Sophie Ha Girafa and the Elusive Dolphin

This time, Sophie HaGirafa went undercover to investigate the teething competition! 

I had heard from a few new mothers that they got a "very similar teether from natural rubber in the shape of a dolphin", from one leading store in the country.

Hmm.. Interesting, interesting.... *raising one eyebrow, hand rubbing chin*

Of course, I needed to get to the bottom of it. ^__^

So one morning off I went, looking in various places for a dolphin that is made of natural rubber. I was not even looking for a teether... just a dolphin! Show me a dolphin!
All that time, I could not help but wonder how the shape of a dolphin can really help with the teething, but maybe it had a very flexible shape? A very long nose? Something to bite onto?

After carefully questioning and researching all the stores around, I can inform you that no such dolphin exists, and has most probably never existed, according to one of the long-time managers of one particular famous baby store. She said that maybe I got the wrong information? She showed me a plastic dolphin that children play with in the bath, along with a few other animals. But as she mentioned: It is pure plastic, not made in France, and she really could not think of any Baby-toy made of natural rubber.

I thanked her very much and returned home with two thoughts: One being "I still have a lot of work to make Sophie La Girafe known here", and the other: "Maybe I should have told her about Sophie La Girafe?"

What do you think? 

Beautiful original pix can be found here

The Giraffite Syndrome

I thought I was the only one with this syndrome.

But this is not the case.

It is a worldwide syndrome. Incubation varies between a week to a few months. Contagion happens mostly among close friends. Not painful .No cure found so far.

I am talking about the "Giraffite". Alexandra, a friend of mine found the name.

I have had it for close to a year now and it is taking over my life and my dreams. I still remember one of those dreams very vividly: I was visiting an art store to see if they would agree to sell Sophies. They agreed and all was fine. But when I went back I saw that they had decapitated Sophie and place her head on top of some "thing" and they were telling me how much more artistic and better that was. And of course I was horrified and soooo relieved when I woke up.

Some of my friend have had the Giraffite syndrome for the past months,others discovered  they had it just recently.... and those are only the ones who are brave enough to admit it !!

And all of it because of Sophie The Giraffe!

I wrote earlier "Giraffes...more than meet the eyes" . I did not know how true that was especially with Specimen Sophie Hagirafa! She is more than an organic teether for babies, she is slowly taking over our minds and can strike at any moment. ^__^

Let me illustrate the Giraffite:

Case 1:  A. whose youngest child is now three, could not give it a rest and took half a day of her busy life to rumage through storages boxes three floors down looking for her Sophie. Why this frenzy? She could not find any baby pix of her children gnawing on that little giraffe....and simply had to send me pix.

Case 2: S. in spite of her transcontinental travelling found herself irremediably attracted by some occult forces to stores she had no reason to go in. What did she find in one of them? A stamp to make Sophies! Not only she had to buy it but also to use it as soon as possible.... and she enjoyed it!!!!!!!!!!

Case 3: V. went grocery shopping for her family. What pasta did she happen to buy and cook that very night? Yep! Giraffes pasta! It is almost criminal  ^__^  Who knew such pasta existed!

Case 4: J. an energetic lady and a proud grandma who never takes any pix because it is the job of her husband did the unexpected: she took the camera and shoot a picture of one of her grand-children in action with Sophie. Much to her own surprise D. simply could not resist the Force of Sophie La Girafe and the picture is very good!

Case 5 : Even though she has already 2 cats,a partner and a demanding job, M. decided to get another pet. I let you guess who it is and I can assure you the new pet has become the Queen of the premises!

Case 6: D. admitted she dreamt of Sophie those past nights. She does not understand why! She is in the middle of selling her home for an international move, she has no babies,only pre-teens and all she dreams about is Sophie La Girafe in which she spends her dreams explaining who Sophie the Giraffe is to a friend of hers!

Case 7: While in the middle of exams, classes, university choices C. could not stop thinking about Sophie La Girafe and dropped everything to participate in a competition to get that unique T-shirt! He made many people jealous too ^__^

Case 8: D. an artist of great talent and no time for futility is now hooked on painting a Giraffe. She got contaminated by one tiny inconspicuous question V. asked her: "D. can you paint a giraffe?" And that was it. D. feels she must now paint a giraffe. The call is stronger than anything else! ( as soon as I see the painting, I will share it with you!)

Case 9: O. and M. (very respectable professional adults) were visiting us and in the course of the discussion I showed them Sophie the Giraffe and Chan, Pie and Gnon. Suddenly an impromptu concert of squeaking took place! Both had a sudden onset of Giraffite that only music (I did not say noise) could calm! I wish I had filmed them to show you the incredible recital they gave us!

Case 10: G. a young high-tech career guy, no kid, found himself  in an elevator with a couple and a baby. He thinks he hears them talking about teether and immediately starts telling them about Sophie The Giraffe. Of course noone had mentionned the word "teether" but those new parents even though quite surprised by the intrusion were very thankful to learn about Sophie!

Case 11: L. a bright discreet university assistant recently exposed to Sophie The Giraffe suddenly took Sophie out of her bag in the Teacher's office. All her colleagues were impressed by that bald move. L. herself cannot explain what took over her...until she heard of the Giraffite syndrome.

I am sure the list is not exhaustive! So yes it is a new syndrome, it is worldwide and appears to be easily transmitted but do not worry: no harm will happen because of it. Mostly positive has been noted. (not talking about my nightmare!) The Giraffite is just after the spirit of your childhood.

Should you happen to show symptoms: do share!

I will leave you today with Legolas Greenleaf, not that I am a fan but when imagining the Giraffite I visualized a bow and arrow a la Cupide...and Lord Of the Rings came up of course ^__^

Thank you Dan and Legolas

Sophie The Giraffe is a baby's very first candy.

When an adult gets a hold of Sophie The Giraffe, the first comment is usually "Oh! It is so soft! What is that texture? Amazing!", and when we mention that it is natural rubber straight from the trees, he or she immediately starts smelling Sophie. Some love the smell because it reminds them of their childhood. Others like it less. Some would love to taste it but refrain themselves, due to the fact that they are adults.

But what do babies think of Sophie? Actions speaking louder than words, it seems that they all agree: Sophie The Giraffe is fun to hold, but it is also the greatest object to gnaw and chew on.
The counter-pressure from biting on Sophie's nubs, ears, and feet helps relieve the pressure from under the gums when a baby teethes.

For parents the best thing about Sophie ( handmade in France) is that she is made out of a natural flexible rubber, and non-toxic paint and that she has no harmful chemicals (such as Parabens, PVC, Phtalates, BPA (Bisphenol-A) and Nitrosamines). She is a safe alternative to a plastic teether and helps minimize a baby's chance of being exposed to chemicals.
In the first year, babies put everything in their mouths, and in doing so, they can absorb large amounts of toxic chemicals that we aren't always aware of. Some of those chemicals have not been around long enough for us to know what the long-term consequences might be, but why take a chance when our babies can have Sophie? ^__^

Thank you Ecatoncheires

Today's adventure: visit to the Customs and the SII

I know I promised yesterday to write about how Sophie La Girafe stimulates the 5 senses of  Baby, but instead I will tell you about the process to import here. It can be very stimulating as well ^__^.

Right now, we know our package is at the  Customs Office in Tel Aviv and that we must get it as soon as possible not only because we want it, but also because after a certain number of days ( 20 I think), we would have to pay them for storage.

So today we went to the Customs Office. I was very hopeful to get my hands on our precious package. I was ready: I had all the papers we filled, signed, paid since the beginning of this enterprise and I was determined to face every unhappy and unhelpful clerk with a bright smile.

Well, in spite of my strategy, I am sorry to report that we did not retrieve the package. However the people we met there were quite helpful, especially an older gentleman whose job is to inform newcomers in the import-business like me.

We could not get the package because one document from the SII  ( The Standards Institution of Israel) and one paragraph in the invoice were missing.

The Customs need to know where the products come from and how many they are in order to calcaulate the Customs fees. And that has to be written in a certain way in the invoice.

 So Customs: checked somehow!

Next we went to  the SII  located next to the University of Tel Aviv. This is basically where everything starts and ends if you decide to import to this country. They will tell you where and what tests to do, they will authorize (or not) the Customs to let you have your goods etc etc. We presented them with the Customs form they needed, we paid and we recieved our authorization so now basically all that is missing is the invoice with the proper wordings . Once we have it, it is back to Customs to get our package.

After that we will have to go back to the SII to show them we did not lie, that we have both the right products and the stickers conformed with the Israeli Law.

And after that .... we can show the toys, and sell them !!!

Of course this will repeat with each import but I guess it will be easier and faster. At least I hope so!

You may wonder... or not!

But let's assume you do:

" so why did she embark on such adventure with a Giraffe?"

" What is that toy anyway?"

Very valid questions... ^__^ and this post will bring more questions, you will see ;)

When my friend K. (the mother of the Baby -- mentionned in my very first message) asked me what was so special about Sophie, I looked at her with big eyes, and told her I did not know!

But I did know that in France, where I grew up, my generation all had a Sophie and it is still so nowadays. In 2008 there was over 800 000 births in France and almost as many Sophies the Giraffe sold. Amazing, isn't it!?

So I can imagine you getting impatient for the answer: "why? why is Sophie la Girafe so special?"

Condensed answer: Sophie la Girafe is the only natural teether made of natural rubber. It is Phthalates and BPA free. And it stimulates the 5 senses of the Baby.

OK so now you may wonder-- if you were ignorant like me: what are those Phthalates and how do you even pronounce it? And what is BPA?

It is pronounced "THAL-ates." Forget the Ph. I am actually having a very hard time pronouncing it whenever I talk about Sophie!

Phthalates are a group of chemicals used in the manufacture of plastics. They have been used in plastics since the 1930's and it's only recently that concerns have been raised. There are dozens of types of phthalates .Young children can ingest these chemicals when they suck or chew on the soft plastic items.


A Pediatric Study reports that infants are exposed to those phthalates and those have been known to cause reproductive deformaties.


Now the BPA: it is short for Bisphenol A, an organic compound with two phenol functional groups suspected of being hazardous to humans since the 1930s. According to Wikipedia it is an endocrine disruptor, which can mimic the body's own hormones.

I only have a general HighSchool level background in Biology and a bit more in Motherhood, and all those infos are enough for me to conclude that the less exposure to Phthalates and Chemicals in general the better for our babies and children!


So Sophie is Phthalates-free. She is tested very regularly in France and has been through more testing here. I am happy to report she has a squeaky clean bill of health.


And this is why I concluded it would be wonderful to bring such a unique toy in a new country!


Tomorrow I will talk more about how Sophie la girafe does stimulate the 5 senses of Babies.... Oh what a suspense! ^__^




To conclude today's long post : a Beautiful Picture taken by Loic

.........

The Beginning

This adventure all started very simply. I was visiting a friend whose Baby was teething and annoyed. I told my friend she needed Sophie The Giraffe. My friend looked at me puzzled as she had never heard of that Giraffe. I told her not to worry, I would bring her one. I was sure I could find it in Israel!

To my surprise I did not, so I asked a friend of mine in France to send me one. No sooner said than done, Sophie was in the hands of my friend's baby.

Then I thought how strange I cannot find it in Israel. Surely it is somewhere?

I contacted Vulli that confirmed that there was no Sophie The Giraffe in Israel and after a few exchanges, I was offered the opportunity to bring it here. I accepted happily aware that it was going to be a huge challenge for me and a lot of learning in the process.

And now 8 months later ( one more month and it would have been a delivery!) I am extremely happy to report that Sophie and other toys are now available in Israel...well at least as soon as the customs clear them.

You are welcome to meet them on our (Hebrew only at the moment)website : http://www.sofi-hagirafa.co.il/