It's so hard to find a stuffed toy that's very unique anymore. Everywhere you go you see the same dogs and bears, most of which were mass produced in an assembly line and churned out thousands at a time.
Contrast that to Kauzbots, one of the most unique stuffed toys I've seen. They're actually not real working robots (they're to robots as a teddy bear is to a real bear). But looking at them they just exude personality. They've got two circular eyes and a line for a mouth inside of a rectangle face. They have three buttons in front with various "electronic" signals stitched in. They have multicolored striped arms leading to a stuffed wrench for hands (which happen to fit right into their stuffed nuts for ears), and multicolored legs leading to hammer-like feet.
On the back are two sewn fabric "buttons", one that says "Activate" and one that says "Shut Down". A pocket on the back (complete with two stuffed "screws" holding it on) reveals a cute little hand-stitched red heart which you can take out.
At about 12 inches long (20 including the legs and feet), and about 5 inches thick with padding, this little guy is the perfect size for hugging or for going on all kinds of adventures. The material is excellent-the robot's body is sort of a thicker cotton and polyester material you might find in a totebag, while the arms and pockets are softer fabric.
I'm impressed at how well it's put together and at the attention to detail in the design, right down to the stuffed screws and the hand stitched heart. Every stitch is in place and the material is durable but still soft and cuddly.
But what makes Kauzbots unique are the first part of their name-"Kauz". They come in 10 different colors and each supports a unique cause. The robot will come with a tag that explains the robot's name and a few details about the cause it supports. Each time you buy a Kauzbot, 10% of the proceeds go straight to the cause the robot is designated to help.
Kale is green with blue eyes and supports the Arbor Day Foundation's mission to plant more trees.
Kalvin is brown with red eyes and supports different causes; currently he's supporting Dream Catalyst's work of helping homeless children.
Kaprice is pink and supports women with breast cancer (the Web site says she supports the Breast Cancer Network of Strength, but that charity is no longer active so presumably Kaprice's portion will be going to another breast cancer charity).
Karson is red with blue eyes and supports music therapy programs at children's hospitals.
Karthy is yellow with red eyes and supports Talk about Curing Autism's mission to help the autisti.
Khloe is white with red eyes and supports the National Children's Oral Health Foundation.
Kiefer is black with red eyes and supports the International Rescue Committee.
Kourage is purple with blue eyes and supports the Pablove Foundation's mission to eradicate childhood cancer.
Kruz is blue with red eyes and supports Lifewater's mission to deliver clean water.
Kamo is coming soon and I'm guessing his proceeds will go to support veteran's causes.
The little lady above is named Karissa. With blue eyes and an orange body, her mission is to fight hunger with Share Our Strength. The tag reads:
Karissa is passionate about fighting hunger and poverty around the world. More than 840 million people in the world are malnourished-799 million of them live in the developing world. Whether due to drought, conflict, or disease, mothers and fathers will not be able to find enough food for their families in poor communities around the world. Karissa is committed to helping hungry children and their families get the assistance they desperately need.
I think what I love most about Kauzbots is that they're imaginative and fun to play with, but they also create awareness to a wide range of great causes that might otherwise get the attention they need.
And in addition to helping these organizations, you can also use it to teach your kids valuable lessons about the importance of giving and helping others.
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