We recently had the pleasure of testing Innovative Toy’s award winning line of ScareMeNots™. These "Plush with a Purpose to Protect” dolls are not only adorable, they really make children feel safe & protected at night. When Carl Restivo, president of Innovative Toy's, contacted me about possibly doing a review of their dolls, I was a little skeptical that these dolls would do any more than other dolls that we as parents and grandparents have purchased in hopes of bringing some nighttime comfort for our little ones.

I know from my own experience that making a toddler or child feel safe sleeping alone in their own room can be difficult. Mom's can feel a mix of heartbreak and frustration when a child expresses fear of sleeping alone in their room. We try to comfort them and offer reassurance that there is nothing in the closet or under the bed that is going to hurt them.

When I saw the ScareMeNots and read their stories I thought, "These 'good' monsters just might be worth a try." Two of our mommies received a ScareMeNot for their daughters. Whitney's 2-1/2 year old daughter received Watchdog Wally and Katy's 19 month old daughter received Guardian Gus. Here is what they thought of the ScareMeNot dolls.


Whitney: (Watchdog Wally)

When I first heard about the ScareMeNot Dolls I was so excited to have one. I thought, "What a wonderful idea!!" Kids are scared of monsters so introducing monsters to protect them is just brilliant.

My daughter isn't so much afraid of monsters, as she is of noises, dark, etc. She currently sleeps with a pile of dolls, to make her Feel Safe, so many that she barely has enough room in her bed for herself. Even with all of those dolls she still ends up in our bed probably 5 out of 7 nights a week. But all of that was before we were given 'Watchdog Wally' for Sydney.

When he first arrived I read through all of the information and background of ScareMeNots. He was so cute! I decided that I would not just hand him over to her right away. I sat her down and read to her all about Wally and how he was going to keep her safe at night, incorporating her name into the story. She was so excited when I finally gave Watchdog Wally to her that she hugged him and immediately ran downstairs and climbed into bed.

Watchdog Wally is bright orange and very big, he sits 14" wide and 14" tall and is 33" long with his tail fully extended. He has a Velcro patch on his tail so you can make a loop out of his tail and hang him on the door knob or off the bed post or even put his long tail between the mattresses so he hangs out the side of the bed to protect the bed during the daytime. He has 3 eyes and a large hole where his nose should be. As is explains in the packet of information, each ScareMeNot has individual superhero like traits. Watchdog Wally has an impeccable sense of smell which is why his nose is a large hole, so he can better smell from both sides and all around.




Katy: (Guardian Gus)

What a great product! K received "Guardian Gus." The monster comes with a cute short story about how the monster is use to protect your little one. Gus has eyes on his hands so he can look under doors, in closets, and around curtains. His long tail is made into a loop with a piece of Velcro so it can be used as a handle so your little one has a good grip when its time to look under the bed.

When it was time for me to give the monster to K we sat down together to read the story. After the story I showed her the picture of the monster then told her to go look in her closet, she was so excited to find him she wouldn't put him down. I found at bed time that she went to bed easier, without 30 minutes of fussing, and she also slept though the night which was great because K has never been a good sleeper.

The monster is so cute and soft and just the right size at 19" tall and 26" long with the tail extended. Gus also stands by himself so he can stand at attention for your little one. I got so many compliments about the monster. K's grandpa thought it was the greatest idea. He told me about when I was little and I got afraid of the boogie man or the monster under my bed and there really wasn't anything to make me feel safe other then a night light in my room, that didn't work most of the time! He's so excited about Guardian Gus that he wants to buy the whole set of ScareMeNots for my kids. He was even more thrilled when I told him the price just $24.99! I think anyone having trouble with there little ones being afraid at night should definitely look into this wonderful product!


There are 6 ScareMeNots to choose from, each with their own Superhero-like talents & stories to share. The recommended age range is 3 to 9 years however, the children in this review were both under age 3. They love their ScareMeNot's and both felt safer sleeping alone in their room after receiving a ScareMeNot. I think everyone should give one to their child, grandchild, niece or nephew that is fearful of sleeping alone in their room, no matter what their age. At a price of just $24.99 each, and free shipping if you buy 2 or more, it will bring you and your little one some pretty inexpensive peace of mind.

Innovative Toys has generously offered to give a ScareMeNot doll to one of our Lucky Readers. If you would like to enter to win one for your child just follow the instructions below. You can also visit ScareMeNot's website to purchase one (or more) now!




FIRST, you must complete the Mandatory Entry by visiting the ScareMeNot website to see all of the ScareMeNot dolls and read their stories. Then comment below to tell us the name of the ScareMeNot doll that you think would make your child feel protected. Be sure to include your email address in the comment so I can contact you if you win. To prevent bots from picking up your email address and sending you spam, please enter your email address as: "BloggerMommies at gmail dot com"

After completing the mandatory entry above, you can get additional entries by doing any or all of these tasks: (you must leave each entry in a separate comment in order for them to each count.)

~ Become a Follower this blog. (then post in the comment box to say you are now a follower of this blog.)

~ Subscribe to our Posts or Comment feeds. (Then comment about that too)

~ Follow @ScareMeNot on Twitter. (then tell us that you follow @ScareMeNot on Twitter & post your Twitter name in the comment box)

~ Follow @BloggerMommies on Twitter (then tell us that you follow on twitter & post your Twitter Name in the comment box)

~ Tweet about this Review & Giveaway on Twitter, you must include at least the following in your tweet but feel free to add anything else too: ScareMeNot's take the Scary out of Bedtime, WIN one @BloggerMommies http://tinyurl.com/y86mrp7 (Copy & Paste as it is, to prevent errors in your tweet.) You may tweet this up to 3 times per day, no more often than every 4 hours. Be sure to post a comment here immediately after each time you tweet and include your Twitter ID & link to your status in the comment box (I will reject any comments that say "tweeted yesterday, or earlier this morning", comments must be submitted within an hour of when tweet posted).

~ Become a Fan of BloggerMommies on Facebook. (then come back here and mention that in your comment, include your facebook name in the comment.)

~ Link to Us: Grab our 'Button' in the right-hand column and post it somewhere on your blog or websites home page. Then copy the exact page address from your browser window and post that in the comment box. Note: If it takes me more than 30 seconds to find it on your blog it will not count, please don't put it on a hidden page or on one of those really long scrolling blog rolls.

*NOTE: Your comments will not immediately appear because they have to be verified & approved first.

This Giveaway will end on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 5:00pm (Mountain Time). One random comment will be chosen at that time. The winning comment will be verified at that time so if you said you follow the blog in your comment and we don't find you in the follow list, we will choose another winner. The winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to reply with their name and shipping address. If a response is not received within 48 hours that winner will forfeit the prize and a new winner will be selected. Sorry, no exceptions. [07868 - 16425]