Snuggle Up and Plant a Tree: Greenzys Review & Giveaway (Ends Earth Day)

Hi, everyone. I think I'm in love. With Greenzys.

And because of that love and my love for TREES, A Mom Writing is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with a Greenzys review and giveaway...


Greenzys (by Kids Preferred) is a brand relatively new to the kiddo market, offering green living plush animal character toys with a literary basis. Say What? Yes, this brand published a story about taking care of our earth, and then they turned the characters from the story into adorable, eco-friendly, green-colored stuffed animals.

But what makes Greenzys truly special is that they not only inform children about the earth's issues, they function in an eco-friendly fashion. That is, they produce their products in "socially-responsible factories from soy fibers and nontoxic dyes with packaging made from recycled paperboard."

And what's more? Greenzys has paired up with the Arbor Day Foundation. For every toy purchased, a tree is planted. What is sweet about this, too, is that each toy comes with a code you enter into the Greenzys website. It asks for your child's name, and a printable certificate is created to commemorate your little one's tree (we didn't print Gabe's-- we just saved the pdf version-- using paper to signify a tree being planted seemed counter-intuitive).
So what about Greenzys makes me swoon?
I love that the plush animals are based on characters from a book. I'm a children's lit fanatic (I was admitted to a very good school in NYC to pursue an MFA in children's lit, but I didn't go because of the money), and it warms my heart when a company doesn't just dive into the image of fun, but gives that fun a contextual place. These characters come to life not only with the imagination, but on the page. A toy company promoting reading? Fab.

I also love how absolutely cuddly the Greenzys are. Peat the Penguin is a nice size-- about the size of your average baby doll, but with plenty of fluff-- and he is just so very soft to the touch. He's a sweet shade of green-- not bright enough to be kelly, not dark enough to be hunter, not light enough to be mint-- a very muted and comforting tone.

The only negative thing I have to say about Peat is that his tummy is covered by a huge earth heart (this I love) with the brand Greenzys sprawled across it (this I do not). It just isn't my aesthetic preference to see a big word across a plush toy's belly. But it does not detract from Peat's overall cute, snuggliness, and it certainly has not kept Gabriel from yelling talking to him with curious eyes and a huge smile.

Probably my favorite thing about this toy is that it is teachable in so many ways. You can read the book to your kids, they can read it to you, you can use that moment to explain environmental issues facing our planet; it is a perfect door for a teachable moment-- you can say to your kids, "This is why we go green." (Just think, you can answer them thoroughly when they ask, "Why?")

These toys also can offer a personal feeling of accomplishment to a child. Seeing that certificate pop up on the computer screen will definitely allow kids to feel proud. They can say to themselves (or be told): I chose this toy, and because of that choice, a tree will be planted. I made an eco-friendly choice.
All in all, it is not easy to find a company that talks the talk and walks the walk of eco-friendly. And a toy that goes beyond the practice of green, but also educates through literature and ecology? I'm not sure that sort of lightning often strikes in the toy industry.

So where can you buy Greenzys? Head to FAO Schwartz to purchase your Greenzys today.

Lucky for A Mom Writing readers,
You have a chance to win your own Greenzys!


The mandatory entry:
Head to the Greenzys website and tell me which character you would love for your little one.

Want more entries? Do any or all of these.

2. Publicly follow my blog (right sidebar) and comment. If you already, follow, make sure to comment!

3. Vist the Arbor Day Foundation website and comment about something you learned there.

4. Follow @amomwriting and/or @TheGreenzys on Twitter and comment for one (1) additional entry each.

5. Tweet about the giveaway, including @amomwriting and @TheGreenzys, and comment.
(You can tweet and comment once per day.)

6. Blog about the giveaway including a link to amomwriting and comment with the permalink to your entry for two (2) extra entries, leaving two separate comments.

7. Vote for A Mom Writing on Top Mommy Blogs here and comment. (1 entry per vote, 1 vote per day)

8. Vote for A Mom Writing on Top Baby Blogs here and comment. (1 entry per vote, 1 vote per day)

Make sure to leave your e-mail in your mandatory entry if it is not in your profile so that I may contact you if you win. The contest will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on Earth Day-- April 22, 2010.

A Mom Writing did not receive monetary compensation for this entry.