The Next Beanie Babies ~ JUMBiES Review & Giveaway

As with many children, Kaelyn has had a love for plush stuffed animals since she was very young. Over the years they've collected and have pretty much taken over her room (well, at least her bed). However, the problem I find is...that's where many of them stay. Yes, she has a few that she plays with or carries around with her, but for the most part...she loses interest in many of them after just a few days. It's often those stuffed animals that are unique and spark her imagination that really hold a special place in her heart. That's why I was excited when introduced to JUMBiES!

JUMBiES are part of a whimsical story that really captures the imagination of both children and adults alike. They are Jumbled Babies, resulting from the storks crashing into each other. A Duck and a Monkey become a Duckey, a Dingo and a Bat become a Dingbat, etc!

Their Story...

There were more babies being born than ever before. The storks had to deliver them from shore to shore. There were baby elephants, bears, dogs, and cats. They had tigers, skunks and even baby bats! You could also find raccoons, deer, mice and whales. There were camels, sharksdinosaurs with long tails. There were koalas, kangaroos and chimpanzees. The storks had all kinds of fish and even bumblebees! They had to deliver them in the north, south, east and west.

There was so much to do they had little time for rest. They flew to America, Europe, Antarctica and down under. They went to Africa and Asia trying not to blunder. There was not a place on earth where the storks did not fly. Everywhere in the world the storks filled up the sky. They had to move real fast for there was no time to be slow.

It began to get very confusing on where they had to go. Some storks turned left when they should have turned right. Some storks flew all day when they should have flown at night. Other storks flew east when they should have gone west. Everything went wrong even though they were trying their best. Then in began to happen in a flash! One by one they started to CRASH!!!

The storks smashed right into each other. It kept happening one after the other. They crashed in the clouds up in the air. There were stork feathers everywhere! They landed in the water, the trees and in the dirt. It was a miracle that none of the storks were hurt. Then they quickly went to see if the babies were okay. The babies were fine but the storks did not know what to say. When the storks crashed and tumbled, it appeared all the animal babies were jumbled! The storks could not believe their eyes. These babies were quite a surprise. They still looked very lovable and sweet. But they were very different from their head to their feet.

There were no more zebras or elephants. But they found lots and lots of Zelephants! They looked for giraffes and buffaloes. But the storks only found Giraffaloes! These jumbled babies became a new breed. So they called them JUMBiES the storks agreed.

There were no lions, tigers or bears anywhere around. But they found thousands of these JUMBiES on the ground. Even bugs, birds and fish were not the same. The storks had to take all of the blame. Now since all the babies were a jumbled mix. The storks had a problem that was not easy to fix. It was not clear where these little ones were suppose to go. These babies were jumbled up so the storks did not know. They took the JUMBiES to a place with palm trees and white sand. The storks called this beautiful island JUMBiELAND.

But the JUMBiES still needed homes where they would be cared for. So the storks flew everywhere on earth and knocked on every door. The storks found homes with loving girls and boys. The JUMBiES have given them many new joys.

But there are more JUMBiES that still happen every day. They too need homes that give them love in a special way. The storks continue to find homes for them like yours and mine. The JUMBiES need your special love because they are one of a kind.

We received the Camelot and Mallit to review.

When these fun new stuffed animals arrived on our door step, I couldn't wait to see what Kaelyn's reaction would be. I began by reading her The Story Of JUMBiES included in our package. From beginning to end she was captivated by the storyline, colorful pictures, and of course...the result of completely new 'animals' she had never seen before.

I then showed her the Camelot (a mix between a Camel and Oscelot) and Mallit (a mix between a Mallard Duck and Rabbit) we received and she was in awe...starring at them for what seemed like minutes. She said, 'Mommy, this is a camel, I mean a tiger...well, it looks like both!'. She went on to say, and I a quote, 'These are so cool!'.

I have to admit that even JUMBiES have caught my interest as well! They are much like a beanie baby, only more plush. I am very impressed with the quality. With as much as these have been (and will be) played with...I am happy to know that they are made so well. I can see them lasting us a very long time. It would be fun to collect more over time. As of now there are only 12 JUMBiES who have been discovered in JUMBiELAND, however new ones are popping up all the time. I'm looking forward to seeing what other Jumbled Babies get discovered.

We have even spent some time on their interactive website, learning more about each JUMBiE as well as playing games and coloring pages.

I think JUMBiES will be a big hit with children of all ages this Christmas and would make a great gift or stocking stuffer.

Buy It: JUMBiES are available at the JUMBiELAND online store as well as in a number of retail stores. Find one near you using their Store Locator. ARV $7.95.

Win It: One lucky reader is going to win TWO JUMBiES of their own!

Mandatory Entry - Visit www.jumbieland.com and leave a comment letting me know your favorite JUMBiE!

Extra Entries: (Only valid after the mandatory entry has been completed. Leave 1 comment for each extra entry)

1. 2 extra entries- 'Like' JUMBiES on Facebook

2. 2 extra entries- Follow JUMBiES on Twitter

3. 2 extra entries- Tweet - Check out @JUMBiES. They have been compared to the next Beanie Babies!"

4. 4 extra entries- Post this to your Facebook Wall "Check out JUMBiES...the next beanie babies"

5. 3 extra entries- Blog about this giveaway (linking to both this post and JUMBiELAND) and leave THREE comments with the URL to that post.

6. 1 extra entry- Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (You can tweet once a day for one extra entry every day)! You can copy and paste:

Check out these fun stuffed animals! #Win TWO @JUMBiES of your own! #momsbalancingact http://bit.ly/dmBFcp Ends 12/10
7. 3 extra entries- Post my blog button or blog URL to your blog and leave a comment with the URL to your blog. (If it already is, leave me a comment letting me know)

8. 2 extra entries- subscribe to A Mom's Balancing Act via e-mail (found along the side column) and leave TWO comments letting me know.

9. 2 extra entries- Become a Fan/Like A Mom's Balancing Act on Facebook

10. 2 extra entries- Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect

11. Enter any of my other current giveaways. Leave me a comment on which one(s)....ONE entry for EACH giveaway you enter!!

Leave one comment for each entry you complete above including with each, your e-mail address so that I can easily contact the winner!!

This giveaway will end December 10th and is open to the US Only and its territories including APO's!

[Product review & giveaway disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."]