Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award Widget!

Dear Readers,

As you many know, a couple of weeks ago, we announced the first annual Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards!

Now you can share your Coolest Toy Savvy with all your friends, Auntie! You can embed the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award widget in your blog or other online network!

Simply visit this page for your embed code and you're set!

I appreciate your sharing the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards with your network!

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

PS - for the entire list of winners, visit http://savvyauntie.com/CoolestToyAwards

Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards!

Child Lifestyle Expert and Premier SAVVY AUNTIE, Melanie Notkin Honors the Most Trendsetting, the Most Luxurious, and the Most Notable Toys for the 2009 Holiday Season 

New York, NY – October 29, 2009 – Melanie Notkin, the founder and CEO of the multi-platform lifestyle brand for kid-friendly women who are aunts by relation, aunts by choice, and godmothers, Savvy Auntie®, is sharing her favorite gifts for nephews and nieces available this holiday season by awarding 12 toys with the “Coolest” title, 6 toys with the “Lux” title (costing $100 and over), and 8 toys will receive honorable mentions. Notkin has identified and stepped to the forefront for the underrepresented 50% of American women whom she refers to as PANKs (Professional Aunts No Kids). This underserved demographic has strong, untapped, consumer power. In order to offer these child-loving women a resource to aid in their holiday gift shopping, Notkin has created the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards. In order to compile a list of the most coveted and exciting gifts for nieces and nephews, the first toy awards designed for Savvy Aunties, Notkin selected her lists based on the most coveted toys of the season that she found to also be the most innovative. “These toys certainly have that “cool” factor that aunts want when her nieces, nephews and children in her life open their gifts this holiday season,” says Notkin. “From modern twists on the classics to toys that entered the market just this year, we’ve identified the ones we think will encourage play, imagination, as well as learning and role-play. 

SAVVY AUNTIE’S TOY AWARDS

Coolest:

Crayola Beginnings: Color Me a Song, ages 2-4, $24.99 (Crayola)

Leapfrog Tag Junior Book Pal Reading System, ages 2-4 $39.99 (Leapfrog)

Matchbox Rocky The Robot Truck, ages 3-6, $59.99 (Mattel)

Playskool Kota and Pals Hatchlings – Triceratops, ages 3-8, $14,99 (Hasbro)

Harumika Super Style Accents, ages 6-14, $9.99 (Bandai)

Disney Princess and The Frog Tiana Doll ages 3-6, $10.99 (Mattel)

Liv Fashion Dolls, ages 3-8, $19.99 (Spin Master)

zhu zhu Pets Hamsters and assorted play sets, ages 4-8, $9.99-$21.99 (Cepia)

Dr. Seuss Super Stretchy ABCs Active Game, ages 3-6, $19.99 (I Can Do That Games)

Printies Pet Design Studio, ages 6-12, $19.99 (Techno Source)

Bakugan New Vestroia 7 in 1 Maxus Dragonoid, ages 5-12, $39.99 (Spin Master)

Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen Roleplay Helmet – Bumblebee, ages 5-9, $39.99 (Hasbro)

Lux:

Fisher-Price Handy Manny's Repair Shop, ages 3-5 $100, (Fisher-Price)

Corolle 17" Lila Interactive Baby Doll, ages 3-8, $100 (Corolle)

Corolle Navy and Pink Baby Doll Carriage Stroller, ages 3-8 (Corolle)

Steiff Selection – Lying Lamb, ages newborn -2, $135.00 (Steiff)

Barbie Pink World 3-Story Dream Townhouse, ages 3-8, $159.99 (Mattel)

LEGO Star Wars: The Clone Wars Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser, ages 9-14, $129.99

Honorable Mentions:

Leapfrog My Puppy Pal Scout, ages 6 months -3, $19.99 (Leapfrog)

Vtech Kidizoom Plus Pre-School 2.0MP Digital Camera, ages 3-9, $59.99 (Vtech)

Barbie Fashion Fever Fashionista Doll, ages 3-8, $11.99 (Mattel)

Moxie Girlz Doll, ages 4-8, $9.99 (MGA Entertainment)

Best Friends Club Dolls, ages 6-10, $39.99 (MGA Entertainment)

LEGO Bionicle Baramus, ages 9-16, $41.00, (LEGO)

Nerf N-Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS-35 Blaster with 35 Darts, ages 6-11, $34.99 (Hasbro)

Dell Inspiron Mini 10V, Nickelodeon Edition, ages 8-12, $329.00 (Dell)

Each winning toy will be listed on Savvy Auntie and will link to an online retailer.  Winners will also receive an award winning seal to post on their site, further attracting the PANK demographic with Notkin’s stamp of approval.  “Kids know that the cool aunt, godmother, or best friend always gives the coolest gifts during the holidays.  The Savvy Auntie Toy Awards support all the cool aunts out there,” says Notkin.

Notkin is a regular on FOX News and has appeared on NBC, CBS and Better TV as taste-maker for children’s trends. She’s been published in The New York Times and writes a blog about her experience as the founder of Savvy Auntie. Additionally, she is the Editor in Chief of SavvyAuntie.com and ensures all content is aunt-friendly and newsworthy to child development as well as the Savvy Auntie lifestyle.  SavvyAuntie.com’s integrity earned a Webby Award nomination in 2009 for Best Parenting/Family site.

For additional information, follow Melanie Notkin on Twitter @savvyauntie!  For interviews with Melanie Notkin as well as additional information on the Savvy Auntie Toy Awards and on the Savvy Auntie platform, please contact agcrisci@gmail.com.

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About Savvy Auntie

SavvyAuntie.com, Webby Award nominee, is the first resource and online community for aunts – Aunts by Relation (ABR), Aunts by Choice (ABC) and all fabulous kid-friendly women. The website offers advice and expertise developed just for aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie community enables aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” and earning praise from the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, More Magazine and others, Savvy Auntie empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate aunt-hood. The site can be found at www.SavvyAuntie.com

Savvy Auntie Gift Ideas on NBC's The 10! Show

Dear Readers,

I'm feeling MUCH more comfortable on TV. Starting to get the hang of it. Here's my latest NBC 10! Show appearance - with gift ideas for the Savvy Auntie!




By the way - I appear weekly on Fox News Strategy Room, Thursdays at 3PM ET! Catch me there live online!

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

This Show is A 10!

Dear Readers,

Earlier this week, I appeared on The 10! Show - the morning show at 11AM in Philadelphia and Delaware on NBC. It was my second time on the show and knowing what to expect really helped! What I didn't expect was for my segment to get cut from 4.5 minutes to 3 minutes as I was told just as the cameras were set to go.... and other than flubbing the Alex Jr. Round About Farm product name, I held it together.

Thanks to all the manufacturers for their efforts - as well as their internal and external PR teams.

Oh - and get ready because I'm going back on The 10! Show on December 8th with my top picks for gifts for nieces and nephews under $20!

Here's the TV spot! Enjoy!

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

PS - PLEASE nominate SavvyAuntie.com in the Mashable.com Open Web Awards by November 16th! We're hoping to get nominated in the "Niche and Misc Social Networks" category (the last one on the list). Here's the link! Thanks! http://mashable.com/2008/11/05/open-web-awards-2/

My Toy Wishes

Dear Readers,

About a year ago, I went to my first event as "press." I was very secretive about Savvy Auntie at that point, but I was somehow able to convince the good people at Toy Wishes to invite me to their toy event at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

The Toy Wishes event was great for me. I got to learn about new brands and toys, as well as hear what the classics were up to. I was amazed at the innovation in toys. When I was growing up, it was all My Simon and Light Bright. And my favorite toy was the Easy Bake Oven. And I had a doll named Pebbles. She wasn't from the Flintstones - I guess I just liked the name. She blinked.

I also met a lot of cool people from the toy brands who were nice enough to help me learn about their latest and greatest toy trends. And I met some of the toy inventors, like Jacobe Chrisman from I Can Do That Toys. He's so creative!

So you can imagine my incredible surprise and honor when Toy Wishes' publisher, Gareb Shamus, asked me (ME!) to be their consumer spokesperson this year. And I was right there last Tuesday, October 7th, when Gareb announced the Hot Dozen toys for this Holiday Season. And while I was at the event, I got to to interview some of the brands about their new innovations, and even got to ask a few questions to tween stars Aly and AJ.

If all goes well, I'll be doing a lot of press over the next couple of months, helping Toy Wishes get the word out about their Hot Dozen. In the meantime, you can see them here on SavvyAuntie.com/ToyWishes. They are among the dozens of Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas I have handpicked for Savvy Aunties, uncles, grandparents and even parents!

In just a year, I immersed myself in the toy and gift industry so that I could help Aunties be more Savvy about gift giving. It's no small task. There are so many amazing toys out there. In fact, if you're on Twitter, I am Tweeting a Savvy Holiday Gift Idea of the Day everyday from now until Christmas. I hope that's useful and helpful.

Thomas Jefferson once said: "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."

I am very lucky. But make no mistake - I am working very hard at it - for all the Aunties out there so that they can feel more Savvy about giving the best and most wanted toys to their nieces and nephews this holiday season - and rankly any time she feels like it.

At least, that is my wish.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

Take 5

Dear Readers,

I was on TV last week. Like real, full-blown TV. The 10! Show - a morning show on the Philadelphia NBC affiliate - invited me in to talk about great gift ideas for nieces and nephews.

And I did. On August 26th. For 5 minutes.

Five very short minutes.

On TV.

I'm not a shy person. So I wasn't nervous about being on TV. I was more nervous about getting all the gift details right - the names, the pricing, how they work, the benefits, and finally why Savvy Aunties love them. All in 5 minutes.

But I did it. Sort of. I had to rush a bit at the end.

Still, they invited me back to talk about Holiday Gifts for nieces and nephews on November 11th.

For five minutes.

All I need is one more gig and I've got my 15 minutes of fame.

http://www.savvyauntie.com/link/The10!Show082608

Watch it. It only takes five minutes.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

Savvy Auntie's Special People

Dear Readers,

As you know, I launched SavvyAuntie.com three weeks ago. When I did, I thought that I had met some of the most special people I had ever known - people who have gone out of their way to help me and support me.

And then I launched. And I have met dozens more.

And every time I meet someone new, they give me a gift. Maybe it's a great tip on SEO. A PR lead. An advertiser interested in sponsoring the site. A new technology tool. A connection to someone who has an incredible impact in my life just over lunch.

Advertisers have become friends. Affiliates have become friends. Publishers have become friends. And thankfully, my friends are still my friends.

Some very special people have come into my life in the last three weeks. You know who you are. (But just to 'name' a few: PS, JM, AB, PH, JH, SK, CC and many, many more...) And you know that you will always have a friend in me.

Thank you for finding me. And thanks for the gifts.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

Community. Remember That Point.

Dear Readers,

On the same day that I decided to start my company, which I knew would serve the modern, cosmopolitan aunt, I made lists. Lists are a good thing to create when you know you need to do something, but aren't sure what.

First, I created a list of things the company would do. Or be. Gosh it was so amorphous at this point. It would be a Website. There would be tips for being the best Auntie possible. There would be things to do - Aunties need ideas for what she could do with kids. And of course, there would be products and gift ideas. And community. In my very first day as an entrepreneur, on the list of things I wrote down of what needed to be included in my company, I included: Community. Aunties need to be able to connect with each other in order to learn from each other. Community. Remember that point. It's important.

The second list I made were of men and women, friends and acquaintances, I knew who were entrepreneurs. Right off the bat, I had a list of ten people. Without blinking, I knew ten people who could give me advice on entrepreneurship. Wow. That seemed like a lot at the time.

I spoke with them all in the two weeks following my list making. We met for coffee. At the gym. For lunch. For dinner. On the phone. On a street corner. At the bookstore. At their office. No matter where, what or how, each one made time for me. And they all had great advice. I learned something from each one of them. One thing I have learned is that entrepreneurs believe deeply in karma. They know that by sharing what they have learned from others - and on their own - with a newbie, something good will come back to them. These entrepreneurs should expect a lot of great things coming back to them.

I have all the notes. I kept them all in one book. They include brainstorms for names of the company (I went with another name in the end). Names of attorneys. Accountants. Graphic designers. Names of people these people were connected with. Lots of fantastic ideas. And not one negative word. Not one hint that I might have a challenge I could not overcome.

I not only got great advice and qualitative information, I also got tremendous support. Each smile, hug, "tell me more!," "let me know how else I can help," "I'll put you in touch with...," all of that meant I could wake up the next day feeling like I would one day be like them. One day, I would be a successful entrepreneur.

On both lists I made that day, I had listed Community. One was to serve Aunts. The other was a list of ten people in my life who became my community of entrepreneurs. Less than a year later, that list has grown to dozens more. Entrepreneurs introduced me to entrepreneurs. I found entrepreneurs on Facebook. On Twitter. Through networks like Ladies Who Launch and the Jeff Pulver Social Media Breakfasts. Sometimes I "met" entrepreneurs in books and magazines. And a few I just stumbled upon along the way.

What I have learned from these people is invaluable. I will try to repeat their lessons in this Blog as the posts move forward. And I'll add a few tips of my own.

I am much smarter and will be more successful because of the community of entrepreneurs who have helped and continue to help me every day. If you want to be an entrepreneur, ask another one for help. Some of you have even begun emailing me for advice (I laugh in humble irony). I am here to help. We are all part of a community. And that's what community does.

Remember that point. It's important.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie