03 . Move Over, Elmo

By KiKi Bochi

When it came time to teach her children the songs of her childhood, Hilda Argilagos-Jimenez realized she could not remember all the lyrics that had been lovingly crooned to her by her Cuban mother.

Jimenez, a Miami teacher, became worried that the traditional Hispanic lullabies and nursery rhymes were being lost as new generations became acculturated to life in the United States. She mentioned her concerns to a friend, another mom, and shared that she was thinking of writing a book that would include the words and melodies.

Carol Fenster listened carefully. A first-generation American who was raised in Miami Beach by parents who spoke Yiddish, Fenster understood the lure of traditional songs passed down through the generations. But she brought Jimenez a different idea: instead of a book, what about dolls that would actually sing to children?

And so the seeds of a new business were sown.

With a third friend, corporate attorney Laura Santamaria, this unlikely trio of working moms conceived, planned and brought to market a pair of bespectacled dolls that look like stereotypical Latino grandparents: Abuelita Rosa wears a pink bata de casa, while the balding Abuelito Pancho sports a yellow guayabera. Squeeze their hand and they sing songs such as Los Pollitos Dicen, Arroz con Leche and Campanitas.

They may not rival the hilarity of Tickle Me Elmo Extreme, one of this year’s hot holiday toys, but the grandparents have evoked enough nostalgia to carve out their own place in the toy market.

In recent months, the dolls have made their way into more than 350 Wal-mart and Toys R Us stores across the country, a notable coup for a start-up company. By the end of this year, the company expects to sell 70,000 dolls. Serious negotiations are underway to turn the characters of Baby Abuelita Productions into an animated television show for children.

“It’s kind of hard to believe,” says Santamaria, who used her knowledge of international commerce to lay the groundwork for the company. “It came really fast. In a year, we tripled our sales. It’s a little surreal.”

Jimenez, Fenster and Santamaria never knew the odds against them. They didn’t want to know. They believed fervently in their concept. Although some questioned the wisdom of dolls who look like senior citizens, Fenster says, “I think they underestimated the role of grandparents in Hispanic culture.”

Fenster, a practicing psychotherapist who specializes in adolescent and family therapy, has found the response to the dolls particularly satisfying. Adults—parents and grandparents—seem to love them as much, if not more, than children do.

“There’s a depth to the characters that I think is not there with other dolls,” Fenster says. “With these dolls, it’s not about the dolls. It’s about people’s memories and their own sense of comfort and warmth. This is a trans-generational product that takes people back to earlier times in their life, when they felt safe and secure. These dolls take you back to your childhood.”

While the story of Baby Abuelita Productions sounds like a fairy tale, there were no magic wands here. The company’s phenomenal success reflects all the hard work and planning necessary to take a product from concept to consumers.

Producing the dolls required more than just finding a manufacturer. The women did research to select traditional songs that would appeal to Latinos of different backgrounds. They had to design every detail of the dolls, “Everything from the guayabera to the glasses,” Santamaria says. They had to find the right artists to record the songs.

Their original intention was to have the dolls made in the United States, but that proved cost-prohibitive. Plus, they discovered that many of the people they were talking to actually acted as middlemen, farming the work out to China.

Refusing to be stymied, Fenster sought support from her wide circle of contacts and found a Miami man with experience in the toy business who was willing to mentor them through the process. He suggested a manufacturer in China as well as a company to design the boxes. Soon, the first shipment of 3,000 dolls was on its way.

Getting the dolls onto store shelves involved a lot of old-fashioned legwork. To introduce Pancho and Rosa, the women literally went from store to store, presenting the abuelitos to managers. Initially, they filled mail orders themselves from Santamaria’s kitchen.

But Baby Abuelita grew up fast. The company’s website was attracting orders from Puerto Rico, Canada, Ecuador. Bolstered by their product’s wide appeal, they convinced Toys R Us to test the dolls in selected markets. Then they set their eyes on Walmart.

“I don’t know if you know this, but only 2 percent of the products pitched to Wal-mart are accepted,” Fenster says. Although the women didn’t know the figures at the time, they knew getting the attention of corporate buyers would not be easy. Instead, they wisely found a back door to America’s largest retailer.

Probably their most important step was becoming certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, Fenster says. The certification gave them access to Walmart’s diversity procurement officer. It is a route they recommend for any small business that qualifies for certification as a minority-owned business.

“The giants, these major companies, are picking up on the size of the Hispanic market, so they have designated diversity buyers to find the products that serve the needs of different ethnic segments,” Santamaria says. The women found the officials in this area to be open-minded and supportive, she says. And that’s how the abuelitos ended up in more than 300 Wal-marts in time for the holiday season.

The story is far from over. As the women juggle their regular jobs, family responsibilities and needs of their rapidly growing company, they are also looking to expand their product line with items that maintain the integrity of their original mission to preserve and promote Hispanic culture.

To others who have an idea for a product or business, they offer some snippets of advice: Be tenacious. Know what you can do well, and what requires expert help. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Use every contact you have—not only family and friends, but friends of friends. Find partners you like and respect. Work as a team.

And don’t quit your day job.

“If you have a dream, do everything you can to make your dream come true,” says Santamaria. “You have to follow your dream, but with your feet on the ground.”

At the same time, she says, “You have to be gutsy. You have to risk a little bit with any new startup. It can be scary, but that’s what we did.”

Want one?

The Baby Abuelita dolls are

17-inches tall and cost about $25.

For more information, a store location near you, or online ordering, see www.BabyAbuelita.com.