Developed together by Eliana Martinez Tomalino and Stefano Orowitsch, Bababoo and friends made its US debut back in 2022 in specialty stores and online at Bababooandfriends.com, bringing their creative, high-quality wooden toy brand to a new audience. In April 2023 the Bababoo and friends brand continues to grow with the launch of a variety of their products at Barnes and Noble, in select stores, and online.
Designed for children aged 12 months and older, this highly reputable European brand radiates positivity and inclusion throughout its entire product line of books and wooden toys. With a fully developed character line, Bababoo and friends was created to stimulate imagination, sensory development, and creativity through storytelling and traditional play.
The main character is Bababoo the lion, who explores the world with his friends to learn age-appropriate lessons, like bravery, tolerance, helpfulness, and friendship. Bababoo is a bit scared at times, but fortunately, he has wonderful friends like Whale Wilma, Monkey Yuki, Fairy Bunny Pippa, Elephant Lolo, and Firefly Miss Mali who all support and encourage him! Take a closer look at all the characters here!
As an exclusive to Barnes and Noble, Bababoo and friends developed a series of Nursery Show videos hosted by a kindergarten teacher to enhance playtime and childhood development. Only those who purchase Bababoo and friends products at Barnes and Noble will have access to the nursery show, along with a free gift inside each gift box.
“As our little lion Bababoo would say, ‘Together we can do anything,’ and with the support of Barnes and Noble, we are now able to bring our family of characters to a new audience,” said founder Stefano Orowitsch. “Barnes and Noble is the perfect partner to collaborate with as we begin to expand our retail offering in brick and mortar and online. We look forward to sharing the wonderful world of Bababoo and friends with more and more families throughout the U.S.”
The products available at Barnes and Noble include:
Whale Wilma Pull Along Toy is designed to be pushed and pulled around with a string to encourage crawling or first walking steps. Since Whale Wilma is disabled and can no longer swim, her friends gave her a house-shaped hat so she feels at home even if she’s on land. Additional features, such as the vibrant illustrations on the wheels, the rotating eyes, the stackable house, and the red bell next to Wilma’s tail all provide added levels of exploration. Dexterity and motor skills are encouraged through play.
Wonder Tree Shape Sorting Clock: While playing hide and seek in the flower meadow, Bababoo and Pippa come across a giant tree that effortlessly introduces the concepts of shapes, colors, numbers, and time. Each number block includes a magnet, so the blocks stay in place when the tree stands vertically. The unique Wonder Tree Shape Sorting Clock encourages cognitive thinking, hand-eye coordination, social interaction, and a fun method to practice time.
Drive Through the Rainbow Puzzle Game: On a hot air balloon ride to the multicolored rainbow, Bababoo realizes that he and his friends can enjoy a lot more time together if they’re not in a hurry! Discover the magical world of Bababoo and friends® with our imaginative “Drive through the Rainbow” Puzzle Game. This puzzle game involves more than just arranging puzzle pieces together to learn shapes and colors because the individual arches can also be set up as a tunnel to skillfully drive the included cars.
Lolo’s Boat Bead Maze: Will everything on the boat stay in balance during the rough seas? Lolo’s Boat Bead Maze is a motor skills game that promotes creativity as well as coordination skills. The rounded hull teaches children about balance and provides an additional challenge while children move the wooden elements across the track. Threading the beads along the maze is great training for skilled fingers. If the boat starts bobbing, little bells ring in the bilge. The beads’ division allows for many combinations, both at the ends and in the middle part of the loops.
The entire Bababoo and friends line is created using non-toxic paints and FSC-certified wood, promoting the company’s commitment to sustainability. Select Bababoo and friends items are available now at select Barnes & Noble stores nationwide as well as online.
For more information about Bababoo and friends, visit Bababooandfriends.com or their page on Instagram.