Sep 18, 2008

Friends Forever Girls Wins Dr. Toy’s Educational Product award

Temecula, CA – Inspire U, Inc. announced today its Friends Forever Girls’ Reina multicultural doll is the recipient of a prestigious “10 Best Educational Products for 2008 Award” from Dr. Toy’s Institute for Child Resources. Part of “Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Children’s Products,” the awards program was developed by noted child development authority, Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D. (a.k.a. Dr. Toy) as a service to consumers who desire to purchase safe, affordable, educationally oriented, stimulating toys and products for children.

“As a childhood specialist for over 35 years,” says Dr. Toy, Director of the Institute for Childhood Resources, founded in San Francisco in 1975, “I have seen the continuous, essential need for more year-round resources for consumers to identify and choose the most appropriate, safe and engaging learning and developmental products for all children.”

Friends Forever Girls is a new line of dolls and a book series that promote the values of “friendship” including self-respect, honesty and responsibility to impressionable young girls. Each doll has her own unique interests, character traits and background, so every young girl will have a favorite playmate with whom they can relate.

“We are extremely proud to have received this award,” said Kristi Necochea, founder and president of Friends Forever Girls. “Dr. Toy’s award program and recommendations have been valued by parents and members of the toy industry for years. Friends Forever Girls is honored to be recognized as not only being fun to play with but as a great character-building tool.”

Dr. Toy’s Best Products were carefully chosen from among thousands that she has reviewed at toy fairs, catalogs, and through many other sources, and by using extensive criteria she has developed over many years. Among the criteria used are: safety, age-appropriateness, design, durability, lasting play value, cultural and ethnic diversity, good transition from home to school, educational value, learning skills, creativity, improvement in the understanding of the community and the world, good value for price, and, naturally, fun.

The four Friends Forever Girls — Reina, Marlee, Natalie and Nika — maintain great friendships with one another, despite different interests and goals. They send a clear message that it’s important to appreciate and accept those differences, helping your friends – and yourself – to be the best they can be! Each doll comes with The First Day of Forever book, which explains how the Friends Forever Girls formed and includes their first adventure together. Additionally, there is a series of books that take the reader through the exciting, but often challenging, adventures of the Friends Forever Girls. Readers can join in with the Friends Forever Girls in taking the Butterfly Promise, a friendship pact that bonds the group of friends and helps them navigate the many trials of growing up!

The Friends Forever Girls are 18 inches tall with vinyl bodies and moveable arms and legs – perfect for big hugs! The dolls come with The First Day of Forever book, jacket/shawl and a purse or backpack ($89.00 MSRP). Books and accessories are also sold separately for $6.00-$12.95 MSRP. Dolls, books and accessories are available at specialty retailers nationwide and online at www.friendsforevergirls.com

About Friends Forever Girls and Inspire U, LLC
Inspire U is the limited liability corporation that manufactures the Friends Forever Girls product line. The brainchild of California mom Kristi Necochea, Inspire U’s mission is to create toys that offer “a place to play and learn where girls can be girls.” Necochea dreamed up the Friends Forever Girls when she failed to find a doll that served as the kind of role model she wanted for her own daughter. In response, she focused on creating high-quality, genuinely entertaining toys that would also serve as tools to build self respect and foster responsibility in girls.