meet THE melissa of melissa & doug!

• Is there really a Melissa?

• And if there’s a real Melissa, is there a real Doug?

• Do they really make toys?

• And if they’re real people–do they have kids?

• Do they really work for the toy company or are they relaxing on a beach somewhere?

• Is their pantry full of wooden food and their playroom full of magnetic dolls and puzzles, and do they ride around on Trunkis all day long?

Yes, yes, yes, and yes.  And a big fat ‘NO!’ to the last question.  Not confirmed, but I’m guessing it’s a ‘no’ because they’re a little too big for Trunkis.

Ever since I began working with Melissa & Doug, I have been seriously amazed at the number of people who have asked me, So is there a REAL Melissa and Doug or is it some marketing thing?

I’ve been surprised because years and years ago, when I first started this blog, I reached out to the company and emailed with the REAL Doug a number of times.  And I’m not saying that to play ‘cool girl’; I’m sharing this because four years ago, if you went to the Melissa & Doug website, you could see under the ‘about’ section a bit about the Melissa & Doug team.

So I learned, way back when, that they were real. And that they were married.  And they were funny and smart and innovative.

And when I had the chance to meet the REAL Melissa at Toy Fair last month, I was thrilled to also learn that the real Melissa truly wants feedback about her products–What did we like? What works? What doesn’t? How can they improve? What suggestions did we have?

So I’m totally elated to invite everyone to ‘meet’ THE Melissa of Melissa & Doug next week–next Monday night to be exact.

Here’s the skinny. . .

• Meet THE Melissa of Melissa & Doug:  We’re having a Twitter event on Monday, and everyone’s invited.

And though I know Twitter can be intimidating to many, I encourage you to jump out of your comfort zones a bit (a la New For Us Friday–c’mon, you can do it!), and try it out.

There’s no need to stress because Twitter is easy.  And how FUN for you to be able to tell your kiddos on Tuesday at breakfast that you ‘tweeted’ with Melissa of Melissa & Doug while they were sleeping soundly the night before!? They’ll think you’re so cool.

And this will be Melissa’s first Twitter Event, too, so everyone will be learning!!

Here’s the Twitter skinny:

 

So to re-cap, here’s what you need to do now in order to have THE most fun on Monday night:

1. Sign up for Twitter if you haven’t already.
2. RSVP to the Melissa and Doug twitter event: http://bit.ly/319mandd
3. Play around on Twitter a bit, making sure you’re following all of the party participants:
   • @MelissaandDoug  (Christine social media for, Melissa & Doug–she’ll be running the party!)
   • @MelissasToys (MELISSA of Melissa & Doug)
   • @teachmama (me!)
   • @innerchildfun (Valerie, of Inner Child Fun, formerly Frugal Family Fun Blog)
   • @NoFlashCards (Allie, of No Time for Flash Cards)
   • @steet (Stacy of Kids * Stuff * World)
   • @LassoMoonLight (Zina of Lasso the Moon)
4. Consider using something to make the party a little easier.  I like Tweetchat: http://tweetchat.com/room/mdparty   OR   Tweetgrid: http://bit.ly/mdtwitter319  (Both are already set up for you–all you need to do is login, and then you will ‘follow’ #mdpa rty so you can see everyone’s tweets during the event.
5. Try it all out this weekend. Seriously. And tweet me any questions you have!  Hey–tweet me telling me you’ve tweeted your first tweet!

And an added bonus? If you RSVP to the Melissa & Doug Twitter event, you’ll be able to win some pretty fab prizes from the Melissa & Doug collection, including a Trunki Prize Pack that you can win just for promoting the event!

Tweet this: before the event. .  .

Twitter Party Mon, March 19! Meet Melissa of @MelissaAndDoug 9-10:30 pm EST RSVP: bit.ly/319mandd @melissastoys #weteach #mdparty

And you could win: A Trunki Prize Pack!

And just a few fun Melissa facts before the party starts:

• Melissa is challenging the focus of today’s technology-driven society and making the case that children need to find their true selves by experiencing their inherent creativity.
• Melissa’s dedication to listening to parents has positioned the company as the trusted partner of millions of families, and the playthings she creates are designed with those families—and her own six children—in mind.
• Melissa’s professional and life experiences have helped prepare her for her current role. She, like husband and company co-creator Doug, comes from a family of educators.
• Melissa and Doug started their venture 23 years ago in the garage of the home where he grew up.
• Through its unique distribution network of specialty retailers and presence in 80 countries worldwide, Melissa & Doug has created nearly 2,000 proprietary products spanning virtually every category of children’s play.
• “We started the business to make incredible products that enrich children’s lives, and we treat our customers like members of our family,” Melissa says. “We also listen to parents—I talk to a lot of them!—to address needs in the marketplace and create products that can be trusted.”

Can’t wait to tweet with you on Monday!

Do you have questions about Twitter? Questions about the event? Questions for Melissa? Share them here as a comment, email me, or tweet me!