The latest on our fledgling little empire, from press mentions to cool customer stories. Got a cool story about how your kids enjoy That Baby DVD and That Baby CD? We'd love to hear it!
I received the following email tonight from a customer. It’s notes like this that keep Lisi and me going, packing boxes and answering emails late into the night. Some of her message is expressed through religious metaphor, but it has a meaning that I think can be universally appreciated. (her reference to Hashem is a way that Jews invoke the Lord’s name. It literally means “The Name,” as the actual name is reserved for prayer). Now, onto the letter:
I have never written a letter like this before but i am compelled to write this one to you, the creators of That Baby CD and DVD. we received both the CD and DVD for our baby’s birth 5 months ago. but it is our two year old son who asks to watch this “DVDV” (as he calls it) many many times in a day. despite my desires to limit his “screen time,” i find that i too am riveted to this DVD and have no qualms letting us both hit “play” again and again.
Your choices of songs and lyrics are incredibly wholesome and real. you have truly made a remarkable contribution to the world. your talents shine through your work and art and this letter is to thank you.
If I may…
Our rabbi, Rabbi David Aaron (of Isralight.org), teaches that any gift or quality we have is Hashem’s manifestation of that quality through the physical world…through us. that any thing we see and consider to be beautiful, for example…a face, a flower, a voice, a picture…is a reflection of Hashem’s beauty that is only able to be expressed through that face, or flower, or voice or picture. what a gift to possess the talents you do and reflect such beauty in the world through your art.
Good Shabbos,
(Name Withheld)
I’m humbled and honored that someone would think this about something I created. But I’m also thankful that she took the time to write it and send it to me. Who are you going to thank this week?
We’re pleased to announce that That Baby DVD has won the prestigious iParenting Media Award as one of the Greatest Products of 2008! This award is administered by a panel of judges including parents, childcare professionals, and educators. We’re thrilled to be recognized with this award, and are humbled by the kind words of the judges:
Judge 1
“I could sum up this product in just one word! FANTASTIC!! From the minute I put it into the DVD player, the music just soothed us and made us all happy. The videos were all different so it was interesting to watch as you listened, but you didn’t NEED to watch it at all to enjoy it. The voices were soothing and wonderful to listen to, and the music was soft and soothing as well. This is one of the BEST music DVD’s we’ve listened to!”
Judge 2
“The positive characteristics of this product are that the music is appealing and something that most parents can relate to since it crosses generation lines and bring oldies but goodies back into the parents life and makes it so much easier to interact and play with the child knowing the songs already. The interaction that this DVD provides is awesome and makes children and adults alike want to move which promotes physical health. The smiles and laughter heard from both children and adults alike make this a product that will not grow old for either the parent to listen to or the child to want to get up and move with it.”
Judge 3
“My 2 year old and 5 year old daughters enjoyed listening and watching the ‘That baby DVD’. The different visuals were appealing to my children, and for me it was nice to hear different versions of familiar songs.”
The whole family makes an appearance in this report from our local NBC station:
I’ve just returned from the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas, the big trade show for products made for babies and kids. The show was exhausting—a grueling 9 hours of booth duty for 5 days talking to buyers, exhibitors, and members of the press—but it was also exhilarating.
There were hundreds of buyers there from children’s stores around the world, and many of them have wisely chosen to start carrying That Baby DVD and That Baby CD! I’ll be updating my site’s Where To Buy section shortly.
In addition to the many stores that ordered from us at the show, I gave out tons of samples to buyers. I’m confident that once they get the products home and try them out on any nearby child, they’ll be customers too.
The show was massive. The convention hall we were in was literally a half mile in length. There were two floors of that. So, it was both understandable and frustrating that many buyers whisked by my booth without stopping to check out the awesomeness that is my product line. Some were off to appointments, others focused on other categories of goods like apparel and furniture. Still, I tried to walk that fine line between “assertive advocate for my business” and “obnoxious carnival barker.”
Many times, I’d catch a buyer and say something like “hey, I know you’ve got lots of walking to do, but this is worth checking out—kid friendly acoustic covers of songs written by Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond, Fleetwood Mac, The Pretenders, Paul Simon, and more.”
And then I’d take a breath.
If they so much as raised an eyebrow, I’d say “here’s a sample and my wholesale pricing.” I’d scan their badge and off they went.
The true success of the show for me will be dependent on the extent to which I follow-up with the ones that didn’t buy. Some exciting opportunities await my business in the stack of business cards I collected.
Thanks to my mom and mother in law who came to Las Vegas for no other reason than to help me with booth duty. Really, the fact that they both love Vegas as much as I do was merely a coincidence!
I was thrilled to meet so many of the people I’ve only talked to online before, like Heather from About.com Baby Products, Jill from Alex Casey Baby, Stacy from Paci Plushies, and Kara and Stacey from Mom Central Consulting. Hiya, ladies!
I was also in awe of the success of Go Mama Go Designs, the mom-run business just across from my booth. Katherine and Georgia’s booth was jam-packed throughout the show, as they showed their crib bumpers and swaddling blankets. I’d be jealous of them if I wasn’t so genuinely happy for their success.
Now that the show’s behind me, I’m excited to know that my products are “out there” in the hands (and homes) of so many people in the baby products business. I’m confident that once people take the time to watch and listen, they’ll “get it.” In the weeks and months to come, I hope to report back on the new “it getters”—retailers that realize baby music can be cool after all and join the ranks of That Baby DVD and CD partners.
Here at That Baby DVD World Headquarters, we’re gearing up for our big trade show debut at the ABC Kids Expo on September 7-11 in Las Vegas. This is the major event for the baby and kids market, and we’ll have the opportunity to show our products to hundreds of retail buyers. The show is costing us a fortune, but I’m confident in our products. I’m willing to spend what it takes to get in front of these buyers and show them just how cool baby music can be!
If you go into a kids’ store over the next two weeks, ask them if they’re going to the ABC Show. If they are, tell them to stop by Booth 1245…and why!
If you are a retailer that will be going to the ABC Show, please sign up here to receive news about our show specials.
A great and humbling article about me on Rick Recht’s blog
Are you on Facebook? Show your support for our products by visiting the That Baby DVD and CD Facebook Page and clicking “become a fan”
Some great news to share with you all. Here’s the press release I just sent out over the wires…
Rock Your Baby! That Baby DVD and That Baby CD now available at all Pottery Barn Kids stores in the US and Canada
Unique baby gift is the first DVD ever carried by Pottery Barn Kids
Mercer Island, WA – OyBaby LLC is pleased to announce the immediate availability of its That Baby DVD and That Baby CD products at all 94 Pottery Barn Kids stores throughout the US and Canada. These unique baby gifts feature kid-friendly acoustic cover versions of songs written by artists like Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon, The Pretenders, Natalie Merchant, and more.
That Baby DVD is the first DVD ever carried by Pottery Barn Kids. The product combines colorful visuals of kids at play, nature, puppets, and animation with the lush vocal and acoustic soundtrack. The companion CD, That Baby CD, is also available at Pottery Barn Kids stores.
Both products were released in October 2007 to rave reviews. The popular shopping blog MomFinds called it “a fresh new look in children’s programming,” Seattle magazine calls it a “sanity saver for parents,” and the blog CreatureBug called it “beautiful, creative, and fun.”
“Hip moms looking for kids’ music that you’ll love too, rejoice! Help is as close as your nearest Pottery Barn Kids store,” says Rob Wolf, creator of That Baby DVD and That Baby CD. “This isn’t strictly baby music. This is music you’ll love as much as your kids will. We’re thrilled to be partnering with one the top brands in the children’s retail market to bring our groundbreaking products to a wider audience.”
About OyBaby LLC
Founded by husband and wife team Rob and Lisi Wolf in 2003, OyBaby LLC makes DVDs and CDs for kids and the grownups who love them. From its home-based “World Headquarters” in Mercer Island, Washington, the company has sold over 40,000 of its products to date to customers in all 50 states and 15 countries. The company’s products are made in the US of recyclable materials and are printed using soy-based inks. The company offers a “no questions asked” money back guarantee and free lifetime replacement of discs that get scratched, stepped on, smeared with peanut butter, or otherwise damaged.
Contact:
Rob Wolf
President and CEO
Contact Us
I spent the early part of this week at event called the Northwest Kids’ Expo. It was a mini trade show for buyers of baby products. In attendance were owners of baby boutiques, online stores, and department stores. Our products received a tremendous response, and we were happy to add a number of stores to our Where To Buy section.
Talking to these buyers validated the uniqueness of our products and some of the choices we’ve made in running the business. The elevator pitch—”kid-friendly acoustic covers of songs written by artists like Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond, Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell, and others”—always raises an eyebrow. But they also loved the fact that we were made in the US and from recyclable materials. These considerations seemed to have taken on a greater urgency with the buyers over the past year.
I was fortunate to share a suite at the event with four other Northwest entrepreneurs. Each one had products that were unique and compelling to the buyers as well:
Bellysock – A cool maternity and nursing accessory that hides those little flashes of tummy that you don’t want anyone to see
Baby Chaleco – Performance bibs for the extreme drooler
Maiden America – Beautifully handmade barrettes that stay in the wispiest of hair
Knuckleheads – Cool clothes for the hipster baby
I encourage you to check out these companies, as they are great products backed by great people.
Did you notice? We’ve remodeled! Thanks to the fine folks at Sofamade, we have a great new website to serve you, dear customer. Watch this space for some exciting news about the growth of our business.
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