home office. Weekly you go through them and write sweet notes about what your child's milestones were at the moment they drew, painted, chalked, colored, markered or penciled the masterpiece before you. Trying to really make your child's artwork stretch and bless others, you have even made several placemats out of them for family members. Those images not made into placemats have been either framed for your home, framed for family members or made into a calendar that you give to all of your extended family. Those that remain in the file folders are regularly visited and beamed upon.

You have never thrown a single piece of art created by your child in the trash can ever. In fact, the thought repulses you and you are having serious reservations even being on this blog at all because you fear I am going to suggest doing just that. You are very tempted and thiiiiiiiiiis close to just moving on to the next post on your list. If you are sticking around it's because you want to see how the others half of humanity lives. The half that actually throws away a piece of work created by their very own child for their parent's enjoyment. Work that has been disregarded and placed in a pile of GARBAGE. You. Are. Sick. About it.

I thank you for reading this far.

With the exception of a handful of pieces of artwork that I keep in a box for each child each year, this is generally...

THE LIFE CYCLE OF KIDS' ART

(At least mine)

*You play dumb 2nd time around. And also 3rd. You get better at hiding with each repetition. Eventually, your kid wears you down and you give up. Your entire house then becomes covered in artwork, family tells you to can it with the artwork gifts and you appear on an episode of Hoarders.

**Said while shaking off banana pieces (the 2nd time around).

(Please don't hold this whole art issue against me. I "ooo" and "ahhh" in a really sweet and in an as-sincere-as-possible voice. Does that help at all?)

Happy Doodles review and giveaway from Experienced Bad Mom

2012-08-13T11:20:02-04:00

Thank you, Experienced Bad Mom, for the great review and Happy Doodles giveaway! Katy is the Experienced Bad Mom - she takes the pressure for perfection and turns it into laughter:

I'm trying my best in a world where the media, society, and neighborhood make me feel like a bad mom. Did I breastfeed long enough? Make organic homemade baby food? Raise children who are fluent in Swahili and on the honor roll? It’s never good enough, so I might as well laugh about it! I celebrate my imperfections and share my exploits here. My goal is to entertain and be REAL.

Check out her hilarious blog and enter to win the Happy Doodle giveaway - and before it's too late, share this with your friends!

Off to college

2012-08-05T10:35:47-04:00

This is a gift from a mom to her daughter as she goes off to college. It's made from a picture her daughter made long ago - and here's the best part - it's a foal!

Easy and fun ideas for encouraging kids to draw

2012-07-24T08:53:49-04:00

If you're looking for simple, yet brilliant, ideas for encouraging kids to draw, look no further! Jean Van't Hul, Writer and Children's Art Enabler, has you covered. Here's an example of one of the activities in a recent post on her blog, The Artful Parent:

What I do is begin a simple drawing on the chalkboard, and add an invitation —in this case, the question, "What is inside this house?" And then I go about my day.

She also lists lots of interactive art activities that you could do with your child or that kids could do together. Take a few minutes and try them out with your kids - you'll be glad that you did!

Happy Doodles are not only for kids!

2012-07-23T13:59:54-04:00

Happy Doodles are great gifts for kids, of course, but people have also ordered them for other occasions. Here are some examples:

gift for someone going off to college - from a drawing they did as a child
gift from one teenage girl to another - drawings to go with their room decor
gift from a very thoughtful boyfriend to his girlfriend - actually, I've had a few of these orders recently and I would have loved it if a boyfriend had done this for me, but my husband might frown on that now :)
gift for parents and grandparents from their favorite little artists

Don't forget that gift certificates are also a good option - so the recipient of the gift can choose the artwork him or herself.

Happy doodling!

Mona Lisa smile

2012-07-22T11:19:52-04:00

Another great one!