Taggies, a line of pillows, blankets and throws featuring soft tags for babies to touch and rub, was introduced in 1999 by two moms, Julie Dix and Danielle Ayotte, and quickly became popular among parents. The brand is available in over 3,000 specialty and gift shops across the country. Scholastic's national accounts manager for Barnes & Noble had seen the products at baby showers and brought the concept to the attention of Ken Geist, editorial director for Cartwheel Books. The result: the first licensed Taggies book, Sweet Dreams, a cloth storybook about going to bed that features tags made from ribbons of various materials. "We really wanted it to feel like a Taggies item," Dix explained.
"There's something irresistible about [Taggies]," said Scholastic publisher Jean Feiwel, who reported a print run of 140,000 copies for the first book, released this fall, and interest from all distribution channels. "Taggies is our first entrée into cloth books of any kind," she added, noting that it also represents Scholastic's initial title for newborns. The book is packaged in a clear bag, which shows off the product while protecting it from getting dirty.
