JC Smoot
Unfolding a plush toy and finding a business
By Gerri Hunt -- Kids Today, 2/1/2010 12:00:00 AM
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Who: JC Smoot, co-founder, Zoobies
Background: Smoot said he has always been a kid at heart and wanted to do something with kids whether they be high school or grade school age. “At the time, I was working with my older brother in a business and we were selling boring products. They weren’t toys. It was while working with him that we came up with this awesome idea for a stuffed animal that turned into a blanket and could be used as a pillow and voila! Zoobie Pets were born.”
He said they are arguably the most functional plush on the market, and that Orazio the Orangutan is his favorite design.
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Zoobies are now sold in more than 2,000 specialty stores in the United States and have distribution in 60 countries.
The Process: The staff does a lot of behind-the-scenes work to make sure that that they’re not only coming out with hip products that kids and moms will like, but they’re swayed by animals they like. “Too many companies do the same old plush or the same old designs without breaking the norm and doing something different. Sometimes, we do different characters just because we think they’re cool. We’re kind of funky like that but that makes us different.”
Tradeshows are a big part of the Zoobies culture. “Shows are where the majority of our marketing dollars go and we keep adding to our list. We have 18 shows scheduled for 2010.”
The Challenges: Sales projections have been the biggest roadblock. “When we introduced our Eric Carle Very Hungry Caterpillar, we thought we had enough to last three months, but we completely sold out in one week!!!”
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| Zoobies come in three sizes. Orazio the Orangutan is the favorite Zoobies Pet of JC Smoot, company co-founder. |
Smoot said the economy has not prompted a re-evaluation of the product line, as Zoobies competes in value rather than price.
“We couldn’t be more excited about what we have lined up for next year. We’re grateful that we’ve been able to grow in spite of the economic state we’re in; we’re also thrilled about 2010 which will no doubt be much bigger than 2009.”
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