Party animals

I guess I have birthday gifts on the brain this week after finding those cute crowns. Today's pick: The Raplapas party animals . Each adorable stuffed pig, elephant, bird or rabbit is soft (ooh, cotton velvet), cuddly and topped off with…

Party animals
I guess I have birthday gifts on the brain this week after finding those cute crowns. Today's pick: The Raplapas party animals. Each adorable stuffed pig, elephant, bird or rabbit is soft (ooh, cotton velvet), cuddly and topped off with a party hat, making it an awesome birthday gift for a kid in your life.

They're all handmade in Montreal by mom and costume designer Erica Perrot which might account for their dramatic personalities; I hear you should never feed the rabbit Jager after midnight. -Liz

Find the Raplapas party animals and other great kids' toys at Mahar Dry Goods and get one now! This weekend in honor of Mahar's third birthday, all orders over $25 are 30% off with code BDAY2009 (except furniture and capes) through Sunday Feb 22

More in KidsView all picks →

shannon hale princess in black book and author

Q&A with children’s book author Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale is the bestselling author behind The Princess in Black series. It's a favorite early chapter book series for kids ages 5–8 and boys love it as much as girls do. Her newest book, Princess in Black and the Trick or Treating Trouble, comes out just in time for Halloween. We talked with her about it as part of our Q&A author series and asked about a few of her favorite things too.

Explore Build-a-Bear

Some Not-So-Spooky Fun this Halloween

How can Build-A-Bear be used for Halloween costumes? Let kids create a spooky Build-A-Bear sidekick to incorporate into their costume, which can help the costume be enjoyed beyond Halloween.

Q&A with children's author Sophie Blackall

Q&A with children's author Sophie Blackall

Cool Mom Picks readers, we are so excited to launch a new series for you. We are obsessed book lovers over here at the CMP headquarters, and we have a particular soft spot for children's books (even though we're moving our kids into coll…