Mary Couzin: We are delighted to have Hilary Kurinsky and Dani Cupps with us today for our Company of the Week profile. (In the photo, Hilary is on the left and Dani on the right.) Hilary and Dani are co-founders of Pockimals, a woman-owned children’s lifestyle brand featuring adorable mini plush animals, high quality clothes and fun accessories for kids ages 3-10 and for kids at heart of all ages. Ladies, thanks for taking time out today for us to learn more about Pockimals.

HK&DC: Thanks for having us!

First off, you two seem like you are more than just business partners. Were you friends before starting Pockimals? Why did you start Pockimals?

HK: We were! Dani and I met nearly 15 years ago when our now 16-year-old daughters were in pre-school. The girls then went to the same public elementary school in Chicago, where we had many opportunities to volunteer together. We became great friends leading fund- and friend-raising events for that school. At the same time, the girls’ friendship grew, creating lots of opportunity for our families to spend time together.

DC: It was easy to volunteer with Hilary. The kids’ elementary school, a K-8 neighborhood school in the Chicago Public School system, was chronically underfunded and understaffed, giving us plenty of opportunities to work together and grow our friendship. A few years later, when we both had time and energy for a new venture, Hilary was an obvious partner.

That is fantastic! Where did the idea for Pockimals come from?

HK: It was holiday time, and my husband and I were having dinner with our girls.  We are a blended family and celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. We were dreaming up business ideas when my husband asked, “Why don’t kids’ clothing come with pockets for favorite loveys?” We laughed remembering the panic of the lost lovey during holiday travel, then I remembered we had a small plush teddy bear ornament on our holiday tree. I grabbed an old t-shirt, cut four holes in the pocket, pushed the arms of that teddy bear through the holes in the pocket, and we had our first “pocket-animal.” I showed that “Pockimal” to Dani and we launched a company together to solve the problem of the lost lovey.

DC: Soon after, while in lock down for COVID, we appreciated the broader opportunity to delight kids of all ages with a collection of Pockimals that button into custom designed pockets on t-shirts, hoodies, tunics, backpacks and more. Today, our line includes a collection of 12 Pockimals, clothing in six colors for kid sizes 3T to 9/10, and a junior size backpack. We put kids in charge to mix-and-match across the collection, at affordable prices for parents, grandparents and other gift givers.

I love it! A company launched to solve the problem of the lost lovely! So, there is a button on the front of the 3-inch plush animal?

HK: Yes, we evolved from the arms and legs of that teddy bear ornament punching out of holes in the pocket of my old t-shirt to a button on the belly of every Pockimal that buttons into specially-designed button holes on the pockets of all our clothing and accessories. Our tagline is “their belly buttons button in” because all of our Pockimals button comfortably into pockets, making it easy for kids of all ages to be “on-the-go” with our adorable mini stuffed animals. We love seeing smiles wash across children’s faces when they pick favorite Pockimals then hold them tight to their cheeks or button them into t-shirts or hoodies for the first time. We now even make adult-size t-shirts for kids at heart.

Do the animals have names?

DC: Of course, names and personalities! Our dog, Lucky, is named after Hilary’s former family pet, a Bernese Mountain dog that was a loving and loyal friend to her family for nearly 12 years. Our bear, Payton, honors Chicago Bears legend, Walter Payton, an icon of exceptional talent and character. Our unicorn, Sprinkles, dazzles with her pretty pink mane and golden horn. Our fox, Rascal, is just that, a mischievous playmate for kids whose imaginations take them on daring and wild adventures.

We design, manufacture and name the Pockimals with a view of their personalities. Then, hundreds of children at summer and holiday fairs interact with our Pockimals. They hold them and talk to them, and in the stories they create, our Pockimals’ personalities take final form.  

Give our readers a “week in the life” overview. What does a typical week at Pockimals look like?

HK: Good question. We’re all smiles for the moments of delight when children choose a favorite Pockimals, or parents purchase clothing and a toy at a reasonable price, or grandparents sigh with relief at finding a unique gift – but we work hard for these highlights! In any given week, we’re working with our suppliers to design and manufacture high quality products and packaging. We’re shipping Pockimals with clothing and accessories to customers across the country. We’re creating branded content for social media and using platforms like Google, Facebook and Instagram to put Pockimals where our customers are. We’re studying and trying to improve how our customers experience Pockimals. We’re anticipating where Pockimals can be 6 and 12 months from now, working with friends across the toy business who have been remarkably generous with their expertise and personal networks. And, to be fully transparent, we’re doing what creative people like least – managing our cash, complying with local, state and federal regulations for small businesses, and even paying taxes.

DC: Hilary and I both have experience in large corporations, Hilary with Northern Trust and me with Boeing and McDonald’s – and we’re grateful for those experiences. We want our customers and our team to have as much confidence in Pockimals as they do in larger brands. So, we’re doing a lot to build the right long-term infrastructure. But for now, it’s just the two of us plus a small handful of dear friends and family, some paid and some not, so we’re also doing everything it takes to get product into the hands of customers today. Importantly, we all have a dream about Pockimals – whether it’s enabling a million children’s smiles, creating a sustainable business our daughters can run together one day, or seeing a vision through to a product line that makes us proud, start to finish. We’re not changing the world, but day-to-day, week-to-week, we are grateful for the opportunity to do work that is meaningful to us.

Sounds like you both wear a lot of hats to keep things up and running! Where can people buy Pockimals’ plush, clothes and accessories?

HK: Customers across the U.S. can find Pockimals on our website at www.pockimals.com, on Etsy, and at various retailers, who can buy direct from Pockimals or through wholesale platforms like Faire, Abound and Creoate. For customers in our hometown, we also are available at street fairs and festivals across Chicago, which we regularly advertise on our Instagram and Facebook accounts. And if you’re visiting the zoo, we’re proud partners of The Brookfield Zoo and can be found in both of their gift stores.

Are there any new animals, clothes and accessories launching in 2023?

HK: Thanks for asking. Our newest products are hoodies – 100% cotton long sleeve t-shirts with hoods – that we launched in the fourth quarter of last year. These are available in light pink and indigo blue, in sizes 3T thru 9/10. We also recently launched a Pockimals subscription, where with one purchase, customers can delight the child in their life with 3 Pockimals delivered as a bundle every 3 months for one year.

DC: Going forward, we have designs for several new Pockimals to expand our collection from 12 to 24 or more mini stuffed animals in 2023. Ultimately, we can introduce as many animals as we and our customers can imagine, and as parents, we know there’s no limit to the number of places children like to keep a lovey.

Nice. What has been the biggest learning moment you’ve had in this journey?

HK: How helpful it is to invest in trade shows and industry events, and in particular, how supportive industry experts will be. Just one example is Azhelle Wade, also known as The Toy Coach, who we became aware of at the Women in Toys Empowerment Day in Dallas last September, and who featured Pockimals in her first live podcast, an interview conducted at your 2022 Chicago Holiday Toy & Game Fair in December.

DC: I’ll compliment my partner here, and add how important it is to be fearless and determined. Hilary will try and learn anything, from making our first pocket-animal prototype, to mocking up packaging with old Amazon boxes, to learning how to create social media content, to figuring out Illinois state taxes, and so much more. And she’s determined. There’s considerable risk in starting a new business – personal risk in challenging yourself to accomplish an ambitious goal, reputational risk in putting your talents on display, financial risk in manufacturing product and creating a brand from scratch, to name just a few.

I’ve always respected the quote: “hard works beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” Fortunately for Pockimals, Hilary has talent and works hard.  

HK: Thanks Dani! I can’t imagine running this company without you! I value you, your experience, knowledge and 100% positive attitude! Pockimals works because we both bring different strengths to the table.

Any advice you can offer our readers about getting into this market?

HK: Get into a market you love, this one or another, and appreciate that joy is in the doing.

DC: In this market or another, do anything with people you love.

That’s great. Well, we just love these adorable Pockimals and how much fun they bring to kids of all ages. Thank you again for giving us more insight into your company.

HK&DC: It was fun. Thank you!