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If you think you have an interesting "Today's Woman" topic, you can contact Madsen at cmadsen@ksl.com. A Draper company is hitting it big with a little bag. The bag combines entertainment, education and quiet time in one toy.
Founder Marcella Shumway admits she didn't come up with the concept. She first heard about the toy from a friend who made them at a church activity. But with a background in marketing, Marcella recognized the toy's potential outside of Utah.
Shumway said, "It kept my 6-month-old quiet in church. It was the first toy that did that." Kids love hunting for the objects. Parents love the lack of noise.
"We sewed hundred of them for a craft fair during Christmas, and we decided to take it to the next level and go to toy stores," Shumway said.
The Peek-A-Boo Bags are now manufactured in China and sold in more than 300 toy stores and boutiques around the world. "We actually just started distributing in Australia and New Zealand," Shumway said.
Another popular toy created in Utah is the Zoobies. It's a stuffed animal that is also a pillow and a blanket.
Yamil Castillo, owner of the Red Balloon toy store, says Utah's demographics make it a great place to create and test toys. "[There are] a lot of kids here in town, it's family oriented."
Two other locally developed toys making a splash on the toy scene are Jurassic Sands, colorful sand that is incredibly clean, and Lunastix, a toy that turns children into jugglers.
"I talk to friends when I go to conventions, and they have definitely heard about these toys," Castillo said.
But getting the word out and then getting the toys distributed worldwide is anything but child's play. Shumway said, "If there was a book written, this is what you have to do to make it happen, nobody would do it." Shumway says the key to her success was taking baby steps. At only a year old, it looks like her company is growing up pretty fast.
Shumway's success story has caught the attention of producers at CNBC. She's been invited to appear on "The Big Idea" with Donny Deutsch.
