About the Joobles

organic stuffed animals
Sometimes the best things start out purely by coincidence or even by accident. This is the story of the Joobles.

Rob and Jody, two of the founders of our sister brand Fair Indigo were in Lima, Peru checking on production of the fall organic clothing line. All week they had been prodded by their colleague, Sergio, to stop at a workshop he had discovered that was making hand knit sweaters. As hand knit sweaters were not in Fair Indigo's immediate plans, they declined Sergio's invitation until the last day, literally on their way to the airport.
organic cotton plush dolls
But when Jody, our Product Designer, saw the sheer talent of the artisans, her jaw had to be picked up off the floor. Rob could see a lightbulb had been lit in Jody's mind and when they stepped off the plane back in Madison, Wisconsin, Jody had sketched something completely unexpected - Jiffy the Giraffe, a hand knit stuffed animal.

You can read our tribute to Jody - "mom of the Joobles" - who the world unfortunately lost way too soon, in our blog.

When Jody and Rob did a scan of the stuffed animal market, they discovered there was a surprising lack of eco-friendly (and kid safe) options. The ones that did exist were done in beautiful but muted colors that might have more appeal as a nursery decoration than as a squishy friend babies and kids would reach for again and again. 
organic cotton stuffed animals
As Fair Indigo was already creating clothing made with organic cotton and the safest, gentlest dyes available, a plan for Jiffy's friends was hatched and the very colorful Joobles came to life!

Besides being stringently tested for safety, these wonderfully unplugged toys allow your child's imagination to take center stage in a world where screens and batteries seem to have the upper hand.

And the positive impact doesn't end there. The lives of Peruvian artisans who hand knit each Jooble have been literally transformed out of poverty toward a more hopeful future.
organic stuffed animals
While the Joobles brought pure joy to thousands, we knew there was a missing piece - a way to bring the characters to life with illustrations and words. Yes, a book! Our Meet the Joobles! book is a testament to the resourcefulness of the employees of our small business.

The daughter of one of our employees is a school librarian who had recently met Peruvian-American author Monica Brown on a book tour. With Monica's Peruvian heritage and her passion for creating books that Do Good, the match was just about perfect!

And our designer met local artist Emily Balsley at an event in Madison. Emily is an illustrator whose whimsical creations also seemed just about perfect for the Joobles picture book.

Lucky for us, Monica and Emily both agreed to collaborate with us and Meet the Joobles! was born!

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