Panda Park Boutique Shopping Blog - baby, children, mommies

Recent Press!

2008-05-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

Our Bud Beach Balls were featured in this month's Coastal Living magazine. These hip beach balls and swim rings are expected to pop up in many other print mags as well including Seventeen, Cookie, Rachel Ray and Oprah Home!

[More info. on Design Room Group Beach Balls and Swim Rings at Panda Park Boutique]

Yummy Mother's Day Cookies!

2008-05-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

One of my new favorite guilty pleasures is Etsy.com where you can find the best and most original home-made items under the sun. I spend alot of time perusing this fabulous website and have come across some really cool things. Today I came across these darling handcut tattoo cookies. These hip cookies are made to order and can ship to that special someone by Mother's Day! I had been considering sending my mother-in-law flowers since she lives out of state but now I am excited to have something to send that is more unique and I think she will appreciate even more.

As I was trying to find my mother-in-law's address to order I noticed that these cookies are flying off the shelves! I also ordered some really cute cookies with pearl necklaces (made of sugar of course) for my daughter's first grade teacher. Check it out!

[More info. on Fabulous Decorated Cookies]

My Name Baby Blanket by Two Tinas

2008-04-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

Also new from Two Tinas is the My Name baby blanket. These receiving blankets are made with 100% cotton interlock with contrast light pink or skye blue trim.

[More info. on Receiving Blankets by Two Tinas]

Little Worm and Company Whale Plate

2008-04-25T06:47:00.000-07:00

Ahoy matey and check out this cute personalized whale plate by Little Worm and Company. Shown above is the "boy" style...but it is also availble in more feminine colors as well. Little Worm and Company plates make fabulous gifts for babies and children.

[More info. on Little Worm and Company Plates at Panda Park Boutique]

New Styles from Two Tinas!

2008-04-25T06:39:00.000-07:00

We just finished adding several new styles from Two Tinas! Two Tinas Baby Blankets are a top seller at Panda Park and it's easy to see why. The front of the blankets are made with 100% cotton fashionable prints and the blankets are backed with 100% soft polyester plush. The finishing touch is the felt initial to personalize it and voila..you have the perfect keepsske baby gift! All blankets are carefully made for you at the time of order and take 2-3 weeks before shipping.

[More info. on Two Tinas Baby Blankets at Panda Park Boutique]

Creative Baby Keepsake

2008-04-19T06:01:00.000-07:00

Now here's one I've never seen before...a Keepsake Framed Birth Announcement. I stumbled across this website this morning that makes really cute baby onesies and tees and that is where I came across this unique gift idea. Hello Baby Wear makes these wonderful gifts that are printed on a Mini T in a glass floating frame. You choose the saying. Add a Name, date and city or change it up. What a great idea!

[More info. on Baby Keepsake Gifts at Hello Baby Wear]

Beautiful Girls' Bracelet

2008-04-17T05:21:00.000-07:00

Celebrate Spring with this colorful bracelet by Fairy Tale Jewelry. This darling bracelet is made with the the world's finest crystals and faux pearls by Swarovski, along with .925 sterling silver beads, findings and charms. Little girls LOVE their jewelry, and this darling Teddy Bear Bracelet is sure to be a hit with any little fashionista.

[More info. on Children's Jewelry at Panda Park Boutique]

Going..going...Lock Up Your Daughters Tee..Almost Gone

2008-04-15T06:24:00.000-07:00

Our popular Lock Up Your Daughters shirt by No Added Sugar is almost out of stock! Just a few of these hot sellers remain. This witty tee makes quite a statement with the ladies and is sure to be a great ice breaker at the playground.

Snag yours now!

[More info. on No Added Sugar Tees at Panda Park Boutique]

BRAND NEW! Message Tees by Punky Mae

2008-04-13T12:56:00.001-07:00

These toddler message tees by Punk Mae are tu-tu cute! Message tees look cute as pictured with a tu-tu, or wear with jeans or a skirt. All shirts are made of premium quality cotton and are either appliqued or stitched...no screen printing here!
Punky Mae tees usually ship the next business day.

[More info. on Punky Mae Tees at Panda Park Boutique]

NOW IN STOCK! Kooky Dolls

2008-04-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

The Kooky dolls have finally arrived and I have to say that both of my girls went CRAZY for them as soon as they saw them. My 7 year old even dipped into her personal money stash to try to purchase one.

These darling hand-made dolls are perfect for new babies, toddlers and even bigger kids.

[More info. on Dolls at Panda Park Boutique]

Rosie's Reason

2008-04-11T13:37:00.000-07:00

Rosie's Reason is a special project from Monkey- Toes which benefits Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC), a cousin of SIDS which affects healthy children over the age of 12 months.
50% from all t-shirts sold go directly to the CJ Foundation for research. You can learn more about SUDC on the Monkey Toe's website.

[More info. on SUDC]

Baby Girl Gift Idea

2008-04-11T06:29:00.001-07:00

Flowers are very femine and darling for baby girls. Our Two Monkeys' Flower Gift Set + Jamie Rae's Lime Infant Sunhat = The Perfect New Baby Gift! Select Gift Wrap only once and both items will be wrapped together or seperately at no extra charge. Simply leave a message in the comment section during check-out letting us know which you prefer. Gift sets by Two Monkeys and Jamie Rae hats are lovingly handmade in the USA.

[More info. on Baby Gift Sets at Panda Park Boutique]

Time for Flip Flops!

2008-04-10T15:50:00.000-07:00

Check out this handmade baby gift set by Two Little Monkeys! This darling gift set is perfect for those warm weather babies. We are pleased to be carrying these fantastic gift sets. They are available in a variety of styles so make sure to check out our New Items page regularly!

[More info. on Baby Gift Sets at Panda Park Boutique]

NEW Birthday Plates from Little Worm and Company

2008-04-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

We just finished adding cute new styles from Little Worm and Company including the Birthday Cupcake Personalized Plate pictured above. Personalized plates by Little Worm and Company are original, high-quality and make fabulous keepsake gifts. Available in a variety of styles you are sure to find one that suits your style.

[More info. on New Little Worm and Company Plates at Panda Park Boutique]

New Sun Hats for Baby!

2008-04-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

Scrumptious baby sun hats by Jamie Rae have arrived! All Jamie Rae sun hats are proudly and lovingly handmade in the USA. Made of 100% cotton these sun hats are comfy and stylish. Protect your babies skin and keep her in style too.

Jamie Rae hats also make great accessories for keepsake photos!

[More info. on Jamie Rae Baby Sun Hats at Panda Park Boutique]

Uglydoll in NY Times "Guys and Dolls"

2008-04-08T04:48:00.000-07:00

Guys and Dolls: An Ugly Remake

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

Photo Courtesy of Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times

GIRLS, KEEP OUT! Uglydolls on display at F. A. O. Schwarz in Manhattan.
WHAT is it about Uglydolls? They're soft, they're plush, they're cute, they're openly called by a name that is usually anathema to boys: dolls.
And yet, in many cases, when you see a bed covered with them or a backpack open just far enough to let one breathe, that bed or backpack belongs to a testosterone-burning little sneaker-scuffer.
They are the dolls that many boys are willing to nap with, be seen on the street with and take to sleep-away camp. As Marcelo Jaimes-Lukes, who got his first Ugly as a third-grader at the Little Red School House in Manhattan, put it: "No, you didn't get teased for having one. In my class, you'd be teased not to have one."
I noticed this because my 6-year-old stepson totes three to school, and his doll games are all about adventure. He and his mates pile their Uglies into a plastic crate named the Voyager and soar off. "We go to Persia," he said, "or a pet shop. One time we went into the sewers to go surfing."
In his class, it's the boys - plus the one tomboy - who love Uglydolls, said his teacher, Scott Cunningham.
"And if you want to see an avatar, this is it," he said. "The kids do their speaking through them."
Many girls like them, too, but there is no doubt that there is something preternatural about the boy-Ugly bond.
The Pretty Ugly company, which recently sold its millionth doll, knows it, said Alita Friedman, director of operations. "It wasn't deliberate," she said. "It just happened."
F. A. O. Schwarz, toy store to the hedge-funded, also recognizes it. Its famous stuffed toy department in Manhattan - including nearly life-size elephant calves - is gender-neutral. But one flight up the escalator, and it is girls' stuff to the right and boys' to the left. The Uglydolls are not only firmly to the left, but next to the National Football League action figures and directly across from the Star Wars light sabers guarding the action figure of Princess Leia in a serpentine brass bikini - which is about as boy-fantasy as it gets.
Pretty Ugly receives thank-you e-mail messages from parents of boys. "My 9-year-old son loves his Uglydolls," wrote one parent. "He is an only child and I watch him being so caring with them and it warms my heart."
Fran Brennan, a freelance writer in Washington, said one of her son's friends wore his smallest Uglies around his neck. "I thought it was so cool that he felt comfortable wearing them on a cord, like a choker," she said.
So what is it, exactly? The Uglies are neither superheros nor stuffed animals. They're not as saccharine as Beanie Babies or Cabbage Patch kids. They're a bit like characters from Sesame Street (Cookie Monster comes to mind) and a bit like E.T., except without pasty skin or the spring-loaded neck.
David Horvath, who created them with Sun-Min Kim - then his girlfriend, now his wife - says they were inspired by the bootleg videos they both grew up watching: Japanese robots and shows like "Battle Fever J," which begat the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
The inspiration for Uglies, he joked, was Ultraman and Gamera.
That's hard to buy, since they are the antithesis of huggable: Ultraman is Japan's metal-skulled Ironman, vanquishing monsters with karate kicks and electric bolts that slice heads off. Gamera is a giant flying turtle whose leg holes shoot flames.
Actually, part of the appeal is that Uglies are not based on TV characters; the only back-story a buyer gets is a tag with a few sentences on it.
But the most obvious clue is simple: Of the 25 "classic" creatures, all but three are male, with names like OX, Wedgehead and Chuckanucka. (The description tags say "he.") And most are naughty little guys who steal (or "borrow"), embark on a "ninja-type mystery adventure" or liberate all snack food.
Gary Cross, a professor of modern history at Penn State who follows toy trends, said Uglies echoed boys' needs, and boys themselves.
"Boys need figures to play with," he said. "You see that going back to the Egyptians. But they become über-male when they reach that 5-to-7-year-old range. It's O.K. to hug something, but it may not be to have a little teddy bear."
Getting away with being naughty is a boy's way of proving himself lovable, he said, citing the Katzenjammer Kids, Buster Brown, Curious George and Dennis the Menace.
Marjorie Taylor, a psychology professor at the University of Oregon, said the dolls could be subtly signaling "I'm for boys." As an example, she cited researchers who made a toy tea set black and spiky, prompting boys to ask for it. The dolls' faces (Uglies don't smile, but some show teeth or stick out tongues) may tell boys they're kindred spirits, she said.
Even the girl Uglydolls signal something to boys. Moxy is cool - she is OX's baby sister, a party animal with a motherly streak. But Tray is "the brain of the bunch," and good at getting poor dumb Babo to fetch her blueberry pie. Puglee "is super smart" and "gets all A's no matter how hard she tries."
Exactly the way a lot of boys experience first grade. Little sisters must be suffered, but girls as peers are a foreign race: smarter, a bit unfathomable - and a lot better at managing boys than the other way around.
The dolls are not specifically marketed to boys. But in their early days, they weren't even marketed to children.
Mr. Horvath and Ms. Kim met as art students, but when her visa expired in 2001, she had to move back to South Korea.
Lonely and upset because toy companies were snubbing his ideas, Mr. Horvath drew one of his characters on the bottom of his love letters: Wage, a little orange everyman in an apron who works in a supermarket.
As a Christmas present, Ms. Kim sewed him one. A friend who had just opened Giant Robot, a Los Angeles store specializing in Asian pop culture, asked if she could make 20. At first, she didn't own a sewing machine, so it took weeks. They sold out in a day.
She bought a machine and made more. After 1,500, with her cramping hands regularly changing colors, they knew they had to find a factory.
SINCE 2003, Uglies have been made in China, but their faces are still hand-sewn, which is why a row on a shelf all look slightly different - off-center eyes or slightly crooked grins. In New York, said Ms. Friedman, Uglies were first sold at the Whitney and MoMA gift shops, Toy Tokyo, Jim Hanley's Universe comics and Barneys.
Adults bought them for fun or décor - a $20 throw pillow with personality. Soon, she said, "kids with cool parents got a hold of them."
The boy connection was solidified by their first marketing venue: a 2003 San Diego comic book convention, where audiences are mostly male.
"We had a Come as Your Favorite Uglydoll contest," Ms. Friedman said. "It was all boys."
Last weekend, with his mother's help, my stepson sewed his own ugly doll. It's orange and cuddly. And named Blaster.
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $50!

2008-04-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Panda Park Boutique offers FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $50? Make sure to check out our SALE ITEMS too for even bigger savings!

HUGE Savings on all Ugly Dolls

2008-04-07T11:17:00.001-07:00

From now until April 24th save 40% on ALL UGLY DOLLS! We are making way for new dolls and toys and are offering you gigantic savings on these very "cute" Ugly Dolls. Click on individual doll to view the sale price.

[More info. on Ugly Dolls at Panda Park Boutique]

New Arrivals! Cupcake Purse-lets!

2008-04-07T08:03:00.001-07:00

We are very please to announce that we now carry crocheted cupcake purses for little girls! These purses are simply delicious and are handmade with care in the USA. Each purse measures about 4.5 inches high and 5.5 inches wide across the icing.

These little purses make fantastic gifts, party favors, door prizes, slumber party gifts..the options are endless. A great idea for a birthday gift is to stuff it with little girl necessities like lip gloss, money, comb and any other little trinkets. Cupcake purses normally ship with 3 business days of order.

[More info. on Cupcake Purses at Panda Park Boutique]

New Handmade Dolls!

2008-04-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

Meet Emma the Kooky Doll! She has quite the personality and is made of 100% cotton and Eco-Craft sustainable corn fibers, soft flannel face and stitched features. Emma Kooky Doll is handmade with love right here in the USA and measures 13"x8" . Make sure to check out her friends Ryan, Valerie, Vivi and Shelby too!
These handmade dolls are eco-friendly and will be available for shipment by the end of next week.

[More info. on New Items at Panda Park Boutique]

Celebrate April Fools' Day with Great Savings!

2008-04-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

It's no joke...save an extra 10% on all orders from now until April 15th! Simply enter coupon code APRIL08 during check-out. Enjoy FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $50.00. Check out our Sale Items for even bigger savings!

Personalized Animal Snack Packs!

2008-03-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to announce that we now carry personalized snack packs! Who can resist this adorable snack pack? Every child will just love to carry it and keep their snacks safe. Snack pack is insulated to keep everything cool and comes with an attached strap.

Personalized Hippo Snack Pack shown left.

*This item is personalized and will ship 5-7 business days from the time of order*

[More info. on Personalized Gifts at Panda Park Boutique]

Happy St. Patty's Day

2008-03-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

All of us at Panda Park Boutique wish you a happy and safe St. Patrick's Day! May you be blessed by the luck of the Irish!

This Little Piggy Went to Prada

2008-03-17T03:55:00.001-07:00

This Little Piggy Went to Prada is not your average nursery rhyme book. Filled with references to top fashion designers and beautiful illustrations this modern book is the perfect baby shower gift or new mom gift. Supplies are limited and we currently only have 1 copy left!

[More info. on Baby Books at Panda Park Boutique]

Trumpette Johny Socks Are Back in Stock

2008-03-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce that our best-selling Johny socks by Trumpette are now back in stock! Six pairs of bright lace-up socks in gree, yellow, blue, orange, red and black. Socks arrive packaged in a darling box ready for gift-giving.

[More info. on Trumpette Baby Socks at Panda Park Boutique]