Press Release Details

Parenting: Rewarding? Absolutely! Life-changing? Definitely! Fun? Everyday, hopes Kids II, a global consumer products company that designs, distributes and markets a portfolio of award-winning infant and toddler products created to stimulate fun for child and parent.

Founded in 1969, with a product innovation for making bath time more fun (and safe) for baby and caregiver, Kids II now distributes more than 50 products under its Bright Starts® brand name including: bath items, bouncers, play gyms, play mats, stationary activity centers and toys. Kids II also sells plush, inspirational products under its Bright Inspirations® brand name. Licensing partnerships include manufacturing products for brand names like Baby Einstein™, Winnie The Pooh and Carter's® as well as private label brands such as Just One Year®, Child of Mine® and Baby Connection™.

"At Kids II, we believe fun is more than a pastime, it's an educational and emotional necessity for children and parents," says Ryan Gunnigle, President and CEO. "We are dedicated to innovating and reinventing baby products so our products are relevant to today's parents. We recognize that 'fun' has different requirements depending on mom or dad's need at a particular moment."

Ranked in the Top 100 Private Companies in Atlanta, Kids II has experienced substantial growth and has opened international affiliate operations in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Headquartered in Alpharetta, GA, a suburb of Atlanta, Kids II employs nearly 200 employees worldwide including development teams of child experts, designers and engineers.

Word-of-Mom Matters

Kids II keeps their "ear to the rattle" with an extensive product advisory group that comprises hundreds of moms, dads and child experts from around the world. The group offers product feedback, ideas, advice and observations from their own playrooms, regarding fun (and not fun) activities for young children – and parents.

Of course, the company also looks internally for product inspiration. Parents of more than 150 children can be found at company headquarters – including President and CEO Ryan Gunnigle, father of two.

Black, White & Red All Over

Parents of children born in the nineties will most likely remember the trend of black, white and red toys, designed to make their baby smarter – a trend birthed by the company that is now Kids II. The company partnered with child development expert Susan Luddington-Hoe to release "How to Have a Smarter Baby," a book on infant stimulation. The book was packaged with three black, white and red soft blocks. A full line of Bright Starts® infant development toys followed, along with the Bright Starts brand infant development mobile.

The brain-trust of pioneers who created Kids II breakout products have continued to innovate for the Bright Starts brand – although they've expanded the color palette. Today, Bright Starts features colorful, fun and entertaining products across infant categories – including Bright Starts Chase 'N Play Turtle, recognized by The National Parenting Center (2003 Awards) and Fit Pregnancy Best Toys (2004).

Giving Through Play

Fun and philanthropy go hand in hand at Kids II. The company has a longstanding commitment to supporting the development of happy, healthy children through play. Most recently, Kids II has partnered with Grady Hospital, developed a founding sponsorship for The Children's Museum of Atlanta and supported Creating Pride, an organization dedicated to inspiring teachers to create engaging work for students so they succeed socially and academically.