Kids are going to love to cuddle, carry and pretend with their plush “Whatsitsface” animal friends, exploring, discovering, learning while “practicing” life’s experiences.. Three fuzzy buddies, Teddy Bear, Kitty Cat and Puppy Dog add an important dimension to pretend play and story telling with six changeable faces to reflect different emotions–happy, sad, angry, surprised, amused, or sleepy. Twist the knob to reveal three faces or flip the face to see three more expressions. I introduced Teddy Bear to some kids after the first day of school, showing them faces as they identified emotions and thought back on their day to tell me how they felt. One little guy said, “Scared! Yes, I was scared when we had a fire drill.”  “Happy, I was happy that my twin sister was in my class this year,” Another little guy started a new school virtually so he could relate to many of the feelings Teddy Bear was demonstrating. He felt “Sad, because I didn’t know any of the kids.” Whatsitsface animal friends can be helpful for children to identify and name their emotions associated with experiences, regulate their feelings, recognize them in others and build empathy. We know that we can help kids raise their EQ (unlike IQ) which has been linked to success in life. Building a child’s EQ (Emotional Quotient) has been a hot topic, especially taking on importance since many children have had to shift to remote learning, being separated by screens and social distance. Whatsitsface is a cuddly companion who can invite kids to share their feelings and work through problems, as a child selects the face that best fits her experience. As a pretend pal, Whatsitsface can also model different emotions as it directs the story and changes faces to match feelings while going to pretend school, soccer practice or grandma’s house. Having worked in the classroom, I know teachers and therapists would love to have Whatsitsface as a participant in their class, available as a tool to help kids express themselves. How wonderful to have a cuddly companion who can inspire and teach while children learn through play.

Available at Whatsitsface