Joobles...the Fairest of them all

Joobles.

Just the word itself makes me giggle like a little kid.

But the story behind it makes me one proud momma knowing that Buttercup is cuddling with a 100 percent organic knit-toy whose purchase benefits fair trade.

The founders of Fair Indigo have a new line of soft and squeezable pals for your little ones-just in time for the holidays! Meet Mel the Monkey (Buttercup already did. You can see our vlog below!) and his sweet little playmates, all of which are handcrafted in Peru where artisans have hand crafted a menagerie of stuffed animals under fair trade conditions. The company tagline-Responsible, Sustainable, Adorable-is proven time and time again in the environmentally-friendly dyes and organic cotton grown right in Peru!

And if that isn't enough to warm your little green heart, the Joobles are made with cotton grown free of pesticides, insecticidess, herbicides, fertilizers, or other harmful chemicals; workers are paid fair wages; and free breakfasts and school supplies are donated to workers' children!

I mean, really, did you ever imagine that one toy could make such a difference in the lives of so many?

And as I look around our house, I see exactly what I promised myself would not happen: Too much junk. Too many overpriced and forgotten toys and stuffed animals I will gladly give away to charity when the time comes.

But sweet little Mel the Monkey here with his friendly little heart-shaped face and adorable blue limbs and tail? Oh no,...he's staying for as long as I can help it. And I hope to explain to Buttercup why he's so important when she gets old enough to understand.

Joobles retail for $29 each and can be found online at Fair Indigo or at Oompa Toys.

(You can stop holding your breath now because we do have a contest!)

To enter, visit Fair Indigo and click on the Fair Trade button (look for it-it is there!). Your entry will consist of leaving me a comment about what you have learned about the concept and why it is so important to patronize businesses who practice it. You must also include your first and second choice Jooble in your entry for it to be considered valid. Entries will be accepted until midnight, EST, December 10 and the winner will have four business days from the announcement date to contact me with their information or analternate will be selected. US entries only, please.

Additional extra entries are also available if you:
* subscribe to my RSS feed and comment letting me know you did so.
* Blog about contest and link to this post.
* Non-bloggers can email three of their friends about the contest at berriesweet.info (at) gmail (dot) com and CC me on the email. Girl Scout's honor that I will never bother these sweet people. I promise!
* Grab my Berrie Sweet Picks button and place it on your blog page. I'll check!
* Follow me on Twitter! (nickname: berriesweetest)
* Tweet the contest using the term "fair trade" leave a comment with your username telling me what you said to your "tweeple"!

Please note all entries MUST include a valid email address to be considered for the drawing! That means that well, all entries must include an email address to be considered valid. Simple enough, right? ;)