October 22, 2019 – Internet Retailer – Vulli launched the children’s teething toy Sophie La Girafe in 1961 in France. And the toy has steadily grown in popularity across the globe; nearly 60 years since its launch, the product is still made manually in France using rubber and food-based paint, and millions are sold every year in 85 countries, says Stephen Montgomery, owner for Calisson Inc., which is the U.S. distributor for Vulli and Sophie La Girafe.

While the product is the same, how and where it is distributed and sold has changed dramatically thanks to the rapid changes within the retail industry.

“Culturally, things have changed, but babies are still babies—and babies love the product,” Montgomery says.

For years, U.S. consumers could only buy the Sophie La Girafe teether and other related products in about 9,000 boutique stores, which the wholesaler secured by attending gift and trade shows. And thanks to interest from celebrities such as Kate Hudson and Sandra Bullock, who appeared in magazine photos with their babies and a Sophie La Girafe, the product garnered free media attention, popularity and sales.

Read more at Internet Retailer.