Recently, as we were walking to a restaurant in Ridgewood, I happened to stop in this store with my kids. My daughter instantly went crazy over these cute stuffed animals, Wumblers. You can pop them in and out of their watermelon "shell" and they are very soft and cuddly. I was also intrigued by Laura's inspirational story so I took her card to do an interview. I hope you do get to check out their show on TBN (DVR it!) Sat mornings or buy a DVD on their site. There is also an iPhone app that they've developed (some proceeds go to Tuesday's Child). More info can be found on their great site: Link here. A great cause and a great product!
Laura J. Wellington, CEO, co-founded The Giddy Gander Company LLC in 2006. In conjunction with these two ventures, Ms. Wellington is also the co-founder and active President of Wellington Consulting Company and Wellington Financial Systems where she has developed and supported IT pricing systems for the past 17 years. A former teacher, mother of four, and widow, Ms. Wellington's insight and understanding of children has proven itself invaluable to both her professional and personal lives. Her innovative accomplishments currently include the development of child related products geared toward making everyday parenting easier and extend into the mentoring of other young women.
What is a Wumbler? A Wumbler is a character born from a watermelon. The
Wumblers teach children social, global, and nutritional lessons that enhance
children's lives and help make the world a better place to live. What is the story behind Wumbler? And when was it started? The Wumblers were created by myself Laura J.
Wellington as a child; however, the business of Wumbling began in 2002, shortly
after the tragedy of 9/11. It was the death of my husband from cancer in
2001 combined with the travesty for so many other families resulting from 9/11
in 2002 that inspired me to commit my life to making the world a safer, more
hopeful world for children. How does your brand "mentor in children a sense
of responsibility to humankind that will span lives and improve each
generation's outlook and opportunity for a better tomorrow."? The Wumblers takes sophisticated social, global,
and fundamental lessons and breaks them down into simple messages surrounded by
fun and play - the languages of children. We don't just tell the child to
"Help," we explain to the child the benefits of helping and how doing
so will positively affect his/her life. Instead of leaving these lessons
to schools, we have launched creative ways beyond school walls that allow children
to engage in this type of learning everyday. What makes Wumblers different from other brands? The Wumblers is created by a mom of, soon-to-be,
six children. Like other moms, I found that much of what our children
were watching on television was doing more harm than good and that too many
important lessons were being left out. In an effort to support parenting
and family health, I created The Wumblers to share with other parents and
families to ease the challenges of growing wonderful children in an environment
where having too little time was an every day occurrence in all homes. We
also give a tremendous amount of money back to the community and specific
charities close to our heart. How did you come up with the name Giddy Gander and
Wumbler? We named our company The
Giddy Gander Company in an expression of gratitude to our investors. We
also thought it was a fun name for a children's television and branding
company. I came up with the name the Wumblers partially after my late
husband whose last name was Wellington. I called the characters Bumblers
until I met Dean. Then I took the "W" from his surname and
exchanged the "B" forming the word "Wumbler!" How do you produce your DVD's? We have a licensee, Daywind, who produces and
distributes them for us. Where do you get story ideas from? Myself, my children, other series I find remiss in
certain important lessons needing to be shared. Basically, everywhere! What's a sample story line that was popular? When mom gets sick, Bertrum (the main Wumbler
character) finds out how difficult it is to be a MOM! He sees what his Mom does
on a daily basis regarding taking care of the family and at the end realizes he
needs to take care of his Mom. Can my kids watch Wumblers on TV? Yes, please call your cable provider as to
which network and channel you can see it on. In Ridgewood, NJ, you can
view it on Channel 68, Saturday mornings at 8:00am or 8:30am How do kids respond to the Wumblers? I've never met a kid that didn't go crazy
over The Wumblers, especially our Baby Wumblers which are award winning plush
toys. They can’t wait to hold one and squeeze and once they grab hold of it
they don’t want to let it go. We
have gotten so many comments from Moms how their kids react to the show and the
characters that it is wonderful. Are there any other products or resources that are
helpful for families in need--whether grieving a family member or coping with
loss? Any that helped
your children? That's a very
interesting question. The best resource to help your children or family
cope with a loss is "open communication" between parent and
child. Allow the child to grieve and don't hide your grieving
either. Kids need to understand that it's OK to be sad at any age.
Strength is not lost in sadness but in never allowing oneself to feel
sad. It is the only way one can turn the corner to being happy
again. We also did a promotion
with Gilda’s Club in Hackensack which really is a wonderful place for families
to go when dealing with a family member that has cancer. What are you working on right now? We are continuing to build The Wumblers brand
and expand into retail. What can we expect in the future and how can moms help
you get there? Every child
should understand the importance of Wumbling to their own lives and the entire
world. Moms can help by getting the word out about The Wumblers
brand. I invite everyone to Wumble! What's the best way to buy Wumbler products? Best way is to come visit our retail store at
11 Oak Street in Ridgewood, New Jersey or on the web at www.wumblerpatch.com Do you have a local tip about Ridgewood? Great
kids place, restaurant, park or mom's hang out? Yes, the best cupcakes in Ridgewood, NJ, are sold at Natalie's! How do you balance work and motherhood? It's a new trick every day! The bottom line
is that I want to so I take each day as it comes and keep my priorities in
order along the way!
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