Inclusive Play Company PunkinFutz Creates New Collection of Adaptive Play Products Featuring Sesame Street Characters Available Exclusively at JCPenney
Elmo, Cookie Monster, and more to be Part of Sensory Sets Designed for Kids of All Ages and Abilities, Launching for Back to School
BROOKLYN, N.Y., July 21, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, award-winning inclusive play company PunkinFutz is launching a collection of creative play products and accessories featuring beloved Sesame Street characters. The new line is designed specifically to support children with a broad range of physical, sensory, developmental, and emotional needs and promote a more comfortable transition and return to classroom learning. Available now exclusively at JCPenney, the collection showcases the playfulness and joy of Elmo, Cookie Monster, and their friends and allows kids of all ages and abilities to express themselves in their own unique ways.
PunkinFutz was founded in 2016 by two parents determined to meet product gaps they experienced for their own children. With a goal of delivering creative, fun, and stylish products to all kids – with a focus on the 20 percent of the children's market with adaptive needs – the company aims to infuse wonder, whimsy, and creativity into its collection of essential, supportive play products.
"Back-to-school 2021 is particularly important for children of all abilities. After a year and a half of disruption, children are experiencing learning loss and anxiety at unprecedented levels," said Lisa Radcliffe, Founder and CEO of PunkinFutz. "Our unique sensory play line, now featuring the Sesame Street characters, is designed to help all children calm and focus, to put their best foot forward as they return to in-person learning."
The innovative, child-centric, sensory play collection features products intended for kids ages three years and up, including a calming compression vest disguised as a paintball game and dress-up toy, a weather-proof and highly reflective wheelchair bag that's also great on scooters and bicycles, a fidget set that makes car travel or waiting room stays an adventure, a sensory set that helps all children remain calm and focused for classroom learning, and more. Ongoing content will also be accessible through the "PunkinPassport" – a reusable play guide and online content filled with programming, activities, and jokes included with the back-to-school bundles.
In line with PunkinFutz's mission to hire from the community it serves, each product from PunkinFutz supports employment for adults with disabilities. The company also secured vital feedback from various experts and families – including occupational and physical therapists, designers, educators, parents, and children – to ensure the comprehensive needs of all children are properly addressed via the product line.
"As Sesame Workshop continues its mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder, we are thrilled that PunkinFutz has included the Sesame Street characters in its ongoing effort to bring smiles, comfort, and joy to kids of all ages and abilities through this invaluable collection," said Gabriela Arenas, Vice President of Licensing, North America, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street.
The Sesame Street collection by PunkinFutz will be available exclusively on jcp.com beginning on July 21, 2021 and additional retailers later this fall. The Fidget Set, along with the rest of the Sesame Street collection by PunkinFutz, can be found here: https://jcp.is/2Tt30e8.
"Alongside PunkinFutz and Sesame Workshop, we're honored to introduce the JCPenney community to extraordinary play products and educational experiences designed for all kids," said Michelle Wlazlo, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at JCPenney. "This partnership helps JCPenney deliver on our commitment to incorporating more inclusive design in our product assortment to better serve the American family."
For more information on PunkinFutz and the new Sesame Street collection of products, visit https://punkinfutz.com/ or follow PunkinFutz on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
PunkinFutz Website: https://punkinfutz.com/
Purchase PunkinFutz: https://jcp.is/2Tt30e8
PunkinFutz Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/punkinfutz
PunkinFutz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/punkinfutz/
PunkinFutz Twitter: https://twitter.com/punkinfutz
About PunkinFutz
PunkinFutz products inspire playful discovery, choice-making and self-expression. We use universal design, so that all children can enjoy the developmental advantages of inclusion, imagination and child-led play.
PunkinFutz products are manufactured with the highest quality materials and responsible sourcing, including production in the US by adults with disabilities. We employ a fully adaptive workforce, giving us powerful insight into the market's needs and producing superior quality products along the way. Our commitment to inclusion extends to programming for schools, libraries, healthcare and public settings, in conjunction with Powered by Inclusion, a non-profit created to extend our work.
We recognize everyone has a super power. This is ours.
About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit media and educational organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. Today, Sesame Workshop is an innovative force for change, with a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. We're present in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a wide range of media, formal education, and philanthropically funded social impact programs, each grounded in rigorous research and tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities we serve. For more information, please visit sesameworkshop.org
About JCPenney
JCPenney proudly serves customers at more than 650 stores across the United States and Puerto Rico, and at the Company's flagship store, jcp.com. JCPenney is one of the nation's largest retailers of apparel, home, jewelry, and beauty merchandise with a growing portfolio of private and national brands. Guided by the Golden Rule, JCPenney employs more than 50,000 associates worldwide and has served customers for over 119 years, playing a vital role in the communities they serve. For additional information, please visit jcp.com and follow JCPenney on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Media Contact:
Litzky Public Relations; Marisa Papa; [email protected]; 973-647-5339
Media Contact
Marisa Papa, Litzky Public Relations, +1 9736475339, [email protected]
SOURCE PunkinFutz
Share this article