SERIES: Chicago Toy and Game’s Rising Star of the Year Nominees: In Their Own Words — Jillian Lakritz, Founder of Yoee Baby
Jillian Lakritz is a patent-holding toy inventor and entrepreneur. She founded Yoee Baby in 2017 as a new mom after recognizing a gap in the marketplace for baby toys designed for playing together from Day One. Having spent her career developing new products for some of the country’s leading brands, she knew this was a problem she had to solve. Jillian is the founding member and Chair of the Denver Chapter of Women in Toys and sits on the Innovation Council for the American Specialty Toy Retailers Association. She is a graduate of University of Colorado — Boulder, where she received her MBA in Marketing & Entrepreneurship. She lives in Boulder, CO with her husband and two young daughters.
She has been nominated for the Chicago Toy and Game Week Rising Star Award which will be presented at this year’s ChiTAG Toy & Game Innovation Awards (TAGIEs) ceremony in the Ballroom at Navy Pier on November 16, 2018 from 6 p.m. — 10 p.m.
Jillian Lakritz in her own words:
I believe babies are born ready to play. About three months after having my first daughter, Yoella (Yoe), I emerged from my “survival state” and thought “now what?” I knew the first three years were a crucial time for cognitive development, but all I had was a basket full of toys that she was too young to play with. I wanted something that encouraged bonding and play, so I devised my own.
I had read that running a soft fabric or a feather across a baby’s body enhances awareness and sensory development. I tried it with a feather and it was pure joy! But how could I make a baby-safe feather? I relied on my experience as a product and brand developer, and also sought guidance from industry experts in early childhood development and juvenile products. Once I found the ideal manufacturer, Yoee Baby was born.
The Yoee Baby team is passionate about ChiTAG and this nomination. ChiTAG organizers have always supported toy inventors, and understand the importance of play. When they announced they were launching a baby and toddler play space, we knew this was our year to go for it!
Our original Yoee Baby is designed for newborns up to 18 months and was inspired by caressing and calming a baby with a feather. We have six characters: Fox, Bunny, Puppy, Monkey, Lion, and Kitty. All feature a feather-like tail, a rattle, crinkles, and a silicone teether — everything babies love in their earliest weeks and months. We also offer a Yoee Baby Sensory Feather in violet and blue.
One of our customers calls their Yoee Baby “a lullaby you can touch.”
On a personal level, winning the Rising Star Award would be a validation of my passion to share the joy of playtime with a Yoee Baby with new parents everywhere.
On a professional level, research has proven that how we play and interact with our babies affects how our brains are formed and lays the foundation for all future learning, behavior, and health. So as a new parent, it’s really important to get playtime right. This nomination honors the innovation that stems from this important science.
We know we’re making a difference one giggle, smile, and coo at a time. We want the world to know that too!
