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Photography courtesy of Wonder Palz
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Photography courtesy of Wonder Palz
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Photography courtesy of Wonder Palz
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Photography courtesy of Wonder Palz
"My sister always got sad when Mommy and Daddy had to leave for work," 8-year-old Brielle says. "She asked, 'Why don't my stuffed animals have to leave for work?'"
That's where the light bulb went off," Brielle continues. "And I said: 'Why don't we make stuffed animals that have jobs?'"
Between the two young girls, the idea for Wonder Palz, a line of stuffed animals who represent different occupations, was created. Brielle's parents, Adnan and Trista Karim, say they laughed at first, but then the idea settled in—their kids really had something.
Now, the line of toys is available to purchase online and in gifts shops at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in downtown St. Louis and Mercy Children's Hospital.
At first, Brielle's father began to research what was on the toy market and if this idea would be different from the rest. "Yeah, but that's not really what I was thinking," her mother says Brielle would say when they showed her toys like Build-A-Bear. Brielle kept her stance: "Yeah, but I'm talking about bears that have jobs. And not just bears, but lots of animals."
So they created their own line of characters, each with detailed biographies, noble professions, and cute names to match. Just to a pick a few, the line of eight animals includes a lion who is an airplane pilot named Captain Clouds, an elephant who doubles as a dentist called Dr. Tooth, and a sheep on the police force who goes by Sheriff Sheepy.
To start, the family often sits at a table and attempts to draw what young Brielle is imagining. Her parents say that while they help with each character's story line, it is really Brielle who picks the animals and their occupations.
They also enlist a "family focus group" and Brielle's friends to brainstorm characters and pair animals to professions before sending the official sketches to a company who manufactures the product overseas and ships it to the family's doorstep.
Brielle presented the Wonder Palz to her class and even sold one of the stuffed animals—polar bear astronaut Commander Frost—to a classmate, which she later hand-delivered.
One time Brielle told a police officer passing by that she had a "Wonder Pal" like him. As he stood confused, she ran inside and returned with Sheriff Sheepy.
Brielle, who "kind of would like to be a doctor" but "also would like [to be] an artist," and her family are now often met with people asking them when their profession will make an appearance. While nothing is set yet, she says next that her "class is thinking about having a penguin or another animal as a teacher."
Our hope is for a journalist to join the crew.
